Larry and I decided to have something fairly simple for our Christmas Eve dinner since it was just for the two of us. But I still wanted something nice and special too. I prepared a mussel and shrimp ragout in a white sauce, inspired by the cookbook I purchased on our Canadian trip, French Taste in Atlantic Canada 1604-1758, or Le gout francais au Canada atlantique 1604-1758, by Anne Marie Lane Jonah and Chantal Vechambre. (I say inspired by, because you all know I made it my own). This cookbook is great. It’s filled with all kinds of traditional meals from the French Canadian beginnings, and it is written in both French and English. So not only can I cook some delicious traditional meals from the early French Canadian settlers, but I can work on my French too. C’est si bon! 🙂

Because the French Canadian regions, like most of Quebec and the surrounding islands, are on the water, seafood plays an integral role in the menu planning, both from the early days up to the present.

Mussels & Shrimp Ragout in White Sauce

A ragout (or ragoût) is a rich, slow-cooked French stew featuring meat, fish, or vegetables braised in broth until tender, often served alone or over starches, differing from Italian ragù which is typically a meat-based pasta sauce. Key ingredients often include aromatic vegetables (mirepoix like onion, carrot, celery), herbs (thyme, bay leaf), wine, stock.

The original recipe only called for mussels. I added mussels, but I also added shrimp and vegetables, and then I served it all over rice to make it a heartier meal. I also got to use up some of my leftovers, which always makes me a happy camper. I used some of my new salt too. I added garlic blend infused salt for this dish. Infused Salt Box 🙂 The vegetables I added were my leftover asparagus topped with garlic, red and yellow bell peppers and onions. Adding vegetables is optional, but I like adding vegetables to my dishes, especially to my soups and stews. It always makes it more of a complete meal.

1 1/2 lbs mussels

1-1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

cool water

1/2 cup white wine

1 large shallot, diced

2 egg yolks

1 TBSP lemon juice

1-2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP parsley, chopped fine

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup green onions or chives

I used a combination of both frozen mussels and some of Cole’s Tinned Mussles. Boil the frozen mussels and onions in water and wine until they open, then remove them from the shells. Strain the mussel water and set aside.

Get a large skillet very hot, then add the butter and the shrimp. Cook the shrimp until they are completely cooked and pink. When the shrimp are cooked, add the mussels. I added the tinned mussels at this point too. Cook until the mussels are lightly browned.

Mix the egg yolks and the lemon juice together. Add the strained water and mix in the seasonings, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and egg yolk mixture. Mix everything together thoroughly.

Put the mixture back on the heat for about 2 minutes to heat, but do NOT bring to a boil. Allowing the mixture to boil will cause the egg yolks to separate. Add the green onions or chives.

I served mine in a bowl over rice, then topped with with the vegetable medley. I added some of the mussel shells on top for decoration and added some warm bread on the side. Serve with the same white wine used for the sauce. This is a simple, yet elegant meal good for anytime.

Have a great day and make everyday great. May 2026 treat you well and keep you healthy and happy. Happy New Year. ‘Til next time.

I have lots to share about all kinds of things, but today, the day after Christmas, Larry had the day off, and we decided to got to one of our favorite places, the Wild Animal Sanctuary again. It was a beautiful day, and the animals were thoroughly enjoying themselves too. I just finished editing all my pictures. We played all day, now I have to do a little work for dinner. I just wanted to say hi though. I’ll start my regular schedules again tomorrow.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. Happy New Year!

It’s Christmas Day in my part of the world. It’s boxing Day in other parts of the world. I hope both are great days that you spend with your family, friends and loved ones. Christmas is many thing to many people, but traditionally it is about sharing blessings, remembering others, and keeping the spirit alive all year. It is also about sending love, laughter, and blessings for a wonderful season, and of course celebrating the birth of Jesus, who is the Reason for the season.

It’s a Christmas classic. It’s just not Christmas without it. Classics are classics because they are well loved and have become part of our beloved traditions. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas is one of those beloved Christmas classics that I love to revisit every year.

One of the most beloved Christmas stories is ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. While almost everyone is familiar with the sweet holiday rhyming tale, the story behind the story is one that is largely untold and unknown.

