Christmas Food - Start a new tradition

What are your Christmas food traditions? Do you have the traditional main course of turkey or goose, or does your family have a different favorite? Many families also eat pig stomach as one of their Christmas food traditions.

What do you eat with your main course on this most important of holidays? Does your Christmas food include mashed potatoes? Someone has spent a long time peeling, chopping, boiling and mashing these. Make sure you get a good helping before they are gone. Homemade mashed potatoes are not served often throughout the year.

Does your family include cookies with their Christmas food traditions? Many families make several types of cookies around the holidays so they can keep them around in case friends or family stop by during the holiday season. There are many types to choose from that go with the holiday. You could make chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar, raison, snickerdoodles, or even the ever-loved gingerbread men. They will all be appreciated.

Another Christmas food that goes along with your main course is cranberry sauce. You can add this as a side dish to almost any meal. It seems most families like this as an addition to their main meal.

Eggnog is the drink of the season. Make sure you get some before it is gone. You can search for it the rest of the year, but will never be able to find it again.

There are many recipes on every page of your cookbooks. Try a new dish this year to see if you can find a new and delicious Christmas food and begin a new tradition. Most of these dishes can be made in the privacy of your own home before your guests even arrive. You could begin making Christmas food two or three days in advance if you are going to have a crowd.

So, this year when you are thinking about your Christmas food and the menu you are going to be serving your guests, go for something a little different. Try a new dish that your guests will be pleasantly surprised with. Something you never dreamed of making. It will give your holiday meal a little kick start.

Sit down with a glass of champagne or a cocktail, and think up your holiday menu. What do you think everyone will like? Go for some of the traditional Christmas food, but be a little brave and try a new recipe or dish this year. Your family will be surprised and delighted with the little change.

Christmas Food fears

For many people this season is all about fun, giving receiving and many other enjoyable things, but when you suffer from ED, it can be a time of fears. Fears about nourishment can be stronger than any other time of the year. We often hear that Recovery is not about the food, that is true, but we as well know that the brain needs a lot of energy, if it not there, a lot of irrational thoughts are taking over, that is not you deserve this Christmas.
I used to find very helpful to use some nutritional information to fight the condition. Many Christmas foods are really nutritionally very dense and great for your health.
Here are some information which could be use to help you with the fuelling part of recovery this Christmas….

Turkey -High in protein. It is good source of iron, zinc, phosphorus, potassium and B vitamins.

Ham - A good source of four B vitamins, of vitamin E and vitamin A.
Quite a few essential minerals are obtained through ham, but it's an especially great source of selenium, phosphorus and zinc it also provides the daily value of potassium, iron, magnesium and copper.

Smoked salmon - High in protein and it has plenty of calcium and potassium leaving your bones and muscles feeling healthy and strong!

Eggs - Choline converts to a brain-cell transmitter - acetylcholine; low levels been linked with poor memory & Alzheimer’s disease. Eggs contain as well cancer-fighting selenium and iodine - important for thyroid hormones to regulate the metabolism.
Contain lecithin, a substance that helps emulsify fat and cholesterol in the body, rich for protein, zinc, vitamins A, D, E, and B - especially B12

Garlic - High content of potassium and calcium. Garlic is also a valuable source of antioxidants especially selenium and vitamin C, which boost the immune system and protect us against cancer.

Sprouts – Just 20g will provide you with your recommended weekly intake of the anti-cancer compound sulforaphane. Containing high concentration of valuable enzymes, proteins.

Cinnamon - Has anti-viral effects are quite significant, often it is used in hospital air conditioning systems to help prevent the spread of disease.

Lions, firefighters sponsor Christmas food basket program

The Jordan Lions and the Jordan Fire Department will provide Christmas food baskets for needy families in the Jordan area once again for this Christmas season.

This Christmas project is run in conjunction with local churches, service organizations and individuals. The overall program is additionally funded by the Lions' Breakfast with Santa scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 11, at St. John’s parish hall, free-will donations from area churches, and private donors.

To insure confidentiality, families wishing to participate in the Christmas basket program should contact a member of the clergy from any Jordan church.

The Jordan Lion’s will deliver the food baskets to area churches on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The clergy will be responsible for the distribution of the food baskets.

christmas food and safety

Christmas is among us, and many will be gathering around the dinner table to celebrate the holiday season.
 
Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center wants to make sure you keep food safety tips in mind when you are preparing holiday meals.
 
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year about 1 in 6 Americans get sick from foodborne diseases,” said Peter Muriana, FAPC food microbiologist. “While the U.S. food supply is one of the safest in the world, food safety during the holidays is a must in order to prevent bacteria from growing and causing illness.”
 
Here are some suggestions to ensure your holiday meal is not only delicious, but also as safe as possible.
 
