Christmas Foods

Christmas foods give our season not only flavor but also a whole new level of definition. They are as much symbol as they are substance. From fruitcake to Christmas cookies, the traditions and even legends of Christmas are highlighted by the foods of Christmas.

Grandma's Recipe Box
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Grandma’s Recipe Box

Last Christmas my wife, who is the world's best cook, made old fashioned English toffee for me. I didn't ask her to and we did not even discuss it. She just did it not knowing that it would bring back a rush of Christmas memories. Food, like…
Pumpkin Spice Season
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Pumpkin Spice Season Has Begun

Pumpkin spice season is officially upon us. The media blitz has begun. They have announced that Starbucks will begin selling the granddaddy of all pumpkin spice products, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, on August 22,, 2024. Not to be outdone, and…
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Crazy New Foods of Christmas

Food, more than any other thing, is the most common element of Christmas. The aroma of it fills every family gathering, it is the showcase at every Christmas party and it even finds its way under the tree, if not part of the decorations. The…
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The History of Pumpkin and Christmas

When it comes to Christmas the United States can lay claim to few traditional elements of the season. Christmas trees came from Germany, Santa Claus came from Turkey, while Christmas pudding, eggnog and mistletoe all came from various places…
Pumpkin Pie
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Pumpkin Pie Poetry

The Thanksgiving of old America included a serious reverence the people of the 18th and 19th centuries had for pumpkin pie. Said the editor of the Philadelphia Ledger in 1837 “that he should like to be thrown into a pumpkin pie as large as…
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Real Onion Dip

The staple of all dip standards when it comes to year round entertain is the timeless combination of Lipton's Onion Soup Mix with sour cream. Have that and your dips will be a hit. But what if you want an onion dip with a little zing...a…
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Top Ten Alternative Uses for Fruitcake

1. Bury them in the back yard for future archaeologists to discover. 2. Give them to your son for a science project 3. Hang on to it to find out if there REALLY is more than one Fruitcake that’s making it’s rounds every year. 4.…
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The Mesmerizing Art of Christmas Pancakes

There are a lot of foods associated with Christmas but the last you would expect to be merry would be pancakes. But if you're looking for a little kitchen entertainment for the kids on a December Saturday this might be a good idea. Now,…
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Thanksgiving Debate of Stuffing or Dressing

While the world embroils itself in constant debates and controversies each holiday season and calls it the War on Christmas the skirmishes over Thanksgiving get a pass. That is mostly because the debates of Thanksgiving rage about food. There…
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History of Eggnog

Christmas of 1826 was snowy, cold and lonely for the cadets of West Point. Though called "men" they were really teenage boys -- some as young as 17 -- and they wanted to celebrate Christmas. Young Jefferson Davis, future president of the Confederate…
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Fruitcake Toss Day

Today is January 3rd and there are only 356 days until Christmas. It is National Fruit Cake Toss Day and no, we’re not kidding. The first Fruitcake Toss Day was celebrated in Manitou Springs, Colorado in 1995 where it is still celebrated…
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Great Debate: To Baste or Not to Baste?

By Jeff Westover (Author bias: I've never basted our turkey. After he is stuffed we give him a light rub down with vegetable oil to give him that overall toasty look and then lightly cover him in foil. That foil stays on until the last hour…
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Christmas Tradition of Gingerbread

By Mac Carey Gingerbread is a popular Christmas treat all over the world, in many different forms. Gingerbread first appeared in central Europe in the Middle Ages, made from sugars and spices that had been brought back from the Middle East…

Chestnuts!

By Christmasstar It is rarely tried, easy to cook, hard to peel but very tasty. It is the humble Castanea, better known as the chestnut. I tried one years ago from one of those sidewalk carts when living in the Vancouver area but could…