The poem, originally titled A Visit or A Visit From St. Nicholas, was first published anonymously on Dec. 23, 1823, in a Troy, New York newspaper called The Sentinel.

It wasn’t until 1837 that Clement Clarke Moore accepted credit for writing A Visit. He reportedly wanted to keep his authorship secret initially because he was a professor and the piece wasn’t considered a scholarly work at the time of its initial writing. Moore is said to have based his vision of Santa Claus on both St. Nicholas and a local Dutch handyman where he lived in New York. Legend has it that the handyman operated the sleigh that took Moore home.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,
tore open the shutter, and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the lustre of midday to objects below,

when, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
“Now Dasher! Now Dancer!
Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid!
On, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch!
To the top of the wall!

Now dash away! Dash away!
Dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky
so up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
with the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
the prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head and was turning around,
down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes–how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.

He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
and I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all. Make your holidays merry and bright and stay safe and well. ‘Til next time.

I love Christmas and all its traditions. I love everything about them. I love the lights, the Christmas trees, all the decorations, and of course all the Christmas ornaments on the trees. But there is a new trend that is starting up, especially with the Hollywood elites and celebrities. Many people today are putting up trees, with next to nothing on them as far as decorations and ornaments go. They are called no-ornament or nearly naked trees — they are bare evergreens with nothing on them but white lights or sometimes zero decorations at all. They have their own reasons I suppose and everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. But I find this new trend very sad. This new trend is taking away the personal experiences, the joy and memories of Christmas and unwrapping all the ornaments that we have cherished over the years.

My Christmas trees are filled with so many eclectic ornaments, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They represent our travels, our hobbies and interests. Some are old and were my parents’ ornaments. Many represent our past and present beloved pets, or our four-legged kids as we call them. Every ornament has its own story and lots of memories attached to it. Our Christmas trees tell the story of our life. “Our ornaments are more than decorations; they are an annual reminder of lives well lived.”

Decorating Christmas trees is a tradition that started in the 16th century in Germany, when people started decorating trees with fruits, nuts and candles. In 1847, a German immigrant named Hans Greiner started making glass bulbs as ornaments to go on the trees. He started crafting glass balls, or baubles, to replace expensive real fruits, creating the first manufactured ornaments. These early glass ornaments, called “Kugels,” were silvered inside and came in various shapes, including fruits and different religious figures. F.W. Woolworth brought these German glass ornaments to America in the 1880s, selling millions and sparking a new craze that is still going strong today.  In the late 19th century a picture of Queen Victoria with a decorated Christmas tree made the tradition fashionable in both Britain and America. Ornaments evolved from religious symbols and fruits and nuts to a vast commercial market, with traditions incorporating local cultures (like Ukrainian spiderwebs or Australian kangaroos) and countless other themes.

Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most cherished holiday traditions around the world. Families gather together each year, pull out boxes of beloved Christmas ornaments, and make memories new together while sharing old memories. Many of these memories form the basis for the traditions that are passed down from generation to generation. Even before Christmas lights were invented, we loved the idea of lighting up a tree. Bits of foil were often added to reflect the light in the room and make the tree glisten!

Many Christmas trees in many households are topped with a star. The star that we use to decorate our trees today is representative of the original Star of Bethlehem. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there were three magi (or wise men) who saw an unusual star in the sky and knew that it would lead them to baby Jesus. They followed that star all the way to the stable where Jesus lay in a manger, and brought gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh.

Candy canes were another fun German accent used to decorate trees. The candy cane originated around 1670. Designed to help children sit still during Christmas services, the candy was shaped like a “J” to represent crooks of the shepherds that visited baby Jesus. Around 1900, the red stripes and peppermint flavoring were added. Christians believe that the red stripes represent the blood that Jesus shed on the cross and the peppermint flavoring represents the hyssop plant that was used for Biblical purification. The original candy canes had no flavoring or color and were essentially just “sugar sticks.” Today, candy canes come in all colors and many flavors.

