T'was The Day Before Christmas...

and in my friend's house I was still in my pjs, planted on the couch.

I do have to get up at some point and go to the store. I'm thinking of making this tomorrow morning. As I've said before, I love breakfast, and it doesn't get much better than Christmas morning breakfast. Then again, I might just head over to Stew Leonard's and pick up some pretzel bagels and sour cherry crepes. mmmm local novelty grocery store.

Anyways, enjoy the holidays and I'll be back in a few days!

Holiday Favorites #2: Grammie's Coffee Jello

That's right. Coffee. Jello. Or jelly. It's a New England-y recipe and a Sullivan tradition but, in retrospect, I think it was more of a favorite of just my Grammie and me. My father and his siblings were subjected to her 'cooking' growing up and, consequently, all became gourmands (cranberry orange cheesecake with a milano cookie crust, anyone?). However, one thing she did right was coffee jello and it always had a place on our holiday table. One year my Aunt Maura found a packaged mix in Maine that was ok, but the basic recipe is simple enough:

Ingredients:

2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold coffee

3 cups hot coffee

1/4 cup sugar

1 pinch salt

Tip: Instant coffee is perfectly fine. I'd suggest that new Starbucks Via. Any flavored coffee would be good too. One year we did French Vanilla.

Directions:

In a large bowl combine gelatin and cold coffee

Allow to sit 10 minutes to soften

Add hot coffee, sugar and salt; stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is clear.

Pour into individual serving dishes and chill till set.

Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream 

I found this fun twist that incorporates condensed milk. I'm sure Grammie would have loved it.

Holiday Favorites #1: No Trouble for a Trifle

Katie trying to get her Christmas Trifle fix in July...

It seems like every family has a few treasured recipes that always make an appearance during the holidays--if someone dares to buck tradition by replacing, say, Aunt Linda's Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bon Appetite's Dark Chocolate Torte with Gingersnap Crust, oh there will be hell to pay.

Sometimes though, you can really eat only so much of a certain dish. My mother's family was held hostage by Lemon Delight, a 50's throwback dessert that my mom made for Easter one year which was then requested for nearly EVERY family gathering for the next decade. I mean, I like Cool Whip, cream cheese, and lemon pudding as much as the next person, but really guys?

Thankfully, Lemon Delight has gone to a peaceful resting place in the pantry with the rest of my mother's recipes and instead I give you her recipe for Christmas Berry Trifle--a name I just gave it because "that trifle you made last Christmas that Katie likes" doesn't have as much of a ring to it.

She found the original recipe in Parade magazine at least ten years ago and since it was British-sounding (and wasn't Lemon Delight) I was on board. Since then, it's become a family favorite, particularly with my cousin Katie, who now buys anything with the name 'trifle' in it.

Ingredients
1 jar red raspberry jam

1 package vanilla pudding (cook and serve, not instant)
1 ten oz. package frozen red raspberries, thawed
1 ten oz. package frozen strawberries, thawed
3/4 cup dry sherry wine
2 pound cakes (thawed if frozen)
1 c whipped cream (from scratch)
Handful of slivered, toasted almonds


Directions
Cook pudding according to package directions. Cover pudding with waxed paper or plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Refrigerate 3 hours.

Drain raspberries and strawberries thoroughly in a sieve, measure 3/4 cup drained liquid and mix with sherry.

Slice both cakes crosswise into 10 pieces each. Sandwich jam in between slices of cake and cut again into fours.

Arrange the pieces of sandwiched pound cake along the bottom of a large glass bowl or trifle dish. Then pour half the sherry mixture over the cake; top with half the raspberries and strawberries, then half the pudding. Repeat the layering and chill for at least 4 hours. Cover with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Six Holiday Favorites

While I wait for my mom to get back to me about these recipes, here's a little list of my favorite holiday-themed things that I wish were available all year 'round....

1.) Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's










My friend Lorene was talking about her obsession with these a couple weeks ago. I had never tried them before because normally I'm not big on candy canes and the regular Joe-Joe's are essentially boring old Oreos (America's favorite cookie my ass...) But, when I noticed them at my local TJ's last Friday, I decided to buy a box and see what all the fuss was about. It's been four days and that box is almost gone. So. I am now publicly calling Lorene out on the internet:

Thanks a LOT for those extra five pounds, Lorene!

Anyways, as I was saying...These cookies create a chocolate/peppermint party in your mouth that's way better (and less vomit-inducing) than a York peppermint patty. And they go perfectly with a mug of hot chocolate or tea if you're not into 'overloading on chocolate in one sitting', like me. I suppose now I'll have to stock up on them for winter, like some strange Joe-Joe hoarding squirrel.

2.) The red Starbucks cup












Seriously, what marketing exec thought plain white cups were a good idea? That nice, deep, crimson--reminiscent of a fiery, late-October maple leaf--is way more pleasing and eye-catching. Man, I am in the wrong profession...

3.) Friendly's Jubilee Roll












Vanilla, chocolate, that weird pink ripple going down the middle--Who doesn't like a Jubilee roll! I remember my mom buying this when I was a kid and every day after school I'd come home and cut my self a big, thick slice. Why she bought this for just two people, I don't really know, but I won't question it.

5.) Gingerbread Donuts










First, Dunkin Donuts came out with pumpkin. Now, they have gingerbread. And, unlike actual gingerbread, people aren't disappointed when you show up with some. However, the headline "Gingerbread Everything" is more than slightly reminiscent of this. I'm on to you, DD....

6.) All of The Holiday Episodes of Friends!

They were the best ones anyways because, let's face it: Those flashbacks featuring Courtney Cox in a fat suit are funnier than anything Ross ever said. Ever. And now, thanks to the magic of the internet, you don't have to watch TBS every evening hoping to catch the one where Joey eats a bunch of turkey and says something stupid. Christmas dreams really do come true!

That's it.

I thought about including those white chocolate oreos, but who really likes white chocolate? Answer: No one.

Christmas Posts Yet To Come...

Sullivan/Winter Christmas Tree Circa 2004

Seeing as we're less than two weeks away from Christmas, I figured I'd do a series of posts on holiday food traditions. You know, those special recipes you break out only once or twice a year. Cause, let's face it: no one's gonna make those German spritz cookies in April. It's just plain wrong. And, it makes Baby Jesus cry. So. Stay tuned for some of my family's holiday favorites, including those damn butter cookies, coffee jello (yes), and the Christmas trifle that my cousin Katie spends all year talking about.

Holiday Market This Weekend!

I've written about the awesomeness of the regular Sowa Open Market, but I've never been to their holiday one. Are you gonna go? I am!

Sadly, this is as close to 'tree-trimming' as I'm gonna get this year...

Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA