OUR CHRISTMAS PAGE
Switzerland:
Well the Xmas
celebrations here in Switzerland are a
bit different from USA, since Santa is visiting the
children on Dec. 6. He has a bit a different job here,
and he does have a "friend" [aide, helper, right
word=?] with him, who is dressed in black and looks
quite scary. Santa doesn't have raindeers but a donkey
who's carying the sack with the goodies. Kids have to
tell Santa a little poem and then Santa asks them
whether they've been nice or not and whether he heard
something bad about the kid. Then if the kid was a
good one, it gets a sack filled with goodies, which is
basically nuts, fruits, chocolate, candies and smaller
toys. The big toys are saved for xmas,where the
Christkind brings the presents.
by Brigitte Christen
Here is a link for the Swiss Santa: http://www.nikolaus.ch/samichlaus/index.html
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:
In
the Dom. Rep. the custom for Christmas is actually "The
Feast of the
Epithany" (Did I spell that right?) or Little Christmas. The
Santa Claus
tradition is one that the country has acquired thru the US but
maintains or
at least tries to maintain the true tradition of putting straw or
hay out in
a box in front of your bed (children's bed) for the camels to eat
as
well as a bit of water for them to drink when they stop off and
the The Three
Kings leave you gifts of great tidings... What they do on
Christmas eve is a
few people get together in a small band, with an accordion if
available,
maraccas, guira (used for merengue) and some good vocalists and
they go
door to door singing our typical merengue or Christmas carols. I
guess you
can call is Caroling, ha?? It's fun!!!!!! We also have our own
traditional
eggnog as well and it tastes a little different, more rum I
guess! hee
hee! Geez, I am getting homesick now!
by Rose Fernandez- Martell
RECIPES:
EASY HOLIDAY TRIFLE ( by JONI )
Use any kind of plain cake or jelly rolls and fresh,frozen or canned fruit of your choice.
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 ln sponge
cake sliced
1/2 cup sherry
2 tins mandarin oranges,
drained with juices reserved
(10 oz)
3 kiwi fruit,peeled and sliced
2 cups of frozen strawberries halved,or raspberries
2 cups prepared custard sauce( homemade or from a mix)
2 cups 35% Real Whipping Cream, whipped
Sprigs of fresh mint ( optional)
Arrange half of
sponge cake in the bottom of 3qt glass bowl.
Sprinkle cake with half the sherry and some reserved juice from
the mandarin oranges. The more juice you use, the moister the
trifle will be.
Arrange on third of the fruit over the cake. Drizzle with half
the custard sauce,and spread half the whipped cream.
Repeat layers of cake,sherry,fruit juice,custard and cream.
Garnish with the remaining third of the fruit and a few sprigs of
mint.
CHEESE
BALL: (by Jennifer)
1 roll garlic cheese (Kraft in
rolls squeeze out)
2 8oz packages cream cheese
1 package Cracker Barrell Cheese (Sharp or X-sharp) grated
1 tsp. worcheshire sauce
Mix together. Divide into 3 balls. Roll in nuts. May be frozen.
(Can substitute bacon cheese for garlic cheese)
FRUIT DIP (Brown Sugar
Dip)
1 Cup plain low fat yogurt
3 TBS. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Mix and Chill
(I told my mother I thought this sounded gross, then I tried it.
It's
wonderful! Everyone at my parties always raves about the fruit
dip and it's
so easy to make!)
CARAMELS
2 Cups sugar
2 Cups Cream
1/2 Cup butter
3/4 Cup Karo Syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
(For chocolate caramels add cocoa or 2 1/2 squares of chocolate)
Mix sugar, 1 C cream, butter, karo and slowly bring to a boil.
Add
remaining cream so slowly that mixture never stops boiling. Cook
until a
drop of the mixture will form a firm ball in water. (This can
take a while)
Add vanilla. Stir. Pour into pan greased with butter. Cool.
24 HOUR SALAD (Fruit
Salad)
2 cans chunk pineapple (save juice)
1 jar Maraschino cherries, cut up
2 small cans mangerine oranges
2 Cups mini marshmallows, or large ones cut up
1 pint whipping cream or cool whip
3 TBS. sugar
3 TBS. flour
1 egg yoke
In sauce pan combine 1 cup
pineapple juice, 3 TBS. sugar, 3 TBS. flour, 1
egg yoke. Cook slowly until thick, cool to cold. Once mixture is
cold mix in
whipped cream or cool whip and add fruit. Chill for 24 hours for
flavors to
mix. Great!
NEIMAN MARCUS COOKIES
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal***
12 oz chocolate chips
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 oz Hershey bar (grated)
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cups chopped nuts (your choice)
***Measure oatmeal and blend in blender to a fine powder.
Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with
flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate
chips,
Hershey bar and nuts. Roll in balls and place two inches apart on
a cookie
sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes about 4 - 41/4 dozen.
Joyeux Noel!
Feliz Navidad!
Frohe Weihnachten!!