Angels are also found all over Christmas trees and are often at the top as well. They can represent the angel that appeared in Bethlehem to announce the birth of Jesus, the angel Gabriel who told Mary she would give birth to Jesus, or even the idea of angels watching over us and protecting us. Soon after Christmas trees became popular, parents would decorate trees with streamers, telling their children that the streamers were pieces of angel hair that had been caught in the branches. We too have various angels adorning our trees. They are are from all over.

The Christmas pickle is definitely one of the weirdest Christmas ornament traditions to evolve over time! It emerged in the late 19th century as a game that parents created for their children. We have our Christmas pickle ornament too. The Christmas pickle is a fun American Christmas tradition (despite its supposed German roots) where a glass pickle ornament is hidden in a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve; the first child to find it on Christmas morning receives a reward like opening the first gift or an extra present, symbolizing luck and patience, though many Germans have never heard of it. We have now made it part of our Christmas party tradition, and whoever finds it gets a bottle of wine.

However you decorate your Christmas trees, the most important part is always the love shared by all who help with the decorating. It’s about spending time together, making new memories and reliving old, cherished ones. Start your own traditions to pass down through your own generations. These traditions are part of what makes Christmas and the Christmas season so merry.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all. However you celebrate, celebrate the season with family, friends and loved ones. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

Things are pretty quiet out in nature right now. The animals are keeping to themselves. Not a lot of birds are lighting up the skies or singing their tunes. The flowers and plants are resting up until spring. Even though things are quiet, there is still a calm, gentle comfort and beauty to be found too though.

Every season has its own beauty and charm.

I got to play around a bit with some of my new infused salts. The one I used this time was the smoked bacon and chipotle salt. I basically created a whole new dish just to use this interestingly delicious salt. I created a recipe for what I am calling cowboy potatoes. We have been watching all the Taylor Sheridan shows like Yellowstone, 1883, Landman, and now 1923, and I guess all of these shows were in some a way, the inspiration for these potatoes. Well those shows AND my new infused salts. 🙂

Cowboy Potatoes

I created this recipe around the infused smoked bacon and chipotle salt. Everything in these potatoes was grilled on my inside grill; the potatoes, the corn, the bacon and the onions and peppers. I used my inside grill, but you can grill them on on outside grill or cook everything in a skillet, or roast them in the oven. As with many things, especially things I cook, there are no right or wrong ways. 🙂

2 lbs new potatoes, quartered

4-5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 Vidalia sweet onion, sliced into thick slices

1 jalapeno

1 red bell pepper

1 cup corn

olive oil

dash of prepared vinaigrette

1-2 tsp infused smoked bacon and chipotle salt

black pepper to taste

dash of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cut the potatoes into quarters and par boil them for about 10 minutes, then drain. Add about 1 TBSP of white vinegar to the water. The vinegar will help the potatoes form a crisp skin, while keeping the insides soft and creamy.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the inside grill on the burners (I think it works best if you have a gas stove) and get it very hot. Add the bacon first and cook to a medium crisp. It will continue to cook a bit after you remove it from the heat too. I used a combination of both regular bacon and jalapeno chili bacon. Once the bacon is cooked, remove it from the heat, allow it to cool a bit, then crumble it.

Cut the onions and peppers into large enough chunks that will allow them to grill nicely on the grill. Grill the onions and peppers in the bacon grease until softened and browned, about 5-7 minutes, turning over at the median point.

Once they are browned and softened, remove them and set them aside, allowing them to cool enough for you to cut them into a medium dice.

Add the corn to the hot grill and cook for just a couple of minutes.

Add the potatoes to the grill along with a little olive oil. Cook until browned then flip and continue to cook until they are browned and crispy on the outside, about 7-10 minutes.

Once all the components are browned and cooked, toss them all together with the infused salt, pepper, olive oil red pepper flakes and just a dash of bold vinaigrette.

Serve warm or hot alongside some of your favorite dishes. I served it next to rotisserie chicken and green beans. DELICIOUS!!!!

Play with your food and be creative. You just never know what you can do until you do it. 🙂 Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.

