Holiday Foods

Hello  my Foodie Friends!   

What is your favorite holiday food? It is difficult to think of the holiday season and not think of all the holiday food – the alluring treats – both sweet and savory – that accompany all the celebrations. Many of us celebrate the holidays with unique foods that have been passed down for generations. We may serve them at a special occasion or on special days of the season. What is better than family and friends coming together to eat something delicious that you have eaten together for years? The bonding comes in the preparations, eating of the food and the magic of bringing friends and family together. 

Holiday foods create familiar scents. Think about the aroma’s that trigger that holiday feeling for you; wafts of fire-place smoke, pine needles, sugary cinnamon, roasted turkey, pies baking in the oven, and sugar cookies, all that mingle together in your nose. These fabulous aromas create feelings of nostalgia that quickly turn the corner to the holiday scene. 

We all probably have a holiday food that makes us smile. I know this is true for me. I probably have at least ten or more! Most of my favorite holiday foods take me back in time where food traditions were made at my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins’ homes. 

My mother had the unenviable task of making all this magic happen almost by herself. My father would leave for work every day at about 4:00 am and return at 7:30 p.m. six days a week. This would leave my mother to go about her day trying to keep five children motivated to be nice instead of naughty. Her day started at the same time as my fathers and ended well after he went to bed. In earlier stories I referred to my mother having a super power and that was cooking and baking. Her baking powers would come into play during the holiday’s when she would use baking to wake up would be the three little boys named John, Danny and Billy. She would start with apple pies and then her pumpkin pies Her apple pies were my favorite. However, the pumpkin would be a close second. When those aromas entered our room, we would awaken with big smiles and wide eyes. We would sit right up in bed, inhale deep and proclaim “moms baking pies”! Then there was a race for the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed for breakfast. The problem was, how do you eat oatmeal or cream of wheat while pies are baking? My mother would then tell us if we ate all of our breakfast then we’d get a taste of her pie. We were easy as pie! 

With the holidays, people travel to that place in their minds where the first words that pop are almost always food related. The idea of food evokes memories. The traditions that have come before now meld with my own family food memories that take me to my own home the place where my wife and I cook into the late evenings preparing holiday treats and meals with holiday music blaring really loud.  I love these feelings and memories.  It is part of the magic of the holiday season which enforces the point that holidays and food go together

During the holiday season, the frantic pace of work and school, life slows temporarily and we settle into the celebrations of the season. We toast the successes we’ve had in the preceding months, reflect on the life we’ve lived and rejoice with our loved ones. Create your holiday traditions. Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store, located at 33 Railroad Place for the holiday supplies you need to eat, drink and be merry with family and friends. Stop by and share your holiday food memories with us. Remember my Foodie Friends: “Life Happens in the Kitchen”. Happy Holidays and 

Take Care,
John & Paula