"holiday meal" 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?

My husband's origins are Swedish (wayyyy back) so a few years ago we decided to start having Swedish-flavored Christmas celebrations. As it turns out, the Swedes like their pork, and what could be better than a holiday ham? Specifically, "Monte's Ham," a recipe I found years ago in Saveur, is the pride and joy of my Christmas dinner.

With so many different meaty delights to choose from - turkeys, rib roasts, racks of lamb, and roast duck, oh my! - what do you choose to feature on your holiday table, and how? Or do you forego the large roast meats for a nice wild mushroom risotto?

sarah's swedish ham a la monte
Start at least four hours ahead of your dinner. Go to the market and find a smoked ham on the bone - the kind that still needs more cooking. Check to make sure the label doesn't say "fully cooked" or "just heat and serve." Get a big one, 10 to 20 pounds. You'll only need two other ingredients: a large jar of good dijon mustard and a large jar of marmalade. I like organic peach/orange or apricot versions as they're free of high fructose corn syrup and other nasty stuff, but just pick whatever sounds good to you.