Dieting Club: 50 - 100 Lbs Community

Hi Kali,

My "traditions" have changed so much over my lifetime. Now, I go to my son's at Christmas. I, too, make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Have done so for years, so I guess that is a tradition that sticks. Also, two of my dearest friends and I have a Christmas sleepover every year. We enjoy each other's company, eat, drink, exchange gifts and always watch Christmas Vacation. We used to stay up a lot later than we do now. LOL! I love the holidays.

well My Christmas tradition is painted cookies been doing that since my kids were tiny.. they are all grown up now so I make less of them . we have changed traditions over the years but the painted cookies remain. I think it is because my daughter and I used to do them together so we still do some years not all

though last year I did them by myself //
Hugs Judy:)

I gues that another thing that we did for the holidays growing up is that we would make chocolate covered pretzels and then go hand them out to family friends. That was always pretty fun as a kid.

My folks used to make oyster chowder for Christmas Eve. My mom likes to make cookies for Christmas too. Snickerdoodles, linzor, gingerbread, sugar cookies too. She only makes a few and sticks them in the freezer so they are a little more out of sight.

They've made fruitcakes for the past ten years or so, little ones for friends and bigger ones for family. They are actually pretty good and one of the only exceptions I'll make to my "no grain" policy. They grind their own whole wheat to make the fruitcakes with, and they don't use candied fruit but rather fruit and nuts either home dried or bought in bulk. They soak them in rum or brandy for those who like it, as well. I think they are awesome!

Personally, I don't do much for the holidays, but I do have fun getting odd and unusual fruits. This year I may invest in a nutcracker and get some nice bulk nuts. It'll help me slow down my eating and prolong my enjoyment.

I think I'm going to resurrect an old tradition at some point and start making my own holiday cocoa mix again. This could even be made healthful! High quality baking cocoa, mixed with powdered milk, sweetner such as sugar or stevia, and your choice of spices. Good spices could be simple like cinnamon or nutmeg or clove, or complex and exotic such as anise or Chinese five-spice, or even ground red pepper. That's surprisingly good in cocoa, actually. It could make a nice gift if you package it in a festive Dollar-store can, or maybe in a pllastic bag tied with ribbon and tucked into a mug. A nice homemade gift that doesn't have to be unwholesome.

Hm... I wonder if I could use protein powder instead of milk, or in addition to it?

My maternal grandfather supposedly used to make the family Oyster chowder too. By the time I came along this was no longer done, but his was the creamy whitesauce kind. I think that one is New England type like clam chowder, but there is another one with red sauce and tomatoes. Which do you do Roh?
Personally, I can think of only one thing that was family tradition from the time I was born till my mom died, literally ALL of the assorted grandparents, aunts , uncles,cousins and as many more 'extras' that could be crammed into my mom's house, came for a long drawn out day of celebration. Most would be there for the main meal , while others would just drop in for pie and graze leftovers... the house wasn't huge by any standards, but when the holidays came, EVERY food Holiday mind you, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.... you could count on seeing every single one of our relatives, lol.
My Uncle George and Aunt Sylvia would be the absolute first to arrive too. Even having to drive from Detroit, usually through blizzard conditions. Because he wanted "the first piece" of all of the flavors of my mom's pies....LOL even at the risk of getting a speeding ticket going through the Irish Hills. Which I can honestly say, he did get one each and every time, just for those pies.
When she died, it just all stopped. She was the glue that held the seams together, and made the holidays better.
huggs
k

Mine too have changed over the years. Most of the time we do ham and the fixings. Sometimes we do a Christmas breakfast. I am not sure what's going to happen this year.

Honestly, I don't like the chowder my folks make all that much... the chowder my spouse makes is awesome, however, and is about a thousand calories a serving and is full of butter and cream. Consequently I almost never get it... I could make a lighter version but I'd rather have the real kind, just very rarely. We make our own fish soups with lots of tomato and cod or shrimp in them, because my spouse hates oysters.

Awesome beanless chili: 1 giant size can of diced tomatoes (the six pound size), several boneless skinless chicken breasts, all the cut up jalapenos you can stand, cumin is nice for a spice, and you'll probably want salt to taste. Other additives are possible like boullion etc. It makes a rather low fat, hearty, and very satisfying soup particularly if you don't add extra liquid. You just boil it all together in a huge pot till the chicken is cooked. If you want to add beans, I'd advise black beans.

That sounds good, Roh. Similar to the barley and chicken that I make (recipe on the barley box). except for the jalapenos. Not a fan of creamy soups for some reason.

