My mom’s mom would always eat some creamed herring on New Years Eve but I don’t carry on the tradition. I hated it as a kid but I wonder if I’d enjoy it now.
New Year’s Eve: I don’t drink alcohol, so I open a bottle of carbonated grape juice.
New Year’s Day: pozole stew (basically menudo, but with less tripe and more hominy).
Valentine’s Day: a box of chocolates, and a bag of those stupid candy hearts.
St. Patrick’s Day: corned beef, potatoes, and as little cabbage as I can get away with eating.
Easter: biscuits topped with cream curry gravy and sliced eggs (preferably eggs where the dye soaked through the shell and discolored the egg white).
Mother’s Day: lunch at the fanciest restaurant in town.
Independence Day: a hamburger (preferably cooked over a carcinogenic charcoal grill).
Halloween: a little bit of candy corn and a lot of miniature candy bars.
Thanksgiving: pecan pie is traditional, but I prefer buttermilk pie.
Christmas: cookies.
Thanksgiving: Bag of plain vanilla flavored animal crackers. (Long story.)
Thanksgiving: turkey.
Christmas: ditto
New year’s eve toast: sparkling cider (we’re both teetotalers).
Those are really the only holiday meal traditions, and frankly I’m kinda tired of turkey at this point.
Thanksgiving and Christmas:
Cranberry Relish–for those unfamiliar with this delightful dish it is fresh cranberries cooked with about fifteen other ingredients. Mom loves it and says that other cranberry aficionados (such as herself) love it. (You see where this is going. I’m so transparent)
Here we go: Mom asked me to make Cranberry Relish for Thanksgiving one year. I found a recipe and it took kinda long to cook but I did make this relish and fortunately or unfortunately Mom said it was great and she has asked for me to make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas ever since. I enjoy making it for her, seriously.
Mom loves it, My brother-in-law likes it and I eat it…
It’s not too bad, actually…
Do you happen to have the recipie handy? It sounds wonderful.
Christmas: seafood paella with Spanish chorizo
NYD: biscuits and sausage gravy
Thanksgiving: turkey and apple pie.
Birthday: chocolate cake with fudge frosting.
Halloween: candy corn
Passover matzo, of course. And matzo ball soup.
That’s all i can think of. I guess i associate Christmas with candy canes, and I’ve been roasting a goose for new year’s the past several years. But neither feels as important as the ones I mentioned.
Oooh, i adore creamed herring. Maybe I should start that tradition.
Susan Stamberg introduced us to Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish years ago and it’s become our tradition.
Looking into it a little more, it seems this is a Northern European tradition. Grandma was from Southeast Michigan and would have been well immersed in German & Polish customs so it does tie together. I think I’m going to buy some this year, it’s barely a month away.
In my family, baked macaroni and cheese and collard greens shows up on the dinner table at all major holidays. If those dishes aren’t present, there will be frowny faces.
Honestly just turkey, stuffing, and something cranberry for Thanksgiving. I don’t have any must-haves for anything else. But Thanksgiving would feel weird without those.
At some point we started having tortilla soup on Christmas Eve but I don’t really care one way or another.
Growing up, menus varied for other occasions.
Bacon-wrapped fruitcake.
For what holiday?
My brother-in-law making smart-ass remarks.
Served with apple sauce and sour cream.
Knaidlich for Passover.