Please post YOUR family holiday recipe/food traditions HERE!

We have such a diverse crowd around here with folks from North, South, East and West.  And we each have our own family food traditions for holiday time.  It would be fun to see your recipes and read any stories you have that go along with them, so please add yours to this thread and share with everybody! Here's mine... BOILED CUSTARD!  Yummy to many, disgusting to some.  LOL

My Ma Perry (my daddy's mama) always and forever made Boiled Custard at Christmastime. Back before there were so many Perry offspring and I was a little girl, we'd all gather at her house and some of us would have Boiled Custard FIRST, before we ate.  She would have a big punch bowl of it to ladle into punch cups, and beside it would be a big bowl of sweetened strawberries she grew the previous summer and frozen for Christmas. Ma Perry died when I was 12, so some of my aunts kept the tradition alive for years until we stopped having Christmas gatherings and now only get together in the summertime.  But I still make it for our little family of Perry's... and now my nephew Wyatt (who is a Reid), contrary to his daddy (see below) loves it too. Now this Custard isn't too WLS friendly with the sugar, but it's SO DAMN GOOD.  I'll be making and having some if it kills me.   Not everybody likes this stuff, including my daddy.  His only sister has him and the other 2 brothers for lunch every Christmas and that was yesterday... Aunt Lou always sends them home with a jar of Boiled Custard, so daddy called last night to let me know it's there and to COME GET IT!  I might just cheat this year and have that and not make any. Another funny story about this family tradition... when my sis was getting married, we had a bachelorette party and in advance, I asked Matt some questions that we'd ask her at the party to see how well they knew each other.  One question was something like "name something Tiana cooks that you pretend to like, but can't stand."... and his answer was "Custard."  Well at the time, it didn't "click" that he was talking about OUR custard!  And I thought it was an "odd" answer, but hey, it was sis who knew and was marrying him, not me. So at the party, when asked that question, she had no idea and just threw out some answer.  I told her HIS answer was "Custard."  She rolled her eyes like, "CUSTARD?  Where did that come from.  I've never made custard."   So of course we had to ASK Matt what he was talking about... his face got all red and he fessed up that for the past few years while they had been dating, he had been pretending to like the Boiled Custard at Christmas, but was pouring it in the sink when we weren't looking!  LOLOLOL  We told him that was OK and he was forgiven cause daddy doesn't like it either... and so now we all laugh about it every Christmas.  I think one year he even put some chocolate syrup in it to try and like it since it's so important to us, but that still didn't work. And when my sweet mama was so sick during chemo, she asked for this so although we were only used to making and having it in the winter for Christmas, I made it over and over for her... spring, summer... fall, whenver!  It gave her lots of good protein she needed along with calories too.  It was one of few things she could tolerate at times, and I'd freeze some in little cups for her to eat like ice cream too.  Until she died, for a while, she virtually lived on Boiled Custard.                      *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                       Mama Perry's Boiled Custard

Recipe By: Ma Perry (Frances Chamblee Perry) Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------  ------------  --------------------------------      1/2     gallon        sweet milk (that's white whole milk-no "low fat")    2          tall cans     Pet milk    1 1/2       c.            sugar    6           large         eggs                                 vanilla flavoring

Over double boiler in thickest pot add milks and sugar.  Stir constantly until reaches ALMOST boil (never boil).  Stir rapidly and add eggs that have been pureed until foamy in blender.  (I temper the eggs so that they won't lump up when added in.) Let come to boil.  Turn heat to medium.  Continue to cook for about 45 minutes or until coats metal spoon.  Remove from heat.  Add 1 T. vanilla and more sugar if necessary.  Cool in freezer until freezing begins around edges.   Stir well or Shake and serve chilled. (The consistency should be a thick one, not like a super thick shake, but pourable thick but we eat it with a spoon.) OPT:  Served with a spoonful of sliced sweetened strawberries on top.

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Breakfast Ring: My mom made it every year for Christmas morning breakfast, and sould make an extra or two for family (particularly my niece, her granddaughter).  Mom passed away in 1998, and I've tried to make it for my niece ever since.  I'm not a big breakfast pastry person, so it doesn't ring my bell like it does some others.   Prepare a box of Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix - have it rise as normal When it is time to pan it, split dough into three long pieces.  Lay them out side by side.  Spread softened margarine along the tops of each piece.  Put sugar and cinnamon on the tops as well.  Braid the three pieces making sure to keep the top side up.  After braiding put it in the angel food cake pan so that it cooks in a circle )similar to a bundt pan).  Bake as directed on the box.  Once the ring is cooled, remove if from the pan and plate it upside down.  Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting (mixed with boiling water and some margerine)  Place a single walnut half alternating with a half maraschino cherry around the top of the ring.  Cut and enjoy.

Christmas is, for the most part, always me, DH, Daughter. Sometime his sister comes in from Charlotte - but right now she is going through a HORRIBLE/ NASTY divorce. OF which she is not the one doing the nasty stuff! IT has become a tradition in my family that every Christmas we have Fresh Pacific Salmon. Sean(my husband) is from Seattle and his Mom, Dad and Brother are all still there. His Mom overnights some fresh Pacific salmon from Pike's Market.  It is usually a 12lb salmon that is cleaned, gutted and butterflied. Now if you have never had Pacific Salmon, you really need to try it. IT is a completely different taste from Atlantic Salmon and I swear, you'll never eat Atlantic Salmon again.  He fires up the grill (yes on Christmas) and he puts the salmon in foil (leaving the top open). He opens the butterflied salmon and puts a mix of butter (Smart Balance) and fresh garlic and a couple of other seasonings he won't tell me about.  Then he lays several whole green onions in it and closes it back then puts it on the grill.   I make Shrimp - stuffed with parmesean, chopped portabellos and bell pepper and wrap them in bacon and throw them on the grill close to the salmon coming off.  For sides we always have a green bean casserole (Daughter would kill me if I didn't), usually a green salad of baby romain, spinach and red leaf lettuce, and steamed baby carrots with dill and lemon.  I always make them an apple crisp type cobbler for dessert. Then at night (no matter what the temp) we fire up the fireplace and all have hot cocoa and talk about all the things that were important to us this year and what we did that might have made a difference in someone's life.  We each pick a gift or two and set aside to donate to someone in need.