"holiday dinner" news and stories

We all know the jokes that are made every year when it comes to fruitcake. The same one has been going around the globe, passed from person to person, for the past 40 years, nobody likes fruitcake, fruitcake is a bad gift, etc. But let's talk about food beyond that cliche. What are some of the usual Christmas foods that you don't like or are overrated? What food does your family serve when you go back home and you dread it, even though you don't want to tell the person who cooked it that you've never liked it?

I just got off the phone with my sister. Looks like we're doing something different for Christmas this year. Instead of the usual turkey and stuffing and veggies, we're going with a mix: a ham, lasagna, casseroles, green bean salad, antipasto. Oh, and desserts. Lots and lots of desserts, including a half dozen different pies, brownies, cookies, candy, and other things. Whatever progress I made exercising the past few weeks is going to vanish, quickly.

But desserts don't have to be bad for you. This Food & Wine slideshow has pics and recipes for 32 different desserts you can make for the holidays and not feel guilty (well, not completely guilty anyway), including a Melon Sorbet, a warm Citrus Gratin with Toasted Almonds, Dark Chocolate Bark with Walnuts and Black Cherries, and Banana Souffles. Not all of the desserts are low fat, but the ones that aren't still have a lot of good things in them.

The site also has some ideas for healthy holiday meals from cookbook author Melissa Clark.

Find Christmas dessert recipes by Gail Simmons and Christmas recipes on KitchenDaily.

So here it is, the day after, and if you're like me, you ate way too much food yesterday.

I got to my sister's house around 11am or so, and started the day with a couple of cups of tea. Then we moved onto the meal, where I had turkey, mashed potatoes, bread stuffing, carrots, cranberry sauce, and rolls. I also made a Cornbread with Apple and Sausage stuffing that seemed to go over well, though I think it was a little dry (if you make that recipe I would either cut the number of stuffing bags to 1 1/2 or up the liquid quite a bit). I had a couple of can of Diet Coke during the meal, so I think that made me feel better about the day.

Of course, I wasn't through yet. Later in the afternoon came all the desserts. I had a piece of my sister's Pumpkin and Cheese Cake Pie, then a slice of Boston Creme Pie. When I left for home around 7:30, I took a place with me that had two slices of banana bread, another slice of the Pumpkin and Cheese Cake Pie, another slice of Boston Creme Pie, and two brownies. All of which I ate when I got home, along with a turkey and stuffing sandwich from the stuff my roommate made earlier in the day. Wow. What did you have to eat yesterday?

(Oh, and I also started feeling rundown last night, and woke up this morning with a head cold, scratchy throat, tired feeling, etc. Am I being punished by the diet Gods?)

Picture the scene: it's Christmas Day, and you're making holiday dinner for your family. You have your turkey and your stuffing and your apple pie and your egg nog, and the gifts have all been opened and everything is just hunky-dory. Then Aunt Sally comes in with the side dish she made, puts it on the table, announces what it is, and freaks out all the kids.

Reindeer meatballs!

That's what they serve at Northern Delicacies, a takeout restaurant and grocery store in Brooklyn. They also sell fish balls and salty licorice.

My advice? Don't serve them on Christmas Day. Or, if you are going to serve them, do it before Christmas Eve, so the kids won't think you did something to Santa's reindeer after they dropped off the gifts that night.