Penny For Your Thoughts by: Nancy Whitaker
Christmas dinner does not have to be ham, potatoes and pies. For the past 3 years I have ordered Sub sandwiches with toppings and a cookie platter. Everyone brings something and it is not a formal deal, it is just simple and good.
What we cook for the Christmas holidays certainly has changed over the years. When we compare what is served on our own holiday tables now, to what our ancestors were eating a century ago, it is quite different. Christmas dinners 100 years ago, while very special, were sometimes cobbled together from what was on hand. Opossum and wild game stuffed with dressing was a food that our ancestors cooked and were thankful to have. Then they may have served Consommé, tomato soup, game soup, or oyster stew. However, it is rare that you find soups and stews currently being served at Christmas dinner today.
We serve foods such as turkey, lots of pie, and a variety of cookies and candy. I used to try and cook something a little different each year. One year it was rabbit and another year, a turducken. We even tried a buffalo pie one year. I tried to get my kids to at least try something different, but no way would they ever eat a bite of rabbit. They said it reminded them of “Bugs Bunny.”
I remember one year when I was about 8 or 10 years old, my grandpa went hunting on Thanksgiving. He didn’t carry a gun, but he had one of the biggest slingshots I had ever seen. In his coat pocket he had little steel balls to use as ammunition. Well he came back with a pheasant. The details of seeing grandma cook the poor thing will haunt me forever. But we all bowed our heads and listened to Grandpa’s lengthy prayer thanking God for our nice dinner.
As we think back over our old memories, a lot of us still have some of our ancestors spirits in us. We all have some sort of traditions when it comes to Christmas. Every year we add to our memories good and bad. They are something to think about and remember as we grow older. The history of our ancestors celebrations is something to think about, because our memories become another generations history.
Have you ever cooked a different type of Christmas dinner? What are your traditions and favorite memories of Christmas? Does your family have a favorite dish for Christmas?
Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for your Thoughts.
Oh! I ran across this interesting recipe. Maybe you can try it for the next holiday:
Hot Jezebel
(The recipe does not say how much of each ingredients are used)
With apricot preserves serving as the heart of this dish, only four other ingredients are added. They are Dijon mustard, horseradish, salt and pepper. You make it what it is and make it yours.
Once the sweet and spicy sauce is done, you can do any number of things with it.
Most cooks take the traditional route and pour it over a block of cream cheese. It has been said ” We love the cooling and creamy tanginess of the cheese, but this Jezebel sauce would also be good poured over a roasted pork loin or pork chops (I believe I may just have to try it).
