What is your Yule dinner menu?

[Faery-Wings]

Anyone having a special meal for your Yule dinner?

i am cooking a beef roast, asparagus with rosemary and thyme, whole wheat bread and cookies for dessert.

[Tanya]

Since we live in the southern hemisphere, Yule falls at Mid-summer roughly, seeing as the whole point is being in touch with the earth and seasons, we will be having fresh caught rabbit, and roast beef (hubby is of British background) asparagus salad, sliced vine ripe tomatoes slavered in balsamic vinegar, good olive oil covered with my garden's fresh basil and curls of parmesean, green bean salad, fresh watermelon, peaches and cherries and of course corn on the cob. All to be eaten on our front porch washed down with icey cold beer and followed with a swim in our pond... Yule in Australia... fa la la

For our midwinter feast, its all about the pig.. Cerderwin, we usually do ham, stollen, lots of german and scottish cookies, hot mulled wine and cider, and my husband cooks up pumpkin and potatos and mashes them together with lots of butter, brussel sprouts are also in season then or something else cabbagey, and leeks, sometimes Rob does leek soup or pumpkin and leek soup... hot and satisfying

[kal]

it has to be homemade soup half a turkey, roast and normal potatoes sprouts sweetcorn drowned in onion gravy followed by chocolate gataux with cream

[Rainmoon_mist]

Ham, yam casserolee, green bean casserole, corn, rolls, mashed tates with gravy and apple pie for din din!!

[leonora]

gammon, boiled new potatoes and vegatables, finished off with a lovely fruit trifle.

[mucgwyrt]

I'm going to my sisters, so who knows!

I'm looking forward to cooking a nice glazed ham on Boxing Day (thats the day after crimbo fyi) with fresh, local sprouts (we get them still on the stalk! mmmm! :drool: ), roasted potatoes and roasted parsnips, and mushy-peas (another british speciality ;) )

[Faery-Wings]

It all sounds good!

But what is gammon?
And mushy peas?

[mucgwyrt]

It all sounds good!

But what is gammon?
And mushy peas?
Mushy peas - http://www.wight.co.uk/food/recipes.99/11.99/ mmmmm :drool: they are soooo good. I cheat though, and use 'quick soak' peas, which you only need to soak for 4 hours instead of overnight :) They're more of a northern thing I think, although they've spread in recent years. It's traditional to have them with fish and chips!

Gammon (http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/food/showrecord?templatestyle=text&config=ingredientname&page=1&pagesize=15&Id=152) is basically thickly cut ham :)

[~Elise~]

Tonight is our Yule ritual. We are having Wish Soup--which everyone is bringing a chopped veggie for. I'm providing the lamb for the Wish Balls. And people are bringing lots of good food to share, as well. So the menu won't be completely known untill all get here.
Good food shared with family of the heart... what could be better?

Elise

[Rick]

Must have pork... http://bestsmileys.com/dinning/2.gif

[DreamSpell333]

Pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes :D

[Goddess Rhiannon]

I am roasting a chicken and baking a yorkshire pudding...

it is all I had to work with....and anyone who lives in the UK....knows all about stretching a meal with the use of yorkshire pudding !!!!!

[Gypsy flower]

smoked ham, boiled potatoes, asparagus, home made rolls and a very special dessert, a family recipe sorry cant tell...:shhhh:
Hope my roomates and my friends
appriciate all my hard work_wiz_

[blueangel]

My family is having turkey, roast potatoes, brussel sprouts, pigs in blankets, stuffing, and probably carrots and other veg. Of course bread sauce and cranberry sauce too. I'm having the same except exchanging the turkey for a puff pastry mushroom bake cos I am not a big fan of turkey. For pudding: christmas pudding with custard, brandy butter and brandy cream and another 'surprise' pudding for those who don't like CHristmas pud! Very traditional but we only eat it once a year so what the heck!!|

[mucgwyrt]

I am roasting a chicken and baking a yorkshire pudding...

it is all I had to work with....and anyone who lives in the UK....knows all about stretching a meal with the use of yorkshire pudding !!!!!
:hehehehe:

[BrigidMoon]

We had steak, pasta side dish and fresh asparagus. Yule log cake for dessert. :)

[LadyAriana]

I made lasagna fresh (though I bought fresh pasta) and made tiramisu from scratch as well. Just me and my friends who knew the meaning of the day for me, and my little brother joined us which made my night because in the beginning he wasn't accepting of me at all.