There was a slight change of plans for last night’s dinner, and I didn’t need to make or bring anything with me like I had planned. Larry has been out of town all weekend, and we have been busy eating leftovers from our party, so I haven’t really been cooking much these past few days. That’s OK though. There is always a plethora of information I have to share. 🙂 Since it is Christmas, I thought I would share some fun Christmas food facts with you.

1. In much of the Western and English speaking world, turkey is often the centerpiece for holiday dinners. But turkey wasn’t a staple for Christmas dinner until the 16th century when Henry VIII had turkey for Christmas dinner, that it became a tradition. King Henry VIII who became the first person to eat turkey on Christmas Day, however the trend did not stick until the 1950s, where its popularity beat that of the traditional goose roast.

2. In the Medieval times, peacock and boar were served for Christmas dinner at the homes of the wealthy.

3. Traditionally geese were eaten for Christmas dinner before poultry farmers started farming chickens for food, rather than just eggs. Chickens provided eggs and cows provided milk, so they had to choose carefully which animals to eat. Since geese only laid eggs seasonally, they were the chosen meat for a Christmas feast.

4. The original Christmas pudding was made with beef, mutton, raisons, currant, prunes, wines, and spices.

5. The first eggnog is believed to have been introduced in America in 1607 in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia. It was originally known as egg & grog by 13th century Europeans.

6. Sugar Plums are not actually plums. In the 1600’s the term “plum” meant any type of dried fruit. Standard sugar plums are a combination of dried fruit and spices coated with sugar. A sugar plum is a traditional, small, hard candy with a sugar coating around a spiced center, like a nut, seed, or candied fruit, not a plum fruit. The name comes from its plum-like shape, and modern versions often use dates, figs, and nuts rolled in sugar for a festive treat, famous from “The Night Before Christmas”. Originally a luxury confection, the complex, multi-layered sugar-coating process (panning) made them expensive treats for the wealthy.

7. The fruit cake was designed to last all year. When the fruit cake first came about, it was baked at the end of the harvest season and saved to be eaten at the beginning of the next harvest season. Fruitcake’s history stretches from ancient Mesopotamia’s date-nut cakes to medieval Europe’s spiced loaves, evolving with trade and sugar availability into the dense, alcohol-soaked Christmas tradition known today, becoming popular in America via English colonists and a symbol of longevity, even earning jokes for its enduring nature. Early versions used dates, figs, and nuts for fertility rites, while the Romans used raisins and pine nuts in barley mash. Medieval bakers added honey and spices, and the ability to preserve fruit with sugar in the 16th century made them more accessible, leading to rich, spiced cakes featuring candied fruits and spirits for long shelf life, especially for Christmas.

8. The tradition for leaving cookies for Santa started when Christmas Trees used to be decorated with food and those decorations would disappear during the night, so it was speculated that Santa had a late-night snack while delivering presents.

9. Many parts of the Christmas tree can be eaten. You can eat parts of certain Christmas types of trees, like fir, spruce, and pine, using their needles for teas or flavorings (like rosemary), but never eat yew (poisonous) or cedar/cypress (toxic), and only use organic/untreated trees to avoid pesticides, as commercial trees are often chemically treated. The needles offer citrusy or floral notes and can be infused into drinks, syrups, or used to flavor meats and desserts, but avoid sharp, dry needles. You can pretty much eat the whole thing,” said Julia Georgallis, author of How to Eat Your Christmas Tree. “You can use the needles as you would use rosemary or bay leaves, for flavor.” She recommends wearing gloves to handle a spruce tree, as they can be quite spiky.

10. Candy canes were invented to help keep the children quiet during church. They were created in 1670 by a German choirmaster. The traditional strips came later. People put candy canes on Christmas trees because they started as simple sugar sticks, later bent into a shepherd’s crook shape to represent the shepherds at Jesus’ birth, adding a sweet, religious, and decorative element that became popular in the 1800s, symbolizing faith, joy, and giving, with the red and white stripes representing Christ’s blood and purity.

11. The reason why people start their diets AFTER Christmas and the holidays is because the typical Christmas dinner includes 7,000 calories per person.

So now you know more about some traditional Christmas classics. Enjoy. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May they be merry and jolly and safe for all. Celebrate them with friends, family and loved ones. ‘Til next time.

