Last-Minute Xmas Dinner Reservations, Alpacas & Cool Holiday Traditions
Nothing about this holiday season has been conventional at all.
It started with Thanksgiving when I traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, two days after the holiday. That was different, enlightening and gave me a new perspective on the country’s food and beverage offerings.
Last weekend, my significant other and I headed to Ohio to celebrate his paternal grandmother’s 100th birthday. What a blessing. She’s the 10th of 10 children, the only one still alive, the matriarch of an enormous Italian family spanning seven generations, and the first in her family to reach this milestone.
Dozens of relatives from across the country traveled to Ohio to celebrate with her and it was beautiful to watch—and experience. With so many Italians in one place, my head was spinning from all the different authentic dishes they brought. Handmade pasta dishes, meatballs, chopped salad, antipasti, Italian subs, sausage and peppers, gnocchi, deep-fried smelt, calamari and more. There was also sartu di patate, a rich potato-based casserole layered with Italian sausage and parmesan.
The weekend was a rare occasion for the family to celebrate the holiday season together, which was why many of them prepared some of the most decadent and complicated dishes from their heritage. That made me think about how other cultures celebrate the holidays with traditional dishes that are also significant.
For example, in some parts of the Caribbean, black cake is one of the most decadent offerings you’ll find on the dessert table. My dad’s great-aunt gave my mother a recipe that was so rich with butter and rum that my mom had to alter it for dietary reasons.
As children, my brother and I delighted in this cake because it was so good, but we had no idea how time-consuming it was for my mother. She would make it three months or six months in advance because that’s how long you were supposed to soak it in rum. Hers also contained dried fruits and nuts, but trust me when I tell you that this is nothing like fruit cake. It is delicious and moist and sometimes made me a little giggly after devouring a hearty slice.
When I was in Frankfurt, I saw a lot of goose on menus. Apparently, Christmas goose is a holiday tradition here, yet I didn’t indulge because many of the preparations were extravagant. They were mostly roasted and cooked with apricot, apples and stuffed with rice or potatoes.
Germans are also big on mulled wine, a holiday tradition they share with the likes of those from the UK and Austria. I like to think of it as warm sangria, plus they typically contain rich spices like star anise, cinnamon, cloves and all the fruit you can get into the pot.
Another delicious drink is coquito, a coconut milk-based rum cocktail that tastes like eggnog without the egg. The Puerto Rican concoction is a favorite of my friend Sylvia Perez, an anchor on FOX-32 Chicago. She typically whips up a batch that she shares with colleagues, family and friends. I was lucky enough to be a recipient of one of her gifts this year, and based on how good it was, I hope to make it an annual tradition.
If you’re looking to change up your usual holiday table with a little global flavor, why not try one of these offerings. Or, if you’re in the Chicago area and would rather dine out, check out my tips for last-minute Christmas Day reservations on “Good Day Chicago.”
Happy Holidays!
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Great ideas for the holidays! Thank you!