[Nitefalle]

Weeeeell.....I know that Yule isn't for another two months BUT I'm so excited that I just can't stop thinking about it. So, I am bumping these threads so people can start thinking about their Yule menus!

This year, we might go with salmon & roast lamb, asparagus, mashed turnips, sauteed peas w/ caramelized onions, pumpkin-gingerbread w/ bourbon sauce for dessert, cookies, hot cider, eggnog & mulled wine.

[Convallaria]

So, as Samhain is over, I'm giving myself permission to switch to Yule-mode, haha! And I think that's a great opportunity to share some Yule recipes that I'll be using this year.

We'll be having turkey, as we do every year in my family, but I'll also be making yorkshire pudding, but I thought I'd change it up with some really lovely, festive dishes:

Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Warm Honey Dressing (courtesy of Harrowsmith magazine): I think the yule colours of this dish make it appropriate, as do the golden yolks of the eggs representing the rebirth of the sun king.

1/2 lb bacon, chopped (220 g)
8 cups baby spinach leaves, washed (2L)
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup shredded swiss cheese (240mL)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted (120mL)
1/2 cup sun-dried cranberries (120mL)
3 Tbsp honey (45mL)
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup sour cream (240mL)
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the bacon in a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Cook until it's just beginning to crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Reserve 1/3 cup of the dressings in the pan.

Arrange the spinach on individual serving plates. Place the egg slices over the spinach. Sprinkle the Swiss cheese, bacon and pecans over the spinach. Have the cranberries ready in a small bowl to garnish.

To make the dressing, place the pan with bacon drippings over medim heat. Meanwhile heat the honey in a microwave until it melts (if you're using liquid honey, skip this step). Stir the cider vinegar into the honey, then slowly stir the mixture into the pan drippings. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the sour cream. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Immediately pour over the arranged salad and garnish with cranberries.
Roasted Garlic and Lemon Potatoes: Potatoe dishes work well for yule because they remind us that there was a good crop in the summer, and another good crop will come. The golden potatoes and the slight heat of the paprika remind us of midsummer heat. This keeps our spirits up. Plus, a good, hearty potatoe dish helps keep us warm :)


3 lbs new potatoes, unpeeled and cut into wedges (1.5 kg)
1/3 cup olive oil (80 mL)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano (7.5 mL)
1 tsp salt (5 mL)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (1.2 mL)
1/8 tsp sweet paprika (0.6 mL)
1/2 cup chicken stock (120 mL)
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (30 mL)

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Have ready a 9X13-inch (23X33-cm) baking dish.

Toss the potatoes, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika in a large bowl, mixing well. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Add the stock to the potatoes, stirring well and bake for 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss again. Return to the oven and bake until the potatoes are cooked through, that is, tender when pierved with a fork.

Preheat the broiler and proil the potatoes for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown.

And Here's a good recipe for mulled winter wine, which I think is the perfect addition to a Yule feast:

4 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp black poppercorns (2 mL)
1 small piece of fresh ginger, pelled
Cheesecloth and string
3 cups dry red wine (750 mL)
3 cups cranberry coctail/juice (750 mL)
1/2 cup port (125 mL)
1/2 cup liquid honey (125 mL)
2 Blood oranges, halved

Place cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns and ginger in the centre of four layers of 6 inch squares of cheesecloth. Pull up the corners and tie the bundle tight with string.

In a large saucepan, combine spice sachet, wine, cranberry juice, port, honey and oranges. Gently simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Do not let mulled wine boil. Remove spice sachet and keep warm in a slow cooker (on the keep-warm setting) OR on very low heat on the stove.

