[Sca-cooks] Happy Festivus To All, plus Xmas menus for those who do that...

[Lilinah]

I've seen several mentions on this very list of "frog eye salad". 
While i am certain it does not involve actual frog's eyes, i don't 
know what is in it. Anyone care to elucidate?

Back in the Chicagoland area in the 50s and 60s, my family used to 
have basically the same menu for Christmas dinner as for Thanksgiving 
dinner: a salad - most likely a wedge of iceberg lettuce with 
Thousand Island dressing, roast turkey with Pepperidge Farm stuffing, 
green beans with almonds (or maybe canned Le Seuer baby peas), baked 
sweet potatoes (or, gag, marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole - 
i have memories of canned candied sweet potatoes)... I don't remember 
what else, i'm sure there was more.

The basic difference between the two meals was pumpkin pie on 
Thanksgiving and my mother's wonderful chocolate roll on Christmas - 
a flourless chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan, slathered with 
homemade whipped cream then rolled up, topped with a very fudgey 
icing, then dotted with roasted pecans. I gather her recipe came from 
her mother, but i don't know where it originated. It looks a lot like 
some buche de Noel, without the meringue mushrooms.

For my Winter Holiday dinner Tuesday, I'm having - gasp - Tofurkey 
(they have been improved over my first exploit, if anyone recalls my 
report), broccoli, a baked sweet potato, homemade cranberry sauce - 
and i may splurge and buy a slice of German chocolate cake tomorrow 
from a local bakery.

I cooked a little roast made of turkey meat for Thanksgiving, but it 
wasn't all that great and i am actually looking forward to the 
Tofurkey.

I'm eating alone - the next day i'll be driving down to San Diego, 
picking up my daughter in LA on the way down.

Maybe we'll make Huette's infamous pecan pie in SD. I made one for 
Thanksgiving and i'm surprised that folks on this list couldn't hear 
me moaning with pleasure as i ate it over the course of the week. It 
got two thumbs up from me - and i'm pointing my big toes up, too :-)

-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita

My LibraryThing
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