Tag Archives: Christmas

Meat and Poultry

Boxing Day Turkey Rice

This was always the traditional left-over-turkey dish that was made in our home on Boxing Day. Mom would make Boxing Day turkey rice in the turkey roaster and it would fill the kitchen for a second time with the rich smell of roast turkey, stuffing, and sage.

Boxing Day is December 26th, the day after Christmas. It stems from the British tradition, followed in Canada, of giving gifts to the poor after Christmas (perhaps in the form of leftover food, I’ve always thought…just like this turkey rice made of all the table leftovers from our Christmas meal)

Ingredients

  • Shredded left-over Christmas turkey meat
  • Left-over turkey stuffing, crumbled or cut into small pieces
  • Left-over Christmas dinner vegetables, diced or chopped
  • 1 can kernel corn
  • 3 carrots, cubed
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 5 chicken livers, chopped (optional)
  • 1 T sage
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 T chopped parsley
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Rice (2-1 liquid-to-rice ratio )
  • Turkey broth from bones, plus left-over gravy
  • Water as needed

Preparing Boxing Day Turkey Rice

Remove meat from turkey bones. Boil up bones until a good broth is formed, the longer, the better.

In a large roasting pan, combine all ingredients except broth and rice. Measure out enough liquid (gravy mixed with turkey broth and, if necessary, extra water) to cover all ingredients in pan well. Add rice at a 2-1 ratio and stir it all together.

Cover with foil and place in a 350ºF oven. Bake for about 1-1/4 hours or until most of liquid is absorbed, then uncover and bake more (up to about 2 hours) until the top of rice is crusty and brown.

Breads and Pancakes

Loretta’s Hoska

Hoska is a delicious Czech Christmas sweet bread made by Grandma, and then Mom, and then Loretta, and now Anna.

A couple of kids

Recipe submitted, after extensive taste testing, by Nancy & Anna.
Makes 2 loaves. Bake 1 hour at 325-350F.

#1.

  • 1/2 C sultana raisins
  • 1/2 c sliced almonds plus a few whole peeled almonds

Soak #1 in 1/2 c rum or Grand Marnier overnight.

#2.

  • 1/2 c lukewarm milk
  • 2 T dry yeast
  • pinch sugar

Let #2 rise 5 minutes or until puffy.

#3.

  • 1 c soft butter
  • 1 c sugar

Cream together #3

Mix together #s 2 and 3 and add:

#4.

  • Zest of 1 lemon (not lime)
  • 1-1/2 c warm milk (room temperature)
  • 4 eggs (1 at a time)
  • 1 t Mexican vanilla
  • 1-1/2 t salt
  • 6 – 8 c flour (as needed)

Mix to form a dough and knead 15-20 minutes.

Add #1 minus whole almonds.

Place in a large buttered bowl and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled (1-1/2 to 2 hours).

Shape into 2 double braids (see below).

Place soaked whole almonds decoratively along double braids. Cover and let rise again to double–about 30 to 45 minutes. Mix 1 egg with a bit of milk and brush tops of braids. Bake 1 hour or so at 325 F until golden, brushing on more of the milk/egg wash about 1/2 way through.

If necessary, use foil to cover if Hoska appears to be browning too fast.

bread-dough-raisins

To form double braids:

  • Divide dough in half – then separate each half into 6 balls (3 larger, 3 smaller)
  • Roll balls into about 30 cm long ropes, using hands. There should be 3 thicker and 3 thinner ropes.
  • Braid larger ropes and place on baking sheet tucking in ends of braids.
  • Braid smaller ropes and place them on top of the larger braid.
Meat and Poultry

Turkey Stuffing

A sage stuffing with creamed and kernel corn.

Turkey gizzards, liver, heart from  one 14-16 lb. turkey
5 extra chicken livers, if desired
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 can creamed corn
1 can kernel corn
1 loaf or more of sliced wholewheat bread, as needed to stuff turkey
2 eggs
4 pork sausages, fried and crumbled (optional)
1 T rubbed sage
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt

Saute the turkey and chicken innards in butter or oil. Remove and chop finely. In same pan, saute onion, green pepper and celery until softened. Cube the bread and place in large bowl. Add the livers, onion mix and corn and mix well. Add eggs and sausages. If the mixture is very mushy, add more bread. Throw in herbs and spices and mix well. Stuff into both turkey cavities, seal, and roast.

Sage turkey stuffing
This could be a stuffed turkey–or perhaps what I look like after eating it.

Desserts and Sweets

Dark Fruit Cake

This fruit cake has evolved over the years in Mexico to suit the ingredients readily available here. Some years, I can find only raisins and dates and some dried tropical fruits. Often there’s no citron. The nuts are sometimes only a few lowly pecans and almonds supplemented with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  But the recipe is very forgiving and will handle all sorts of substitutions and adjustments to suit ingredient availability.

  • 1 cup mixed dried fruits (apricots, papaya, peaches, mango), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup candied citron, cut, or other candied fruit
  • 4 oz. candied cherries, green and red, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds and/or hazelnuts
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t allspice
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
  • 1/2 cup milk

Cover mixed dried fruits, already cut, with boiling water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain. Mix and set aside the rest of the fruits and nuts. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices. Beat the shortening with sugar. Stir in eggs, honey and milk. Add flour mixture, fruits and nuts.

Line 2 large loaf pans with foil. Fill pans and bake 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours at 300F. Remove from oven and cool.

Sprinkle with rum and wrap in a layer of waxed paper and then in foil. Store in fridge or cool area and sprinkle once a week with rum. Best if made at least a month, and up to 3 months, before eating.

For a vegan version, simply substitute almond or soy milk for regular milk and 1 T ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T water for 15 minutes for each egg. Use coconut oil in place of regular vegetable oil in either version for an extra taste treat.