Makes 7 cups

[WitchJezebel]

This is my Yule dessert (one of a few I have to make this year):

Spiced Cranberry Bread Puddings (Makes 6)
1 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cup organic frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
3 cups cranberries (about 12 ounces), unthawed if frozen
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
12 slices white sandwich bread
1/4 cup apricot preserves
Ground cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Preparation
Bring 1/2 cup sugar, cranberry juice concentrate, orange juice, and grated orange peel to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Mix in cranberries; return to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; gently simmer 3 minutes (cranberries should not break). Pour cranberry mixture into strainer set over bowl and drain. Return syrup to same pan. Boil until very thick and reduced to generous 1/2 cup, about 7 minutes. Fold berries into syrup. Cool to room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.
Spray six 1- to 1 1/4-cup ramekins with nonstick spray. Line bottom of each with round of parchment paper. Cut round from each bread slice to fit bottom of ramekin. Spread each bread round with 1 teaspoon preserves, then sprinkle with cinnamon and grating of nutmeg.
Spoon 1 tablespoon cranberries (with as little syrup as possible) into each ramekin. Top with 1 bread round, preserves side down. Repeat 1 time with berries and bread rounds. Reserve berry syrup.
Whisk eggs, liqueur, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Add cream and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour custard, 1/4 cup at a time, over bread in each ramekin (generous 1/2 cup in each). Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, occasionally pressing bread to submerge.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place puddings in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Add enough lukewarm water to pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until puffed and firm to touch, about 45 minutes. Remove from water. Let cool 10 minutes. Using small sharp knife, cut around each. Turn out onto plate; peel off paper. Spoon some reserved syrup over. Serve warm.

*** NOTE***

Cranberries have a very short season, usually about 2 months. Buy them now and freeze them for later use; sometimes by the time Yule rolls around they're all gone!

[Convallaria]

This is my Yule dessert (one of a few I have to make this year):

Spiced Cranberry Bread Puddings


Sounds delicious! I might have to try that this year :) thanks!

[ainecrea]

I am planning on a turkey or maybe pot roast, haven't decided. Along with green beans, mashed potatoes and red cabbage. Not sure what for dessert yet!

[Zoritsa_Nepenthe]

Turkey breast,broccoli casserole,and mashed potatoes most likely.Not sure on dessert,but definately some egg nog :mmm:

[Windsmith]

Oh, my goodness, y'all are so organized! I'm sure I'll know, um...the day before?

[Horehound]

what ever the dfac is serving probally, well see, if we can get a grill and some meats then maybe some food cooked by us for us, which would be nice.

but next year i shall have a garden in the states and some real yule feasting can begin.

[~Elise~]

We do a pot luck for our Yule ritual...but I always have Wish Soup stock started. It's a takeoff on a Persian recipe. I start with beef broth (could be chicken too) add in golden raisens, cardamon, ginger, star anise, cloves, etc. I make wish balls to add in...they're made from ground lamb and/or pork. I make meatballs to add into the soup, but as I'm rolling them, I add in wishes for peace, protection and prosperity for whomever eats it.

Everyone brings a cup or so of cut-up veggies to add in (kinda like Stone soup) and we let it cook until about until ritual starts, then we eat afterwards (gives it time for the soup to cool a bit)

Elise

[Teresa]

We serve Russian Tea as a tradition!

A roast , steamed asparagus, squash casserole, garlic and leek mashed potatoes, Fresh Whole Cranberry sauce with orange zest ( made with Splenda), Creole style bread pudding with Whiskey sauce for dessert!

:thumbsup:

I love to make up Russian Tea Mix in a beautiful jar to pass out as a small gift. Someone passed this recipe to my Grand when I was a small child. We fixed it every year afterward. It became a tradition to sip the tea while working on our feast and to serve it with the meal. Our meals varied as sometimes other people helped with the cooking but the Russian Tea and our Bread Pudding stayed constant.

I forgot that I also promised to make a Sweet Potato Cake for dessert this year too! It is very similar to a carrot cake.

[Glowingsun]

Whatever the in-laws bring in. Some turkey with more white meat than dark :ack:, cranberry sauce with too much stem, boring steamed veggies, dry stale dinner rolls, ........oi, I really need to amp up this dinner. I'll start with the dinner rolls and possibly make my mom's style potatoe salad. :smile:

[MariThorn]

I absolutely love this month! (December) We celebrate three feast days, ie we are Catholic and witches, plus you through in the esbat. :) For Yule itself we are having Cornish Hens with stuffing, scalloped corn, lima beans, and cherry pie with ice cream for dessert. The Ham is for Christmas day.

