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Once again, KERA is inviting you to tell us about the rituals and recipes that bring meaning and fulfillment to your holiday season. Do you fill your kitchen with irresistible aromas that draw family and friends to your table? Perhaps you take part in spiritual services, read stories to your children or deck the halls with bright lights and a tree. Add your memories and recipes by emailing details to traditions@kera.org. We’ll post them on this website and broadcast some on KERA radio. Please send no more than 300 words. Recipes should include ingredients and cooking instructions. Provide your name and identify your community, and send a phone number and e-mail address where we can reach you. If you have a photo, send it as well. Help KERA continue this holiday tradition by sharing yours! Here are the traditions KERA listeners have shared so far: • Bobbie Berger, Dallas: Hanukkah Traditions• Mark Coomes, Denton, Östkaka (Scandinavian Dessert) Recipe • Riley Couger, Graford: Christmas Potato Throwing • Richard Cross, Arlington, Motorcycle "Toy Run" Tradition • Rondi Hillstrom Davis, Dallas: Recipe for Gingerbread Tree Decorations • Todd Deglandon, McKinney: Cajun Santa Tradition and Crawfish Pie • Emma Flocke, Denton: Christmas Tree • Anna Gaines, Fort Worth: Homeless Gift Bags  • Trudy Hess, Dallas: Holiday Chestnuts and "Glühwein" from Austria • Hedy Helsell, Dallas: Tart Sherbet • Craig Holcomb, Dallas: Dusties Cookies • Brenda Lancaster: Christmas Morning • Zoila Light, Dallas: Christmas Turkey • Terri McCord, McKinney, Holiday Fruit Salad Recipe • Sheila Yeomans, Fort Worth: Christmas Oratorio and Cranberry Bread
Bobbie Berger, Dallas: Hanukkah Traditions
One of things that I remember about Hanukkah from my childhood is playing with the dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided top that is spun with your fingers. On each side of the dreidel is a Hebrew letter which symbolizes the words, “A Great Miracle Happened There.” I am a dreidel collector, have about 200 of them and display them in my home. My children say I collect dreidels because I never wanted to give up my toys. Mark Coomes, Denton: Östkaka (Scandinavian Dessert) Recipe
The hardest part of making this is acquiring raw milk. When I first made this recipe, it was from an oral rendition handed down through several generations. The first stumbling block came when the recipe called for heating the milk to lukewarm. I consulted a cheese-making text and discovered the range of temperature. Be sure to use a thermometer during this step as this temperature range activates the rennet enzyme. Since then, I have not lost a batch. There is no doubt that a perfect batch of östkaka can be made every time. One last historical note: The difference between the initial 400° and final 325° is attributable to the burning of a four log fire to a three log fire. Recipe in memory of and attributed to Clarice Johnson Pauls and Johanna Wimberly. Do not rush! Take your time! Have Fun! Var så god!
Östkaka Yields: 20 servings Ingredients 1 Gallon Raw Milk Directions 1. Save out one cup cold milk to mix with flour to make a soft paste. 2. Dissolve rennet in water. 3. Heat milk to lukewarm (98°-102° F). 4. Remove from heat, add soft paste to warm milk and stir in dissolved rennet. Stir often until milk begins to set; cover and let stand until firm (about one hour). 5. Break up the milk mixture and remove the whey. Do not make the curd too dry and TREAT WITH GENTLE HANDS. 6. Preheat oven to 400° F. Mix eggs, sugar and whipping cream. Add cream mixture to curd and bake at 400° first 30 minutes and reduce to 325° for about 30 more minutes. Optional: Serve with Lingonberries. Riley Couger, Graford: Christmas Potato Throwing Before the advent of the Christmas Potato, there was no way to easily thank those who brighten our holiday season with their unselfish efforts. Now each year children and adults alike look forward to the annual pitching of the holiday spud. But why a potato? The young man grew up in a town called Topeka, which means a good place to dig potatoes. Riley Couger’s website, devoted to his tradition of the Christmas spud tossing is: http://web.mac.com/rkoogar Richard Cross, Arlington: Motorcycle “Toy Run” Tradition
Some years, I have the good fortune of attending more than one!! It is always fun to get together with 40 or 50 THOUSAND of my closest (new) two-wheeling friends. Motorists, please don’t try to run between us when you drive along I-30 towards the Arlington Convention Center! Stop along the roadside, smile and wave at the motorcyclists as they help Santa via the Tarrant County MHMR. A long time ago, I used to belong to a club that most folks tried to avoid. After Toy Runs started, the club’s motto changed to “When we do right, no one remembers. When we do wrong, no one forgets.” Come out to the Convention Center. See one great motorcycle show. Maybe bring something along for Santa? Rondi Hillstrom Davis, Dallas: Recipe for Gingerbread Tree Decorations To this day, I enjoy planning a trip to the family farm, about an hour's drive north, with my own children. The tree is never quite perfect, inevitably too bulky or tall. Often, it is crooked and sparse. Nevertheless, I delight in seeing the look on the faces of my children when they find their favorite tree. The magic comes when we transform this lonely Texas cedar into a showpiece. Each ornament holds memories of a Christmas past, and new keepsakes are precious additions