1.    Shop for holiday foods safely. Buy your meat preferably 1-2 days before you cook it, and keep the meat separated from the fresh produce when bagging. Avoid buying fresh, stuffed turkeys. Pick up the meat, dairy, eggnog and eggs just before checking out.
2.    Develop a master plan. Take in consideration your refrigerator, freezer and oven space to keep hot foods at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and cold foods at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. If you use coolers, make sure you have plenty of clean ice and check it frequently to make sure the ice has not melted.
3.    Wash hands often. Wash hands before, during and after food preparation to minimize bacterial contamination. Wash with hot water and soap up to your wrists and between your fingers for approximately 20 seconds.
4.    Separate to avoid cross contamination. Use two cutting boards: one for preparing raw meat, poultry and fish, and the other for cutting fruits and vegetables, cooked food or preparing salads.
5.    Wash all fresh produce. Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under cool running water and use a produce brush to remove surface dirt. Even wash prepackaged greens to minimize bacterial contamination.
6.    Thaw frozen meats safety. Defrost meats in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours, depending on size, or submerge meat in its original package in a pan of cold water enough to cover the meat and allow 30 minutes for every pound.
7.    Cook to proper temperature. Use a thermometer to make sure food has been cooked enough to kill bacteria. Turkey, stuffing, side dishes and all leftovers should be cooked to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
8.    Keep guests out of the kitchen. Holidays occur during cold and flu season, and preventing guests from sampling the food while it is being prepared, limits the amount of germs getting on the food. Serve appetizers to give guests something to nibble on until the meal is ready.
9.    Refrigerate leftovers. Leftovers should be divided into smaller portions, stored in several shallow containers and refrigerated within two hours after cooking. Leftovers should be eaten within three to four days. If large amounts are left, consider freezing leftovers for later use.
10. Eating leftovers. Reheat leftovers to 165 degrees Fahrenheit throughout or until steaming hot. Soups, sauces and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute. Never taste leftover food that looks or smells strange. When in doubt, throw it out.

Sunlight Christmas Food Fayre

Are you planning on attending the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre?  If so, have you considered how you are going to get there?  If not, you should be aware that you can travel on Merseyrail trains intoPort Sunlight from any of the Merseyrail stations (you may be required to change depending on where you are travelling from).

What is the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre?

For those of you who don’t know the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre is an event designed to celebrate the finale of Wirral's Year of Food and is described as the launch of the biggest event of the Season.

If you are attending the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre you will get to see over 100 of the leading local producers of food, all of whom will be housed in a massive, heated marquee, so there is no need to worry about the cold.

At the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre you will get everything you would expect from a food fayre, but with the addition of some yuletide cheer.

Port Sunlight is the perfect place for the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre as it is described as a beautiful and historic village.

At the Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre you will find tasty cheeses, cakes and confectionary right through to delicious preserves.  There will also be a magical children's village with an enchanting Father Christmas experience all complete with a real reindeer, to get your children (and the adults) in the mood for Christmas.  You may also get some alternative gift ideas if you attend as we know how stressful Christmas time can be.

This years’ Port Sunlight Christmas food fayre is running from December 3rd through to December 5th and it is a must if you live in the area or anywhere on the Merseyrail network as we know you will enjoy it immensely.

Spanish Christmas

Traditional Spanish Christmas pastries (of the non-"turrón" type) add a special touch to the holidays with their own distinct flavours - and textures! Here is a look at some of the most popular specialities. Once upon a time they were only available in December and January, but that is changing. Nevertheless, it's only during the holiday season that you'll see them in such large amounts. In fact, in most supermarkets you can even buy them in bulk.

The pastries we're looking at here come wrapped in thin printed tissue paper that most often carry name brands our Spanish contemporaries have grown up with - yes, even the contemporaries of the oldest among us. Take the time to read the labels because many of these sweets are specialities that are produced in only one town in Spain, for example. Others are made from recipes handed down by generations of nuns at a certain convent or from a specific order.

While it appears that there are a zillion different types of Christmas pastries sold this time of year, in actual fact there are just two main categories on offer. The first is a kind of shortbread and the second are made from marzipan.

Traditional German Christmas Food

1. Christstollen or Weihnachtsstollen  – A dry cake shaped like a loaf of bread filled with marzipan and raisins and covered with powder sugar. You can find this bread in any supermarket in Germany during the Christmas season.

2. Lebkuchen (Gingerbread) – Served in all different shapes, sizes and toppings.

3. Weihnachtsgebaeck (Christmas Cookies) – Christmas cookies are made in many different variations and flavors throughout Germany. You are sure to find some that suite your taste buds. Here are two of the more popular types:

- Zimtsterne: These are star-shaped cinnamon cookies and they are THE traditional german Christmas cookies.

- Spekulatius: Traditional spicy Christmas cookie.

4. Weihnachtsgans  (Christmas goose) – This dish traditionally consists of a stuffed goose (prepared just like a Thanksgiving Turkey,) potato dumplings, red cabbage and a wine flavored sauce. There is no special technique in preparing this dish but the sauce consists of wine, the juices produced while cooking the goose and a gravy. You can find this at many German restaurants during the Christmas season and many German families make it as well.

5. Gluehwein – Hot red wine seasoned with cloves, cinnamon sticks, peel of a lemon or orange and sugar. This is a very popular drink in Germany during the Holidays, served at all of the Christmas markets in all parts of Germany.

6. Weinachtspunsch (Christmas punch) – Hot black tea spiced with cloves, lemon juice, orange juice, sugar and red wine.

7. Fondue – Can be prepared in different ways:

- Cheese Fondue:  use forks to dip bits of food (i.e. bread) into the warm and thick liquid sauce (usually a cheese mix).

- Meat Fondue: spike raw meats (i.e. chicken, beef, pork) on a long fork and fry it into hot oil until done. Usually eaten with other dips (i.e. Garlic Sauce, Ketchup etc.)

8. Raclette – Frying slices of cheese and lunch meat on tiny pans, which sit on a small, round stove that sits in the center of the table. There are typically 6 or more of these small “pans.” Each person has their own pan. Food is cooked and eaten by each individual.

9. Rehruecken  (roast saddle of venison) – Deer meat, usually served with slices of pears, spaetzle and Brussels.

10. Kartoffelsalat mit Wurst  (Potato salad with sausage) – A classic and fast recipe for Christmas. There are many different ways to fix the potato salad. Sausage can be any kind, but usually smoked.