[Rick]

It's always gonna include pork... :hehehehe:

[Windsmith]

It's always gonna include pork... :hehehehe:Rick, are you familiar with the strange phenomenon known as the "turducken"? It's a Cornish game hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. This year, a guy I knew experimented with the "turbaducken" - he made the turducken as usual, then wrapped the whole thing in bacon. That sounds right up your alley, right?

[WitchJezebel]

It's always gonna include pork... :hehehehe:

I'm making roast pork this Yule. Haven't decided on the sides yet.

[Louisvillian]

Ham, pasta salad, bread, etc. The usual stuff we eat every year for Xmas/Yule/Festivus.

EDIT: WTF? This was in the general food subforum when I posted. O_o

[Teresa]

Rick, are you familiar with the strange phenomenon known as the "turducken"? It's a Cornish game hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. This year, a guy I knew experimented with the "turbaducken" - he made the turducken as usual, then wrapped the whole thing in bacon. That sounds right up your alley, right?


Down here in the South we have turducken cajun style. It is a boneless chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey which has cornbread stuffing between the layers too! The chicken and duck are completely deboned and the Turkey is deboned except for the legs and wings. The food safety trick is not to assemble this until you are ready to cook it to prevent food borne illness and to keep all the poultry refrigerated. They are truly yummy! :thumbsup:

[Rick]

Rick, are you familiar with the strange phenomenon known as the "turducken"? It's a Cornish game hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. This year, a guy I knew experimented with the "turbaducken" - he made the turducken as usual, then wrapped the whole thing in bacon. That sounds right up your alley, right?
Hehehe... yeah, but like Teresa said, we don't use any measley cornish hens 'round these here parts... :hahugh:

Wrapped in bacon? How 'bout stuffed with bacon? Or a pork roast?

...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... pork...

[Windsmith]

Wrapped in bacon? How 'bout stuffed with bacon? Or a pork roast?

...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm... pork...Bacon stuffed into a pork chop, stuffed into a ham?

[Astara Seague]

this year turkey is on my menu by popular demand since I didnt cook one for Thanksgiving

[Glowy]

I am doing a breakfast instead, as I have to work on Monday.
Cinnamon, apple pancakes, sausage, bacon ( UPS some to Rick lol)
Fresh OJ,and a cauliiflower and spinach frittata.

[ainecrea]

We're doing turkey, roasted potatoes, red cabbage for dinner.
A Yule log cake and chocolate chip pumpkin bread for dessert. I can't wait!

[bigolalaskan]

My "favorite son" (family friend who lives with the kids and I) has identifyed with the Jewish ancestory from his fathers side. I told him I would cook him a traditional hanukah (sp??) dinner either on the first night or the last night of Hanuka. Hanuka begins in the 21st, so we will be "merging" our holy nights.

We'll have a traditional Jewish meal of roast chicken, Latkes, apple sauce, donuts and hanakuh cookies. I will throw in some speghetti squash just because I like it!!

After dinner I'll have Jason tell us a little about Hanukah, and we'll light the first candle of the menorah. Then we'll hold the soltice ritual, decorate the house, and after closing the ritual, we'll open our soltice gifts. This will be the first soltice we will have done a ritual for. I'm finally getting pumped and maybe even getting into the season. If I can start a tradition at my house of decorating on Soltice as part of the ritual, I'll be a happy old woman . . . LOL. Next year will be a challenge as we will be moved in with my parents by that time. I wonder if they will participate with me . . . we'll see if we can teach a couple of old dogs some new tricks!!

Jen

[watersprite]

Roast beef, salad mashed potatoes and a lovely Yorkshire pudding I ordered for the occasion.
It's just the four of us and it will be small.

[WitchOfEndor]

Brown sugar ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sage stuffing, Broccoli with cheese sauce, brussle sprouts, cranberry orange relish, home made rolls, chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie & apple pie. Egg Nog. All of which I make myself & cannot eat cuz of my newly diagonosed type 1 diabetes. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a miserably moody biotch that day. LOL Holly Jolly xmas my ass, I wanna eat too!! {POUT}

[watersprite]

Brown sugar ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sage stuffing, Broccoli with cheese sauce, brussle sprouts, cranberry orange relish, home made rolls, chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie & apple pie. Egg Nog. All of which I make myself & cannot eat cuz of my newly diagonosed type 1 diabetes. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a miserably moody biotch that day. LOL Holly Jolly xmas my ass, I wanna eat too!! {POUT}