to our treasured collection. My favorites are the old-fashioned mercury glass ornaments that I grew up with as a child. I love the way they catch the sparkle of the Christmas tree lights. Everyone has his or her own favorite. My children love the ornaments given to them, as a tradition each year, by their special Aunt Betsy. The anticipation of unwrapping the tissue is only surpassed by the joy of rediscovering these old friends. As each treasure emerges, we give it a place of honor on the tree. Perhaps most precious are the ornaments made by us. Each year we sign and date one to save for our family tree. As we reveal each keepsake, I reflect on the wonder of watching my children grow. GINGERBREAD MAN GARLANDS INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS 2. In a large mixing bowl, blend the shortening and the sugar. 3. Beat in the molasses and the water. 4. Add the flour, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Mix well. 5. Separate the dough into two balls and refrigerate for one hour. 6. On a floured board, roll each ball out to 1/4-inch thickness. With a small cookie cutter, press out the gingerbread men and place them on a greased cookie sheet. To make quarter inch holes for stringing the garland, use the eraser end of a new pencil. These holes will later shrink during baking. Press two holes into the chest of each gingerbread man. 7. Bake at 350 degrees for eight to ten minutes. 8. Cut the satin ribbon into twelve pieces, each one-yard in length. Tie a knot two-inches from the end of each piece. Thread the other end through a child's embroidery needle. 9. When the gingerbread men have cooled, let the children group them into piles of ten. Thread them, one at a time, onto the ribbon. The hands of the gingerbread men should almost touch. After stringing the tenth man, tie a knot in the ribbon. Do not be discouraged if a few gingerbread men break. Toss the broken pieces together with a few sprigs of pine for a Christmas potpourri. The attention span of my five-year-old was about one half-hour. Older children will become more involved and want to continue longer. This is a project that can be worked on for several days.
Todd Deglandon, McKinney: Cajun Santa Tradition and Crawfish Pie Every year, after a big family Thanksgiving dinner, my father gathers all of his grandchildren (now ranging from ages 5 to 13) together and loads them onto a big flat-bed trailer pulled by a small farm tractor. We then travel to the large cattle pasture which has trees of many types along its fence line. Just the hayride through the pasture on a beautiful fall day is an adventure in itself for the children. After enlisting the children's help in cutting the tree, it is loaded onto the trailer and hauled back home where it finds an appropriate place to be decorated. Crawfish Pie Emma Flocke, Denton: Christmas Tree
Anna Gaines, Fort Worth: Homeless Gift Bags My Christmas tradition is to collect donations from friends and co-workers to purchase items to make up gift bags for the homeless in Fort Worth. We make a party out of packing the bags, then a group meets at 6:00 the following morning for "drive-by gifting" of the bags around the Union Gospel Mission, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Day Resource Center.
Trudy Hess, Dallas: Holiday Chestnuts and “Glühwein” from Austria
In Austria, Christmas Eve is the more celebrated part of the holiday (as opposed to Christmas Day being the major event in the U.S. for those who celebrate Christmas). One tradition I fondly remember is that of chestnuts and "Glühwein" served around midnight on Christmas Eve. "Glühwein", literally translated, means "glowing wine". It is very easy to make, and fairly inexpensive, as well. Chestnuts are difficult to find, are usually expensive, and are often not in good condition. However, when they are available, they are a special treat. Look for chestnuts which appear plump and moist, not hard and dried-out. For those who are interested, and lucky enough to find some, I am also including instructions for how to prepare them. (Hint: No open fire needed for roasting). So, first, here is how to make "Glühwein" (2 servings): 2 cups inexpensive dry red wine Place all ingredients except sugar into a heavy saucepan. Heat until you see a trace of steam; lower heat to medium-low and add the sugar all at once. Have a wooden or metal spoon handy, and watch carefully, because at this point the wine will quickly come to a boil and can boil over. Once it comes to a full boil, turn off the heat, place a cover on the pan, and let it steep 5 minutes. Strain into festive mugs and enjoy. How to prepare chestnuts: (allow 10 per serving) Take each chestnut, place on a cutting board, and with a very sharp knife make a cut through the skin on one side of the chestnut. (Place chestnut with pointy tip to your left, and cut with the knife in normal slicing position). Repeat for each chestnut. Take a 9" square pyrex pan, place about 1/4 c. water in bottom of the pan, and add the chestnuts, cut side up. Place in microwave and process on high 3-5 minutes. Let chestnuts get cool enough to handle carefully (but not very cool, because they're harder to peel once they completely cool down). Place thumb and forefinger on either end of the cut and squeeze; this forces the cut to spread open, and the chestnut can be removed. Chestnuts require no seasonings -- unless you count the "Glühwein" as seasoning. So, maybe some listeners will adopt this European tradition for a cold winter evening.
