Holiday Treats/Traditions? And Recipes?

Dec 14 23:17 UTC 1994

Here it is, middle of the holiday season and no holiday treats item!!

What kinds of treats do you all find traditional in your home??  And
what about recipes for your favorites??  [Sure wish I was local to y'all
so we could do a cookie exchange...]

response 2 of 75:

Dec 17 12:45 UTC 1994

True, Mary, its not too late for next year!

But what about ideas for holiday  traditions for this year??

response 4 of 75:

Dec 26 23:03 UTC 1994

We should have had a cookie exchange this year.  I'm sorry I didn't
organize it.  One Slovak delicacy we make is nut roll and poppyseed
roll.  My sister is the master, but I'm not too bad.  

You can find the recipes in the _Romanchik Family Slovak Cookbook_,
due out before the end of the century from R-Squared Press.  Or, if 
anyone really want the recipe, I'll post it.

response 6 of 75:

Dec 31 08:43 UTC 1994

Ya know, a few days before Christmas I was thinking how neat it would
have been to do a Grex cookie exchange, but I figured there wasn't
enough time to get folks together for one.  Let's definitely do one
next year.

response 8 of 75:

Jan 2 02:48 UTC 1995

re #6: Definitely!

Here's the recipe for nut roll:

Dough:
1-1/3 cup milk      1-2/3 pounds flour (about 5 cups)
4 teaspoons sugar   1-3 cup sugar
4 teaspoons yeast   2-1/3 teaspoons salt
4 egg yolks         2/3 cups soft butter

Filling
1-1/3 pounds walnut meats   1/4 cup soft butter or margarine
2 egg whites                1 cup sugar

To proof the yeast, heat to lukewarm 1/3 cup mild. Add 4 teaspoons
sugar and 4 teaspoons yeast. Wait 10-15 minutes and look for bubbles.

Separate the yolks from 4 eggs and add teh yolks to 1 cup milk. Save
the whites for the filling.  Set both mixtures aside.

Mix like pie dough, 1-2/3 ounds flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2-1/2 teaspoon
salt, and 2/3 cup soft butter or margarine. Combine the two  milk
mixtures and add to the flour mixture at a steady pace.  You can use a
blender with dough hooks or a food processor with a bread blade for
this step. If the dough feels sticky, you may have to add a little
more flour. Set aside in a mixing bowl covered with a damp cloth. Let
rise for about an hour.

To make the filling, grind the walnuts and add the butter, egg whites,
and sugar. The filling should be loose enough to spread. If not, add a
little more egg white or a little milk.

Check the dough by pressing your finger into the dough lightly. If it
springs back, it's ready to roll. Punch down the dough and separate
into four equal parts. Roll out on non-floured 11 .in x 14 .in
surface. Spread one quarter of the filling onto the dough, leaving 1/2
.in on the short edge so you can seal it after rolling.

Roll lengthwise, rub water along sealing edge, and pinch to seal. Lay
rolls on sealed edge on a greased pan. Let rise for a half hour. 

Brush tops with a mixture of 1 egg, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1-1/2
teaspoon of milk. Pierce tops with fork. Bake at 340 degrees for about
a half hour. After baking, cool on rack.

To make poppyseed rolls, substitute poppyseed for walnuts. You must
use ground poppyseed, not the whole seed that are easier to find.
Whole poppyseed does not make a good enough paste. At some stores, you
can find canned poppyseed filling. I've used this with good results.

response 10 of 75:

Jan 2 20:45 UTC 1995

They are pretty good. :)  You can also use the dough for a sweet bread.
My grandmother used to serve the bread on Christmas Eve.

response 12 of 75:

Nov 24 23:58 UTC 2006

I had butternut squash with apple-raisin-walnut stuffing, 'maters and
sprouts, cranberry sauce, low-fat dill biscuits, some of the roasted
potatoes, onions, and celery from sweetie's Tofurky, brown
nutritional-yeast-flakes gravy, and dessert was pumpkin custard.

response 14 of 75:

Nov 25 07:15 UTC 2006

Hors d'oeuvres.  :)

response 16 of 75:

Dec 7 23:46 UTC 2008

Anyone doing any special holiday cooking/baking yet?

response 18 of 75:

Dec 8 02:39 UTC 2008

I will do all my baking next weekend.
My nephew comes and bakes with me every year for the last 6 years.  
I'm mixing it up a bit this year from my usual standards

Two that will stay (too high of demand to change. ;) ):
Chocolate covered cherry cookies
Peanut butter kisses
Buckeyes

All new to the repertoire (though I have made most before in the past at
some point):
Lemon Whippersnappers
Oreo Truffles
Russian Tea Balls (with peppermint candy cane bits)
Candy Cane Cookies
Pinwheels
Peanut Brittle
English Toffee


I'm making lots of "kinds" but lowering the overall volume considerably
from last year.  And last year I cut it in half from the year before. 
So as soon as my nephew is sick of doing it (he's 10 now, so I
anticipate that to be in the next few years), I'll probably drop down to
almost nothing.  Until a new great niece/nephew comes along. :)

response 20 of 75:

Dec 8 13:19 UTC 2008

Mary is in awe of Brooke and Jeanne's baking skills.  I think I'm going 
good when I make a pie with a Pillsbury crust.

response 22 of 75:

Dec 8 15:57 UTC 2008

Next Sunday we're attending a neighborhood holiday gathering where the 
hostess has asked the guests to bring a favorite cookie.  I have about 
five cookies in my repertoire - chocolate chip, chocolate mint, oatmeal-
raisin, coconut macaroons and snickerdoodles.  They're all delicious but 
not particularly show-stoppers.  Any advice from the bakers out there?

response 24 of 75:

Dec 8 16:21 UTC 2008

You mean that biscotti that was so good I went ape at the restaurant and 
lost all sense of time and space and good behavior?  Why, that would be 
nice indeed. ;-)