OK, calm down. As a type 2 diabetic, I can tell you one thing. You can have half servings of everything, but choose the half serving of one of the pies. So, you just have to follow your serving guide. And scrape off all the extras on the ham. That would be a half a palm deck of card size to us. and 1/4 instead of one half cups of everything else. Check your sugar before and 2 hours after you eat. NO SNACKING unless your sugar is too low. Most likely it will be a tiny bit high and a walk or sliding scale insulin will be in order(if you are on it).
If you deprive yourself, you will be in the fridge in the middle of the night, which will be worse(trust me)for your diabetes.
Then one more to get through, if you celebrate New years as well, and your portions depend on the region you honor.
Our family eats southern and German. so lunch is black-eyed peas and cornbread and supper is sauerkraut and spare ribs with potatoes.
You can eat those things too. Just watch your portions and dessert.
Hang in there. You will work it out.

[Ben Edair]

Our holiday meals usually consist of baked ham, chicken-dressing, cranberry sauce, potato salad and green beans, with some sort of pie for dessert, usually either apple, pecan, or pumpkin pie.

[Teresa]

Brown sugar ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sage stuffing, Broccoli with cheese sauce, brussle sprouts, cranberry orange relish, home made rolls, chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie & apple pie. Egg Nog. All of which I make myself & cannot eat cuz of my newly diagonosed type 1 diabetes. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a miserably moody biotch that day. LOL Holly Jolly xmas my ass, I wanna eat too!! {POUT}

I am type 1 ( juvenile onset) insulin dependent. You can still eat and take a shot to keep your sugar level stable. You will not ever be able to just pig out ever again however. Watch your carbs and starches mind the portion sizes.

(Most adult onset patients are actually classified as type 2)
If you are type 2 you can still eat and watch portions too. Follow the nutrition plan you are given and again you cant not pig out anymore. Take your pills and insulin if severe case ! Limit the starches and carbs and watch your portion sizes. Look for a cooking with Splenda cookbook great desserts in there! You can look up Holiday Recipes with Splenda online actually.

Having diabetes is not the death sentence it was once known to be. Much research has given us new tools to better manage this disease and live almost normal lives now. See if they will set up an appointment for you with a nutritionist to help you work meal plans to fit your lifestyle.

The best thing to learn to do is to learn to eat about 5 small meals a day spread out. 2 can be snacks actually like half a piece of fruit when they allow it back into your diet. Learn to eat whole grain foods and cut out all the processed junk and greasy fast foods. If you love fried foods cut back some.

Try gradual changes in your diet such as learning to eat more steamed veggies with a little seasoning. Use Sea Salt instead of table salt. Make good use of your herbs and spices. Reduce the starches to one per meal gradually if your sugar is not too much out of control. Cook with heart healthy oils!

In either case check your blood sugars often and religiously. Good control of your blood sugar is a must. This disease can affect every other vital organ in your body. Your eyes and teeth can be affected, kidneys, heart, liver, lungs etc.
You will be more prone to cavities and gingivitus and vision problems so take good care of yourself!

Begin a program of exercise if you do not currently exercise regularly to keep your circulation working right. Poor circulation is very common and you can lose limbs from it down the road.

[WitchOfEndor]

Thanks for the info. I am Type 1, or LADA I think it's called. Pancreas is kaput. My endo is evil & if he had it his way, I think he prefer I not eat at all. LOL I'm only 95 pounds, would like to gain some weight but have'nt figured out how without jacking the blood sugar.

Sorry I hijacked the thread.

[ChthonicRose]

i'm doing a sausage casserole for work...i'll do a yule breakfast the day of because i have to work the rest of the day, my own private celebration...
:bow:

[cydira]

The yule celebratory meal is a bit delayed because life happened. We're having venison stew (we're eating the raindeer! woo!) with carrots and a few other veggies. I'm going to try to get some squash as well. I'm not sure if I want acorn squash or something else. I'm also going to bake some bread. So, the yule celebratory meal is going to be on christmas eve. :P

[Deerwoman]

Mmmm it sounds like everyone went all out for their Yule feasts.

