Who's cooking / baking for the holidays?
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Christmas dinner at @bernard 's!! All the goodies look fabulous, in particular the Christmas cake.
We're having our Lithuanian Kūčios (Christmas Eve dinner) tonight. Various types of herring, beet and bean salad, Salad Olivier, šližikai, (poppy seed biscuits with poppy seed milk), and kisielius (cranberry kissel). Tomorow is a bit up in the air.
Lithuanian Christmas traditions:
@wtg Salad Olivier is a new one on me.
Looks great!
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@wtg Salad Olivier is a new one on me.
Looks great!
This recipe is pretty close to ours, though uur version skips the ham, at least for Christmas Eve.
https://valentinascorner.com/olivier-salad-recipe-russian-potato-salad/
We used to call it Babos Salad, named after an elderly Lithuanian/Russian lady who was an integral part of the Lithuanian community I grew up in. "Baba" is "grandma" in Russian; that's what we all called her. She used to use crab meat on top as a garnish. Great addition!
We use red potatoes, skins on. I dice the raw potatoes and steam them. Much easier than trying to dice them after they're cooked. Same for the carrots, dice and then either steam or zap in the microwave for a minute or two.
No cukes in ours; they tend to release too much liquid as the salad sits in the frig to chill.
I had never heard of pickles with oak leaves (agurkai su ąžuolų lapais), but this particular brand of them has become our favorites. Kėdainių Konservai products are quite available at international markets.
https://tasteitmarket.com/products/kedainiu-pickles-with-oak-leave
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The family saved their bones for me!
https://share.icloud.com/photos/095ZtiNnSrctUy0QvmSPeLUxQ
Ham is (was?) a Honeybaked and there was lots of meat left on the bone. My experience with Honeybaked has been hit and miss but the meat on this particular ham is outstanding! Very fine grain, not quite deli ham but close. Not as sweet as others I’ve had, which I view as good.
Rib bones are from last night and also have a lot of meat on them. Seems this family doesn’t fight over the bones and gnaw on them like animals as was the custom in the Miller household.
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Honeybaked must have their hams butchered to order. I have never seen a ham bone shaped like this one.
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The family saved their bones for me!
https://share.icloud.com/photos/095ZtiNnSrctUy0QvmSPeLUxQ
Ham is (was?) a Honeybaked and there was lots of meat left on the bone. My experience with Honeybaked has been hit and miss but the meat on this particular ham is outstanding! Very fine grain, not quite deli ham but close. Not as sweet as others I’ve had, which I view as good.
Rib bones are from last night and also have a lot of meat on them. Seems this family doesn’t fight over the bones and gnaw on them like animals as was the custom in the Miller household.
@Steve-Miller said in Who's cooking / baking for the holidays?:
Rib bones are from last night and also have a lot of meat on them.
I'm drooling....
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I made broccoli — actually not my fave vegetable to cook, but the grandkids WiLL eat it. Chopped, parboiled, then ice bath, drained, and later sautéed and cheddar added. It was not bad. Maybe more work than I needed it to be.
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I made broccoli — actually not my fave vegetable to cook, but the grandkids WiLL eat it. Chopped, parboiled, then ice bath, drained, and later sautéed and cheddar added. It was not bad. Maybe more work than I needed it to be.
Brotha, I feel ya!
There are like 3 vegetables the grands will eat, and only one or two preparations at that.
No matter. If they’ll eat it, we’ll make it.
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I've started preparing my Brussels Sprouts in this manner, and I absolutely love them.
Throw a handful of halved Brussels Sprouts in a small saucepan with a half inch of water (add more as/if needed), cover and steam/boil until slightly tender. Remove the lid and let the water evaporate. Throw in a good knob of butter, a handful of roasted chestnuts, plenty of fresh ground pepper, salt, and a few teaspoons (or more) of maple syrup. Let cook but keep a good eye on it so that it doesn't burn. Yum!
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I've started preparing my Brussels Sprouts in this manner, and I absolutely love them.
Throw a handful of halved Brussels Sprouts in a small saucepan with a half inch of water (add more as/if needed), cover and steam/boil until slightly tender. Remove the lid and let the water evaporate. Throw in a good knob of butter, a handful of roasted chestnuts, plenty of fresh ground pepper, salt, and a few teaspoons (or more) of maple syrup. Let cook but keep a good eye on it so that it doesn't burn. Yum!
@Bernard I can vouch for that technique. I can’t recall where I saw it, maybe some macrobiotic cookbook. Carefully braise/steam the vegetable first, till partially done, then add oil and seasonings. You get better control of things like garlic and onion, which can overcook or burn if you add them first, and herbs and seasonings stay more vibrant.
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My extended family likes Brussels sprouts this way:
Halved, sheet pan, 425 degree oven. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, and less liberally with toasted sesame oil, a good grind of salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes, stir. Roast 5 minutes, stir. Add Chinese sausage (lap xiong, sliced on the diagonal in 1/4” pieces, number of sausages up to you), drizzle all with oyster sauce. Stir. Roast 5 more minutes. They’re done, tender, some crackly leaves for interest. Delish!
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So my sister family visited yesterday and we had beef, new potatoes, roast veg again and leftover goose & gammon
Desert was brought, including a marscapone lemon delice which has a white chocolate biscuit base (top, Waitrose £18) that melts in the mouth as the huge lemon flavour overwhelms; also chocolate snowflakes and macarons.
And of special note, a home-baked blueberry topped lemon cheescake. Gluten free, no vegetable oils, very nice complementary flavours and everyone could eat it.
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My extended family likes Brussels sprouts this way:
Halved, sheet pan, 425 degree oven. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, and less liberally with toasted sesame oil, a good grind of salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes, stir. Roast 5 minutes, stir. Add Chinese sausage (lap xiong, sliced on the diagonal in 1/4” pieces, number of sausages up to you), drizzle all with oyster sauce. Stir. Roast 5 more minutes. They’re done, tender, some crackly leaves for interest. Delish!
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So my sister family visited yesterday and we had beef, new potatoes, roast veg again and leftover goose & gammon
Desert was brought, including a marscapone lemon delice which has a white chocolate biscuit base (top, Waitrose £18) that melts in the mouth as the huge lemon flavour overwhelms; also chocolate snowflakes and macarons.
And of special note, a home-baked blueberry topped lemon cheescake. Gluten free, no vegetable oils, very nice complementary flavours and everyone could eat it. -
Went to a friend’s house for their traditional new Years meal - Bavarian style sauerkraut and roast pork.
Sauerkraut, and fermented foods in general , are having a moment, but it’s a pretty assertive flavor and hard to incorporate in the day to day menu. This stuff is different - I could eat it every day.
I recommend omitting the caraway seeds.
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