One holiday tradition that our family *must* adhere to, lest the universe split open and render all existence null and void, is that Mamasan makes peanut-butter balls for all of us tots every year, no matter how old we get, and she's been doing since before we can remember. I've been looking forward to mine for several weeks now, but was worried they'd never arrive, as Reverend Dave had spent last weekend with her when she was doing her Christmas baking. For those unfamiliar with our family dynamic, Reverend Dave eats peanut butter balls like a Pac-Man on a double espresso. He and Amy are always raiding each other's stash like a couple of junkies searching for drugs and it's always entertaining to watch the antics go down when only one of them has access to the goods.
Anyhow, the box arrived last night, so I tore into it immediately. I saw a couple of nice gifts, a box of Goo Goo Clusters, and a can of my favorite coffee, Don Francisco's Hawaiian Hazelnut. But no tin full of the Real Christmas Treasure, peanut butter balls...
Uh oh...
I panicked and cursed the Good Reverend, thinking mom had the bad sense to have him ship the package for her. But then I noticed that the coffee can was sealed with
Whew. Disaster avoided! Now I just have to figure out a way to make them last until the 25th. I swear, I've only eaten about five of them since last night. And I've got the can sitting out of reach across the room on the bookshelf, so the temptation is somewhat tempered. I've got Hoya's cookies handy, which helps, but I've been sharing them with the roommates (after I ate all the rum cookies, of course), but nobody around here gets any peanut butter balls. When it comes to sharing those, just call me Ebenezer!
Unfortunately, since I'm stuck here in Vegas, (Good grief Charlie Brown, did you ever think you'd hear me utter that sentence???) it seems that peanut butter balls are the only traditional holiday treat I'm going to be able to indulge in this year. No Ebelskivers, no Orange Julius, and no pumpkin roll.
Well, I might be able to have a little bit of pumpkin roll at some point, but it won't be the same because my sister Sherry didn't make it, and I won't have my family around, either. It just won't taste as good.
But the tins of Christmas goodies sent by good friends and family remind me of everyone's favorite ingredient in their holiday traditions--good food! With big family meals, snacks at parties, the office pot-luck, or the traditional baking and sharing of treats, food plays a big part in this season of celebration.
I was talking to Mamasan this past weekend about all the different snacks and goodies that make the cut with our family, and it was quite an extensive list...
I've already talked about our traditional Christmas morning breakfast of Ebelskivers, Orange Julius and either bacon or 'piggies' (link sausages--but my mom and sisters have been calling them piggies since before I was born). And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without everyone's favorite peanut butter balls, but here's a list of reasons why everyone gains a couple of pounds in December:
- Frosted Christmas Cookies - We don't do these too much anymore, more so when we were kids and had a drawer full of holiday-shaped cookie cutters to play with.
- Hello Dollies - Probably the richest dessert on the planet--coconut, graham cracker crust, chocolate, and some sort of evaporated milk-derived filling. Two square of that and you're full.
- Lemon Bars - Always a favorite of mine, but not as popular with everyone else.
- Corn Flake Wreaths - When we were kids, we made wreaths out of Corn Flakes, corn syrup, green food coloring, and used those red candy cinnamon dots as berrys. Lots of fun, and tasty too.
- Pumpkin Rolls - Sherry's specialty, with the cream cheese filling. Oh hell yeah.
- Cheese Logs - this is one of my favorites, with cream cheese, grated cheddar, chopped olives, deviled ham, and wrapped in chopped walnuts, and the whole thing is spread on crackers. I prefer 'Chikin in a Biskit' crackers, myself.
- Egg Nog - I know that bourbon is the tradition. But I prefer Captain Morgan Silver in my nog.
- Honey Baked Ham - We almost *never* do a full-on Christmas dinner, but we usually put out a ham with a cheese and condiment tray and everyone just makes their own sandwiches whenever they feel like it throughout the course of the evening.
- Fruit Salad - Mamasan perfected this recipe over the years. Our family version has the multi-colored mini marshmallows on top.
- Sparkling Cider - This used to be a favorite back when the non-drinkers were in the majority. Luckily most of them have switched their affiliation and appreciate a good holiday buzz as much as I do. The sparkling cider is now for the next generation of kids now that my nieces are starting their own families.
- Hot Chocolate - I used to love hot chocolate with a piece of peppermint candy dropped in the cup. This has been supplanted by Bailey's and Coffee. Although coffee with peppermint schnapps sounds pretty damn festive, too.
- Banana Bread - Nothing makes the kitchen smell better than fresh banana bread baking. The scrooge in me always thought we gave away waaaay too many of the loaves.
Sadly, I'm going to miss out on most of these treats this year, but the packages keep coming, so I'm sure I won't go hungry. I really enjoy all of the goodies that come my way but I know that everything tastes just a little bit better when you're sharing it with the ones you love.
Here's to hoping that everyone has somebody to share with this Christmas!
Mikey
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