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 Arianna Johnson has A Bachelors Degree in English/Creative Writing from Dowling College. She is very passionate about writing and cooking and her goal is to become a food writer and cookbook author. Arianna can be reached at arianna.ruth.johnson@gmail.com |
| There is a certain smell in the air- a mixture of crisp frost, pine trees and baking cookies; that can only mean one thing: Christmas is coming! Every family has their own cherished traditions, and it is something people look forward to, but what if the traditions were spiced up a bit? I’m sure there are plenty of people out there that don’t want their holiday dinner to be altered, my grandfather was one of them, but there are other people, like myself, that get bored with the same old thing every year. That being said, I try to jazz up a few things each year to keep it interesting, yet still present a meal that is expected. A couple of years ago, I decided to do a French-themed meal, meaning I took out my Julia Child and Jacque Pepin cookbooks to comb through and find the perfect dishes. I settled on making French onion soup as the starter, Boeuf Bourgogne as the center of the meal with scalloped potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, and for desert crème brulee. Yes, this was a huge undertaking, but I was ready for the challenge. A word of advice, if you ever cook out of a Julia Child book, read it through and rewrite the recipe. The Brussels sprouts I prepared were actually a combination of a couple of different recipes that consisted of bacon and a balsamic reduction. I just cut the brussels sprouts in half, tossed them in bacon fat, roasted them in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes and garnished them with the bacon bits. The balsamic reduction was a cup of balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar that is reduced until it is syrupy and can coat a spoon. Another year I made individual Cornish game hens stuffed with wild rice stuffing with dried fruit and nuts. I used a mixture of wild rice that can be found in most grocery stores, dried cranberries and slivered almonds. I cooked the rice like I normally would, then combined it with the dried cranberries and almonds, stuffed it into the hens and cooked until the juices ran clear. A tradition in my family is German food. For years we made either Sauerbraten (translation “sour meat”) or Wienerschnitzal (fried veal cutlets) with spatzals, red cabbage, potato dumplings and some green vegetable, and finished the meal with apple cake. This may seem daunting, but it is fairly easy, especially since you can find German products in specialty food stores. If you’re not that adventurous, try making something different for dessert. One can make crème brulee, which can be flavored in many ways, or chocolate mousse or cheesecake, and some recipes are even no bake! If you are looking to stray away from holiday tradition a little bit, try one of these suggestions and it is sure to be a pleasant surprise. |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 