Kim, what a lovely tribute to your mother. You've reminded me of what's really important about the holidays besides the celebration of the birth of Christ- those family memories we create and keep for all our lives.

we celebrate Xmass eve night. We dont eat all day and whole family, relatives sit down to very special dinner-no meat, fish and other meatless foods-pierogies, stuffed cabbage , lots of kinds of fish, we brake something like big size of comunion wafers between each other with best wishes for next year,we eat till midnight and then after mass we come home and start with ham,turkey,wine and all the goodies . And that usually goes through next 2 days, which we visit relatives and friends. That is how we celebrate Christmas in Poland. Here i try to make little meatless dinner night before Xmass, so my kids have some feel of my tradition

Wow! didn't know you were from Poland, Mia. Where in Poland? I love learning about traditions in other countries (no Kim, the South is NOT another counrty, LOL).

You're right, the South isn't another country... YET! Idk , if all those writs of sucession are put into effect, it COULD be another country, lol.
As for Poland, Mia, my ex was Polish, his grandparents literally came over on THE BOAT. Original name I believe was spelled Jez, Americanized when they went through Ellis Island into Yesh (as pronounced). Too bad how so many names were bastardized when they came into the U.S.
As for your customs, If I were you, I'd do a whole lot more than just a meatless mini meal.... I'd do the whole shebang of the 3 day celebration just as you did in the old country. If you don't pass along what you grew up with in your country of origin, how will all those customs survive? I'm afraid that too much of the world is already adopting Western ways of thinking, celebrating and everyday living. It really shouldn't be that way. Our ways here are not and should not be thought of as globally "ideal". We are a young country compared to many others. It's the old traditions that are seeped in history. We cannot and should not forget how to celebrate our multiethical traditional pasts for they are the foundations on which the future is built.
huggs
k

gee KIm and mia my hubby has polish roots and my daughter married a nice polish american boy.. see small world
the kelbasa is so fatty not worth eating for me but my DH loves it ..My Dhs grandmother was born and raised in poland ..
she used to bake a very crisp almost see through cookie called a crispy dusted with confectioners sugar those were good , thats my sweet tooth talking ...

My Mother used to make plum pudding with hard sauce at Christmas and mince meat pies fruit cakes non of those were my favorites so those traditions died with my mother.
a lot has changed over the years I love the decorating and lights on the Christmas holiday
Hugs Judy:)

good evening Judy,
yes, my mom did the mincemeat thing too.... Nasty stuff. Right up there with cheapy fruitcakes, head cheese and (heres a Polish one for you, although I'll prolly kill the spelling) Charnina , also known as Duck Blood Soup..... ick, shudder, lol

But she did make these really cool little raisin and walnut filled butter cookie "pockets" . those were really one of my favorite Holiday cookies that she baked.
I may have to dig through her recipe card box, I might just have that recipe, but every time I go through the stupid thing I end up crying over all the handwritten notes and exclamations on each card.

and with this, I simply must right a sorta wrong..... to Debbie
Thank you for your comment about my Holiday sentiments about my mom. She did mean the world to me, but really, she wasn't a happy or nice person.
She was bitter and usually spiteful and very high strung, a harpy is what comes to mind, actually.
She made evening meals so unbearable harping at my dad that for my entire 11th grade I left the house and went for walks rather than sit for dinner, to get away from it. When I was younger that wasnt a choice I could make but I started asserting myself and my needs to escape it when I got a bit older.
I loved both of my parents to death, but it was not a happy family life.
Only when holidays came around and my mom had huge meals and stuff to keep her occupied then too tired to start up was it halfway liveable.
Perhaps, that is why holidays meant so much and seemed so much brighter and happier then.
This may not seem to be something that "needed to be shared" here, but , for me, it kinda did. Because I try to face my truths more as I get older.
huggs
kim

Hi Kim we all have some things about our parents that make us crazy . For as long as I can remember I disliked my Dad but was my Moms biggest fan I didn;t like her cooking but everything else was great . and after many years I heard a story told about when my Dad came home from the war
this is when I figured out why I didn;t like him . seems That I was 2 years old sleeping with my Mom and when Dad came home I lost my place next to Mom thats where the dislike came from...LOl
That insight into your Mom of not being happy and you avoiding meals may have something to do with your food choices today worth looking into ..
Maybe you could find out why she was unhappy clinical depression maybe or meds I know I was hell to live with when I was takeing steroids to control asthma.. Your discription of her treatment of your Dad rings true for me when I was on the steroids lord knows I certainly don;t know why he still loves me ...
Hugs Judy:)