Hedy Helsell, Dallas: Sherbet Tart This recipe is something I grew up with, and my mother served it both at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It's great with fowl, but we serve it with any meat dish. It sounds like a dessert, but is a salad or side. It's light and yummy and can be made ahead of time - a must in my house. Tart Sherbet
Craig Holcomb, Dallas: Dusties Cookies When I was growing up, my mother made Christmas cookies we called Dusties because they were covered in powdered sugar and made such a mess. Everyone in the family loved them and were happy to get them as a present. Brenda Lancaster: Christmas Morning Years ago when I had five children at home, we would start Christmas morning off by going to each child's bedroom bearing hot chocolate, cinnamon buns, and their Christmas stocking. We would start with the oldest, and then each child would in turn go with us to the next oldest. It was a great way to start the day!
Zoila Light, Dallas: Christmas Turkey
I still use my father’s recipe to make the dressing at Christmas. It is one of my holiday traditions. Zoila’s Nut-filled Stuffing Yield: Stuffing for 18-20 lb turkey INGREDIENTS 8 lbs. Pork (cut into half-inch cubes) DIRECTIONS -Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat in a very large skillet or stockpot (10 qts. or larger), brown the pork. Add the onion and celery and cook until softened. Add all of the nuts, brandy, raisins, prunes and jalapenos. Increase heat to high and cook until 5-8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by one-third. Terri McCord, McKinney: Holiday Fruit Salad Recipe
Fruit Salad Mess (No cooking - feeds an army) 1 12 oz tub Cool Whip Mix all the fruit together (bananas & apples need to go into the mix after the tangerines to prevent browning). Add marshmallows, nuts & Cool Whip. Cover & refrigerate leftovers. The original recipe called for whipped cream (pre-dates Cool Whip). Cool Whip lasts longer. 3 tangerines, 1 each apple and banana and 6-8 of each grape with cup of marshmallows, 1/3 cup walnuts and 1/3 tub Cool Whip feeds a family of 4.
Sheila Yeomans, Fort Worth: Christmas Oratorio and Cranberry Bread During my thirty-two years of marriage to (my husband) David, we have celebrated Christmas in the snows of western New York, in the gentle breezes of Palm Beach, Florida, in an architect's dream house in eastern Washington, with a freshly cut tree in a farm house in the cattle country of eastern Oregon, and with TCU purple trimmings here in Fort Worth. Our celebrations have ranged from just the two of us to a clan of extended family. |
I'm Jewish and so I celebrate Hanukkah. I love the celebration because it is known as the festival of lights and we place candles in the darkness. When we light the candles and put them in the window, so other people can see them, it sort of lights up the world
This is a Swedish (Scandinavian) dessert dish, traditionally served at Christmas. Not really custard and not really cheese cake, I enjoy it at any time of the year. As one can see, it is not recommended for consumption if you are watching fat and cholesterol intake. It is delicious!
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the birth of modern holiday spud tossing. No one is quite sure how the tradition began. Many believe it began in the later half of the 20th century when a young man tossed seasonal greetings wrapped around uncooked potatoes into the yards of houses decorated with Christmas lights. It was his way of saying, "Thank you and Merry Christmas."
For about the last 30 years, I have always participated in a motorcycle “Toy Run.” This year's event will be held on Sunday, Dec. 21.
As a child, my Christmas began the day after Thanksgiving. Our family took a drive in the country. My parents gave the children the honor of finding the perfect Christmas tree.
The smell of ginger and allspice conjures up memories of helping my grandmother prepare for Christmas. We hung these fragrant garlands as a nostalgic tribute to Christmases past.
I thought you might get a kick out of my family's semi-stolen Christmas tree tradition. It may be a little straggly looking, but it's our tradition- cutting a native cedar from a nearby vacant lot.
My name is Trudy Hess. I grew up in Ohio, but have been living in Dallas since 1980. I came from Austria when I was in the third grade, and my family continued many old world traditions as I was growing up. I wanted to share this one with all my KERA friends. I'm a long-time listener and supporter of KERA, and am currently a "Friend". My husband Charles and I come to the station during the membership drives and help answer the phones. We love being part of a community of smart and caring people.
I was born in Mexico and I came to the United States when I was fourteen years old. When my father started working in the U.S., his boss would give him a turkey at Christmas. He would bring the 20-pound bird back to his large family for a holiday feast, and we would buy pecans and raisins and olives to make the stuffing. All the kids would sit down and peel the nuts. It was just a happy time.
My Dad was our holiday cook. He loved to try new things. Some things stuck - like sweet potatoes - and others didn't (Oyster dressing). We finally got down to Turkey, white bread dressing, sweet potatoes and fruit salad "mess" as the core items. He could add anything he wanted as long as we had those items. When I married, it took two years to get the recipes. I had to watch him dollop and pinch his way through the preparation and then verify it the next year! At 55, I still serve the "core" dinner, having added green bean casserole, cornbread dressing and other items. Now I do the pinch and dollop method, but I have the written recipes in case anyone asks!
