Authors on the Bench
The winter holidays are here! What favorite holiday dish or drink have you not had since your childhood, and you really miss?
- Terry Ambrose:
Oh, gosh, what a tough question! I’m one of those people who remembers very little about my childhood. My mom was really good about sharing recipes when we asked, but somehow, I never thought about asking her for Christmas recipes. Now, I’m wishing I’d gotten some of those recipes because she was a good cook.
- Nancy J. Cohen:
I can’t remember what we ate this time of year when I was young. I inherited most of my mother’s recipes, so I can recreate them including her vegetable bean soup that was a favorite.
- Debra H. Goldstein:
I was never a Jell-O person, but my mother made a reddish Jell-O mold dish that included nuts, cream cheese, and candied pieces. Somehow, it was delicious, but I haven’t had it since childhood.
- Cheryl Hollon:
As a little girl, we went to my grandmother’s house for Christmas every other year. She always made my favorite dessert—a seven-layer spice cake—weeks ahead. The gingerbread cake with apple butter filling overshadowed the roast turkey and dressing. I’m going to recreate that lovely cake this year.
- Diane A.S. Stuckart:
Two desserts I really miss at Christmas are anise cap cookies and babka. When I was a kid, my Aunt Tess would usually come down for a few days over the holidays, and these were a couple of traditional Polish sweets she and my mom would bake together. Unfortunately, I don’t have the recipe for either, but maybe one of my cousins does!
- Maggie Toussaint:
My Aunt Nell made a mean pot of chicken and dumplings. I’ve tried over the years to recreate her scrumptious dish, and it always comes up short. I wish I’d gotten that recipe. I love most holiday food, especially the desserts. As kids, we didn’t get dessert routinely, only for birthdays and special gatherings. I’ve always loved pound cake from scratch. You can dress it up, eat it plain, or toast a buttered slice in the oven. It goes down great every time!
- Lois Winston
My relatives weren’t very creative cooks. Mostly, they opened cans and popped packages of frozen food into the oven or boiling water. However, as an adult, for decades I spent Christmas Eve with some good friends. One of them made an eggnog that was out of this world. Very potent and loaded with calories! But oh so good!
What childhood holiday treat do you miss? From spice cakes to homemade eggnog, we’ve shared dishes that bring back cherished memories. What food or drink takes you back to the holidays of your youth? Share your story in the comments!
Hm. For me, it’s more complicated than not having access to the foods of my childhood because, as an adult, I can’t have sugar, yeast, dairy (or a couple of other things), so, many of the types of foods I used to like are not things that I can have anymore…. And probably the things I miss most weren’t specific to the winter holidays, such as pasta dinners with freshly baked crusty bread! The Italian side of my family had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner each year and I loved that!
My mom made the best shortbread almond crescents every Christmas. I do miss those. And her.
My mom cooked so good I miss her, she made popcorn crunch with nuts and caramel and Almond Crescents that were delicious.
My grandma would make “Watergate salad.” This was crushed pineapple, mini marshmallows, and pistachio instant pudding. She would mix all the ingredients and poured into a lime green scalloped Tupperware mold. It came out perfect every time and tasted good as well.
I forgot to add cool whip to the recipe! Guess it’s been a long time.