Holiday Foods filled with tradition

December 3 - Holiday Foods

Did your family have any traditional dishes for the holidays? Was there one dish that you thought was unusual?

I do not remember any unusual dishes at our home. Some years we did not have the big turkey dinner meal on Christmas Day. Instead we had it on Boxing Day (26^th). Meals were kept simpler on Christmas Day. The Christmas season was a very busy one as my parents had first a corner store and then a supermarket. In my teen years, the supermarket was open to 10 p.m. and Christmas Eve was a hectic work day so we kept Christmas Day as simple as possible.
When my nephews were young, we had a birthday cake for Jesus to remind us all of the reason we were celebrating Christmas.
My mother made a Christmas carrot pudding and the most delicious butterscotch sauce. Okay, I must admit that it was really the sauce I liked. My first try at making the Christmas sauce had to be thrown out as it was not edible. I have never made Christmas pudding myself.
I have my mother's recipe book that has hand-written recipes. Although it is in a newish binder, some of the original recipes are in the handwriting of her eldest sister. This one includes her comments.
Carrot Pudding
1 large cup brown sugar
1 cup grated potatoes
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded apple
1 cup suet
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
1 cup mixed peel
1 cup blanched almonds
1 cup figs or dates
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 small nutmeg
Mix altogether. Steam 3 hours. I usually put in oven to dry off with oven door open. Keeps better open to air.
I sometimes omit egg, nuts
I don't know if my mother added her own variations to the recipe.
Sauce for Carrot Pudding
1 cup brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon flour
1 heaping tablespoon butter
rub all together well. pour over same 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Boil up once, stirring all the time to thicken evenly. may add any desired flavouring (e.g. vanilla)
Do you have a family recipe book?