MsCGheartofohio wrote:

Is there a traditional meal, or food,or family recipe that gives the holidays special meaning for you? Even a special pan or serving piece, or certain music that you always listen to? CG

My husband is Italien and at Christmas one of the recipes his family loves is Scrapells...which are rolled crepes. Once the crepes are prepared they are cooled and then sprinkled with a mixture of romano cheese, black pepper and shredded chicken...they are then rolled up into a cigar shape and placed in a large soup pan where they are covered in either chicken or veggie broth and cooked until tender...

The making of it requires multiple hands and a willingness to work together that is just really nice during the holidays...

How about you MsCG? Fess up...:)

I've always been very sentimental about holiday meals, and for me, certain flavors are powerful memory triggers, just like different kinds of music and aromas.  They remind me of the warmth of the family gatherings of my childhood, and when I make certain dishes, I feel like I'm carrying on the memory of loved ones who are gone.  The preparation is often as important to me as the meal itself, like you both mentioned - there's a kind of fellowship that makes it very special.

I have a ceramic pie plate that was my grandmothers, she always used it for her special apple pie - and no lie, my Gram really did make the best apple pie in the whole world!  When I use that pan for a holiday pie, make her crust, and throw in the filling (pinches and dashes, no measuring!) just like she used to, I feel like she's right at the table with us!

My other grandmother always had a Christmas Eve buffet and made a casserole that I couldn't have Christmas without.   We're not italian, but she always made lasagna.  Those are things that say "it's the holidays" to me.  While holiday meals are in progress, we listen to beautiful Christmas carols and hymns - O Holy Night, Adeste Fidelis, Silent Night, The Little Drummer Boy...

I always make an assortment of cookies to pass around after Christmas dinner - old family recipes, of course!  While I'm mixing and baking them, I love to play traditional holiday pop standards - Bing Crosby's White Christmas, Elvis' Christmas album, Andy Williams and Perry Como, and the wonderful jazz soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

We do have certain foods which are looked forward to, depending on the holiday. For Thanksgiving it's the cranberry relish recipe that is on the Ocean Spray bag. The family loves that.
For Christmas it's the Russian Tea Cake cookies that my mom makes. She uses the recipe in the old Betty Crocker cookbook. 
Easter it's roasted lamb which I cook. I make the basting sauce from a mix of soy sauce and honey, using the water that is in the bottom of the pan mixed in with the drippings. It gives the lamb a very nice, not gamey taste.

[QUOTE=MsCGheartofohio;146706]Is there a traditional meal, or food,or family recipe that gives the holidays special meaning for you?  Even a special pan or serving piece, or certain music that you always listen to?

CG[/QUOTE]
MsCGheartofohio:
I usually make a leg of lamb at Easter ~because that's what my mom did!
I come from a "mixed religion/mixed nationality" home: Mom was Jewish,Austrian, Irish.
Dad was Protestant,German & Italian. He converted to marry mom!! Also I'm part Russian.

Holidays at our house were "pretty interesting to say the least":
At Thanksgiving, you'd find a Turkey,a lasagna, my aunt's augratin potatoes,stringbeans~ and for dessert,
well you'd find 2lbs of Italian miniture pasteries,1lb. Full size pasteries,1lb Italian cookies & if it was near a
grandchild's birthday or anyone's birthday ~ A full size Italian Cream Cake!!

The menu differed with each different Holiday:
But what never changed was dessert~as long as my grandfather was alive!

Since I married in 1978~I'm the one sharing making Thanksgiving with my sister in law.~We switch years/houses/towns.

One thing I used to make was a "Broccoli,cheese casserole" that I got from my mom's sister~ I say "used to
make" I went and tooled the original recipe and it's really on the "Very rich,very high calorie,side"
I stopped making it the year my mother in law told me about my father in law's heart problems!

Another dish I'm "famous for" is what my friends love to call "My kick A** 4 cheese Mashed Potatoes"!
If anyone want the recipe I'll gladly post it and others!

My favourite pan to used for roasting Turkeys & my leg of lamb is a "real heavy French Alaumium Roasting pan"
that my husband bought for me over 15 years ago~ just one mistake I made should have gotten it lined with
Tefelon!!!! Till my hubby buys me a new one I'll just line it with 3 sheets of "Extra Heavey Duty Renyold's Wrap"!!!!
Saves me the cleanup job!!!!

In my family with it having been a Catholic Jewish household. On Christmas Eve I would prepare a Pot au Fue. A really nice soup my mother had prepared for us when I was a child because she was busy with last muinute Christmas preparations. I serve it as she did with a nice crusty loaf of bread.