Hubby and I had our witchy friends over on the 21st for a big buffet feast. I was cooking for 3 days... Duck confit, mushroom quiche (with goat cheese, pine nuts and caramelized onions), onion quiche, roast potato salad with balsamic vinegar, mixed greens salad with pears and nuts, homemade braided Challah bread, tortiere (French-Canadian staple), and of course desserts which were linzer cookies, cherry chocolate truffle squares and a heaping fruit and cheese platter. It was so yummy - I'm still eating the leftovers and I'm not complaining about it!
:javaswim:

[aluokaloo]

Brown sugar ham, garlic mashed potatoes, sage stuffing, Broccoli with cheese sauce, brussle sprouts, cranberry orange relish, home made rolls, chocolate cream pie, banana cream pie & apple pie. Egg Nog. All of which I make myself & cannot eat cuz of my newly diagonosed type 1 diabetes. Oh yeah, I'm gonna be a miserably moody biotch that day. LOL Holly Jolly xmas my ass, I wanna eat too!! {POUT}

sounds delicious!:dinnertim

[WitchJezebel]

Mmmm it sounds like everyone went all out for their Yule feasts.

Hubby and I had our witchy friends over on the 21st for a big buffet feast. I was cooking for 3 days... Duck confit, mushroom quiche (with goat cheese, pine nuts and caramelized onions), onion quiche, roast potato salad with balsamic vinegar, mixed greens salad with pears and nuts, homemade braided Challah bread, tortiere (French-Canadian staple), and of course desserts which were linzer cookies, cherry chocolate truffle squares and a heaping fruit and cheese platter. It was so yummy - I'm still eating the leftovers and I'm not complaining about it!
:javaswim:

Oooooh, someone who cooks like I do! I see you're pretty new, welcome Deerwoman!

I love love LOVE duck confit altho I don't make it at home often because it's just me there.

My Yule dinner was roasted pork with the crunchy cracklin' skin, roasted potatoes with roasted garlic and caramelized onions; brussels sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta; apple relish. I also started with an endive & arugula salad. For dessert I made cranberry bread puddings. It was a small affair so I didn't make loads of food, there was only 4 of us.

[Deerwoman]

Thanks for the welcome!

Hehehe, once upon a time I was a professional cook and a huge food snob. I'm not as particular anymore but I still know how to appreciate damn fine cooking - your feast sounds like it was as delicious as it was well thought out, yum... when can I come over for dinner? :dinnertim

OMG! I can't believe it, someone else who gets Chef Ramsey and who hates Rachel Ray! I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand her....

[WitchJezebel]

Thanks for the welcome!

Hehehe, once upon a time I was a professional cook and a huge food snob. I'm not as particular anymore but I still know how to appreciate damn fine cooking - your feast sounds like it was as delicious as it was well thought out, yum... when can I come over for dinner? :dinnertim

OMG! I can't believe it, someone else who gets Chef Ramsey and who hates Rachel Ray! I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand her....

:lol:

We're going to get along JUST fine...

[Windsmith]

Our Solstice meal was chicken and sweet potato stew with peanut butter-curry sauce. We did it in the crockpot, because we started our ritual at 4:34 p.m. and didn't want to be cooking in the middle of it (not that we're opposed to cooking as part of a ritual; this just wasn't that ritual). It was soooo delicious. We served that with hot apple cider mulled with tea, dried cherries, and a wee splash of rum. And coconut macaroons for dessert.

hanukah (sp??)HAH! The word that has plagued the masses for generations. I grew up with a Jewish parent, and, basically, just about any way you want to spell it is fair game, since it's a transliterated word. Chanukah, Hannukah, and Channukah are the three most common I'm familiar with. And, yes, I saw them all - and then some - on my father's decorations and holiday cards growing up.

OMG! I can't believe it, someone else who gets Chef Ramsey and who hates Rachel Ray! I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand her....I can't find it just now, but somewhere in the kitchen forums, there's a whole thread that somehow turned into a Rachel Ray/Sandra Lee hatefest. It got pretty hilarious.

[Deerwoman]

chicken and sweet potato stew with peanut butter-curry sauce
I think I just had a foodgasm :cutie:

[Windsmith]

I think I just had a foodgasm :cutie:Hee-hee! It was just about that tasty, yup!