Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Dickensian-ish Christmas Update

So, our  English dinner was a rousing success! Everyone really enjoyed the unique menu and unfamiliar traditions. There were 10 adults in attendance and everyone was pretty giddy by the end of the evening.

We started with appetizers of pigs in a blanket (despite my previous objections) which were quickly devoured by the men in the group, crackers and English cheeses and mulled cider.
The table was set with white table clothes, white china and red accents-ribbons on the napkins, red candles and a gleaming bowl of red ornaments. In addition at each place setting there were Christmas Crackers.

For dinner there was a standing beef rib roast, duchess potatoes, brussel sprouts with bacon, flakey rolls with butter and assorted jams. We all drank PG Tips-Englands most popular tea-with milk. (I've never put milk in my tea before but since this dinner I have become quite addicted to it). Everyone loved the dinner
After the dinner dishes were cleared we "popped" the Christmas Crackers. This was definitely the hit of the evening. Each cracker contained a paper crown-which we gamely donned-a riddle and a small toy (yoyo's, tiny notebooks, bouncey balls). Everyone read their riddle in turn and by the end we had all dissolved in laughter. Afterward we passed everyone at the table a slip of paper which had one line from the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" whatever line you received you then had to act out for the rest of the table to guess. Maids a Milking was particulary popular. And somehow-quite spontaneously-the group sang the entire song!

After this came the figgy pudding. Now I had spend a few hours assembling and baking this the day before and it was quite a bit of work. It came out as it was supposed to but I would be lying if I said the dark brown mound of cake was particularly appealing. We did hide a gold coin inside and the person whose piece contained the coin got a small prize. After a thorough dousing of brandy sauce it was lit and flamed, although I'm afraid, rather unimpressively. The figgy pudding was enjoyeed by a few members of our group but generally was deemed to dry, heavy and chewy. I had expected as much and wisely baked a backup dessert-an amazing (Mexican) chocolate cake which was raved over. Here's the link to that recipe. http://patismexicantable.com/2012/09/jujus-birthday-cake.html
We enjoyed dessert with brandy spiked egg nog.

Overall the meal was a huge success. It really made the holiday feel more special. We are already planning for next year: Southern Italian Christmas with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. And I for one simply can't wait!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Snickerdoodles


This is my all time favorite cookie and a recipe that I got from my grandmother. Cookies are simple, rich, crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. They freeze beautifully.

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar plus 4 tablespoons
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

In large mixing bowl cream together butter (helps if it is at room temperature), 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs. This can be done with a mixer or by hand.  Be sure to scrape sides of bowl. Mix until well blended but do not beat, will be light and fluffy. In a separate bowl combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture and stir until well blended. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or longer). Dough also freezes well.
Preheat over to 375F. Combine remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon in a flat bowl or on a plate. Shape dough into 1-2" balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar. Place at least 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes (depending on size). Snickerdoodles will puff up at first and then flatten out during baking. Cool on a wire rack. One suggestion: because this is such a simple recipe, use quality ingredients: farm-fresh eggs, cinnamon-Penzey's has wonderful varieties http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/results.html and real butter, also a good quality all purpose flour (I like King Arthur). Makes 3-4 dozen cookies. About 140 calories each (and totally worth it!)





Friday, December 14, 2012

English Christmas Traditions

Here are some fun tidbits about where English--and American--Christmas traditions come from. They just might give you some ideas for your own traditions...

-The first Christmas card was sent in 1840. Today the Brits send over a billion every year.
-English children write letters to Father Christmas-Santa Claus-and burn them in the fireplace so the ashes will be carried by the wind and Father Christmas can read the smoke.
-Holly, mistletoe and evergreens are all traditions dating back to the Dark Ages. Pagans decorated their homes with evergreen boughs to remind them in the darkest months that spring was coming.
-In a mandate from 1540 every English person is supposed to attend church on Christmas Day and they are supposed to do so on foot. (about 13% uphold this tradition)
-In the afternoon on Christmas Day the Queen broadcasts a special message to her subjects. George V started this tradition in 1932.
-The 12 Days of Christmas actually begin after Christmas Day. The Song The 12 Days of Christmas dates back to 1780 and the lyrics have changed some over the years...("8 Badgers Baiting" anyone?)
-In England the day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Traditionally the wealthy would "box up" the leftovers from their Christmas feast and give them to the less fortunate.

Many of the English traditions focus on charity, generosity, and family togetherness. Sounds pretty good to me.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

A Dickensian-ish Christmas




So, for several years now the womenfolk in my family have batted around the idea of doing an "English Christmas Dinner." None of us really knew what that meant exactly but it sounds elegant and old world so this year we are pressing forward.
After quite a bit of Googling we've determined a typical English Christmas Dinner menu with some slight modifications for our American audience:

Pigs in a Blanket (this one is a head scratcher and something we will not be incorporating)
Standing Rib Roast or Roasted Goose (we going with the Rib Roast as Goose is just a little...eww)
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon
Cranberry Sauce
Bread Sauce (this we will NOT be making because it looks and sounds eww)
Roasted Potatoes (we are going with Duchess Potatoes instead-sounds English at least)
Yorkshire Pudding (Americanize this to Rolls with Herbed Butter)
Figgy Pudding (this we will attempt and are planning to flambe)
Chocolate Cake (not at all traditional English, but just in case nobody likes the pudding. We're calling it Tiny Tim's Favorite Chocolate Cake)

We are planning to incorporate some of their other traditions as well: party crackers at each place setting, hiding a gold coin in the figgy pudding and consuming lots of brandy.

More to come on recipes, pictures of the event and whether or not this was all a terrible idea and we should have just gotten Chinese food...

Friday, December 7, 2012

White Christmas Tree

This is my Christmas tree. I have always loved the clean, retro look of white trees. The color scheme is a little unorthodox: purple, turquoise and chartruese, but I feel like red, green and gold have been done to death, so why not use the colors you love? I've been collecting the ornaments for years, many were gifts and I always scope the after Christmas sales because there's always room for one more.






Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Lebanon Ohio Carriage Parade

Lebanon Ohio's Annual Horse Drawn Carriage Parade. The largest in the country and a favorite family tradition. We go every year and, for me at least, it never gets old...