I know, you are all SHOCKED that I like to cook and that I like to experiment with different products. I know, you’re all STUNNED!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

My friends all know me all too well. You all know what I like, sometimes even before I do. 🙂 One of the fun things I got as a Christmas gift is a tin of infused salt samplers with different flavors infused salts. The samples in the pack are all new to me. I haven’t used any of them yet, but my curiosity and my taste buds are definitely aroused. I can’t wait to start playing with them.

There is a pepper salt, bamboo jade, smoked bacon chipotle, Hawaiian black lava, rosemary and garlic medley tin inside the little box. What kind of good things can I use all these for????? HMMMMM!!! Let me play around a little to see what I can come up with. 🙂

The pepper salt, rosemary salt and the garlic medley salts are easy. Those will go with just about anything I cook, since I use pepper and garlic in just about everything. The others are a bit more challenging, but as always, I am up for the challenge. 🙂

Google suggests, as you might expect, Asian and/or seafood dishes for the Hawaiian bamboo jade salt. It utilizes a unique combination of organic bamboo leaf extract and Hawaiian sea salt that provides a unique flavor experience, with a hint of sweetness, earthiness and saltiness.

The Hawaiian black lava salt is a premium finishing salt infused with activated charcoal, offering an earthy flavor and a striking visual contrast. Because it dissolves and leaves a black residue when cooked, it is best used as a garnish after preparation. It is suggested to use on all kinds of grilled meats, seafood or vegetables, but once again, it is also suggested to let your imagination run wild with new and creative dishes to use it with. I like that idea. I can definitely do that. 🙂

The smoked bacon chipotle salt adds a little smokiness and heat to meats, potatoes, vegetables or even deviled eggs. I am getting together with Mike and Lauren later tonight, and Mike is smoking some ribs. I already have some ideas in mind for using the smoked chipotle and bacon salt for a side dish to take with me when I go. 🙂 I will definitely keep you posted on how I decide to use it. 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Stay safe and stay well, and celebrate the holidays with friends, family and loved ones. ‘Til next time.

Yesterday, I shared some of the world’s savory Christmas dinners with you. Christmas Foods From Around The World – Part 1 – Savory Dishes But you can’t have a Christmas dinner without sweet treats for dessert, right?! So today, I will share some the world’s sweet treats that accompany the savory dinners from around the world.

1. Once again, starting with parts of the English speaking world, The UK and the USA like to enjoy fruit cake or Christmas pudding and mince pies. A mince pie (also mincemeat pie in North America, and fruit mince pie in Australia and New Zealand) is a sweet pie of English origin filled with mincemeat, being a mixture of fruit, spices, and suet. The pies are traditionally served during the Christmas season in much of the English-speaking world. They were made from 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples and were all symbolic to the Christmas story. As well as dried fruit such as raisins, prunes and figs, they often included lamb or mutton to represent the shepherds and spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) for the Wise Men, though no meat or meat products in the modern versions. Mince pies served with brandy butter are the traditional way to elevate this classic British treat. Brandy butter, a hard sauce made with butter, powdered sugar, and brandy, remains solid until served atop warm fruit mincemeat pies. The rich, creamy butter then melts into a delicious buttery sauce.

2. Germany has always been known for its love of sweets and sweet breads, so it is no wonder that they would love sweet bread as part of their Christmas traditions too. In Germany, Stollen or fruit bread and Zimtsterne cookies, or cinnamon stars, are their go-to Christmas treats that are enjoyed by all. When I was a little girl, our neighbor and my mom’s best friend, Edith and her family were German. She and her husband Willhelm were both from Germany. They had Christmas Stollen every year. Edith was an excellent cook too, particularly for all the traditional German foods that she would graciously share with us on a regular basis.

