Question of the Day, Sunday, December 11, 2016

good morning! 

with the holiday fast approaching, i've been thinking about some of the treats i enjoy this time of year.

so with these thoughts on my mind, for today's Question of the Day......

What are some of the treats or special foods that you enjoy during the holidays, or this time of year?

i'll start!

when i was a kid, i enjoyed the candy -- candy canes, and especially ribbon candy. these days, i enjoy clementines (oranges), fresh roasted nuts, and celery pieces stuffed with peanut butter. i also love the winter squashes, especially butternut and acorn. i usually bake a couple peanut pies during the winter too -- i don't like pecans, and peanut pies are pretty much the same as pecan pies but using peanuts instead of pecans.

okay, now it's your turn!

I'm not big on treats, but there are two vegetables that I always think of as being winter foods that I really miss.

Parsnips and Brussel Sprouts.

I know a lot of people hate them, but they were my favourite part of Christmas/Sunday dinner. Brussel sprouts are so good with a little bit of black pepper and vinegar. Parsnips taste really good roasted.

It's such a shame they aren't available over here.

MMM, I love brussels sprouts, though I've never tried them with vinegar.  I like to let them age a little in the refrigerator until the outer leaves are turning yellow, peel the yellow leaves off, cut the ends off, put a cross on the bottom with a knife and steam them.  The aged ones have a more delicate flavor.  A shame they are not available where you are, @Norachan

My grandmother used to bake unique and wonderful cookies.  We loved them, but they were difficult to make and no one continued the tradition.  She cooked every Sunday for us and it was soooo good, but she only made cookies at Christmas.

I have to go for fruitcake, plum pudding and mince pies. I'm not big on sweet things, but those desserts are just part of Christmas for me

I never ate parsnips or Brussels sprouts as a kid, but I love them now. Roasted preferably with olive oil and a wee bit of kosher salt and a good sprinkling of black pepper.

But my heart says candy. Chocolate preferably. There's something about Christmas that calls to me with chocolate. The mugs of steaming hot chocolate. The chocolate-covered pretzels. Hershey's kisses. Chocolate-covered peanuts. Chocolate crinkle cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. These are all things I can have any time, so I don't know why they seem so Christmas-sy to me.

I haven't had sugared popcorn in ages and it's something I always associate with the holidays.

And for New Year's? Pork and sauerkraut. It's not January 1 without pork and sauerkraut. Over lots of mashed potatoes.

I bought the things I need yesterday to do the icebox fruitcakes again this year. This year I was able to find gluten free graham crackers. I can crush them for the crumbs I need to make the two loaf cakes.
Last year I couldn't find them in any of the local grocery stores and had to bake my own cookies to use. That made the job double trouble. I have enough of the fruitcake mix stuff to add, also the dark and gold raisins and dates. I forgot to get the mini marshmallows and orange juice. The recipe actually calls for bourbon but I don't use that stuff. I am using an aunts old recipe. They turned out very nice last year.

There is just something about fruitcake that rings my bell.

Kringles from Wisconsin.  I have a work associate that sends 3 of them to me every year. I usually keep one at the office for my staff to share, and the other 2 come home with me.

I freeze them in portions otherwise we'd scoff it up in short time.

This year she sent me 2 Pecan and 1 Turtle flavor.  She buys them from Bendtson's - which is one of the top 3 makers of Kringles, possibly the best of all bakeries that make them.

I love stollen, but I haven't made one in a long time. I used to make it for Christmas morning to have with coffee while we opened presents.

I'm with you Norachan . I love brussel sprouts with vinegar. Also good on cabbage

I love the Christmas candies! And the fudge that my grandma makes and hands out on Christmas day

I like the Christmas cookies, especially the ones with peanut butter and chocolate. 

I like the Christmas cookies, especially the ones with peanut butter and chocolate. 

There is not ONE THING about Holiday foods that I don't just love!  I have to be SO careful!  I could even, when the mood hits, sit down with a can of OceanSpray cranberry sauce and a spoon and just...dig in!  It's that bad.   I love making sugared and spiced roasted nuts and different barks, though. 

There are a lot of holiday treats that I like...

Pumpkin pie
Pfefferneusse cookies (did I spell that correctly??)

Hot chocolate with a candy cane melted into it
Stollen

For those who don't know what stollen is - it's a German holiday bread that is very sweet, covered in powdered sugar, containing nuts and fruits. It looks like this:


Words cannot describe how heavenly this stuff tastes. You can find recipes online to make it; it's kind of hard to find in grocery stores. If you have an Aldi near you, they carry it at this time of year (of course they do - they're a German company).

But the problem is....I'm a type 2 diabetic. Most of these things I can't have. It's hard for me to find diabetes-friendly treats. 

- Finnish Pulla bread
- Candy canes
- Panettone 
- Seasonal candies in general (Particularly from Laura Secord)
- Kahlúa, including the peppermint kind,  in hot chocolate
- Seasonal teas
- Pouring hot maple syrup on snow then scooping the chewy gooeyness up to eat



I am sure there is more, but the first that came to mind  

 

Cassiopea said:

- Pouring hot maple syrup on snow then scooping the chewy gooeyness up to eat

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Really!? I've never tried that.  

We get a Christmas cake from the local vegan shop, it's very yummy. We have peaches nectorines, water melon, cherries, grapes, and my very favourite, blood plums.  

moorspede said:

 
We get a Christmas cake from the local vegan shop, it's very yummy. We have peaches nectorines, water melon, cherries, grapes, and my very favourite, blood plums.  

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One of my daughters is vegan and I'm vegetarian, that sounds delicious.