3. In the South Pacific regions of both Australia and New Zealand, pavlova is a favorite Christmas tradition. Pavlova is a meringue based dessert that is often topped with fruit. A pavlova is a type of meringue dessert, but the key difference is texture: a classic meringue (like cookies) is crisp and crunchy all the way through, while a pavlova has a crisp shell and a soft, marshmallowy, chewy center, achieved by adding cornstarch and an acid (vinegar/lemon juice) to the egg white mixture and baking it differently. Believe it or not, even though I am 1/2 Aussie, I have NEVER made a pavlova before. I keep saying I will, but haven’t yet. Maybe there will be an attempt at making one in my very near future. Who knows?! 🙂

4. The Italians are also known for good food, good breads and good sweet breads. They have their own version of a Christmas sweet bread and that is panettone. Panettone is special due to its laborious, multi-day creation using a natural sourdough starter (lievito madre), resulting in an incredibly light, airy, and flavorful sweet bread with a distinct dome shape, rich buttery taste, and complex aroma from candied fruits and raisins, symbolizing Italian holiday tradition, patience, and artisanal skill. Panettone is technically a sweet, enriched bread, not a cake, though its moist, fluffy texture often makes people think of cake; it’s a traditional Italian holiday treat made with a long fermentation, eggs, butter, and candied fruits, known as “big bread” (panettone) in Milan. It’s leavened like bread (often with sourdough starter) but has rich, cake-like ingredients and a distinctive dome shape. So in a way, it is the best of both, a cake and bread.

5. The Caribbean Islands are known for their rum and their rum cakes, the “boozier” they are, the better. Each Island has its own special version of a rum cake, and they all tend to think their version is “the best”. Rum cakes come in many types, varying by flavor (coconut, pineapple, key lime, chocolate, coffee, fruitcake), rum used (spiced, dark, coconut), additions (pecans, raisins, citrus zest), and style (moist Caribbean pound cake, light sponge cake, mini cakes, gluten-free). Key distinctions include traditional Caribbean fruitcakes, lighter cakes with citrus or tropical flavors, richer chocolate versions, and even creative takes like Mojito or spiced rum cakes. Rum cakes also go by the names of Cake de Ron or simply Drunken Cake too.

6. Poland likes to make a Makowiec or a poppy seed roll for their Christmas celebrations. I never knew they were Polish, but I love poppy seed cakes and rolls. I always thought they were Danish because there was a Danish bakery we used to go to every now and then when I was growing up that specialized in poppy seed rolls.

7. Once again coming from the Goa, India region, the Goans like to make a Bebinca, or a layered coconut milk cake, for their Christmas celebrations. Bebinca is a traditional, rich, multi-layered Goan dessert cake, often called the “Queen of Goan Desserts,” made from flour, sugar, ghee (clarified butter), coconut milk, and egg yolks, with layers flavored by nutmeg and sometimes caramel. This labor-intensive sweet is known for its distinct thin layers, often stacked 7 or more high, symbolizing the hills of Portugal, and is a staple for festive occasions in Goa, India. Unlike flaky or syrup-soaked desserts, bebinca is a dense, layered pudding-like cake with caramelized richness courtesy of ghee and the aromatic hint from nutmeg. Its long shelf life also makes it a perfect souvenir for tourists visiting Goa, allowing them to take home a taste of the region.

8. I will conclude our tour of worldly sweet Christmas treats with some Brazilian desserts, and showcase the Rabanada or Brazilian French toast and Pavê or trifle. Rabanada is  traditional Portuguese and Brazilian deep-fried dessert, similar to French toast but richer, made from day-old crusty bread soaked in a sweet milk/custard mixture, dipped in egg, fried until golden and crispy, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar or drizzled with syrup. It’s especially popular during Christmas in Brazil and Portugal, often served as a festive treat, sometimes with port wine or honey, and known for its crispy exterior and soft, custardy inside.

Pavê is (Portuguese pronunciation: [pa’ve]) is a traditional Brazilian dessert mainly from south and southeast regions that consists of alternating layers of biscuits (ladyfingers or corn starch biscuits) and a cream made using condensed milk. It is similar in structure to the tiramisu. Pavê is a Brazilian dessert that resembles a tiramisu, but oh so much better! They are wonderful no-bake layered desserts, usually made with a combination of cookies or biscuits and different creams and fruits or chocolate. Unlike the tiramisu, the pavê doesn’t usually have coffee and it has only a hint of liquor.

If you don’t already have your holiday menus planned, maybe I have inspired you with some different and worldly holiday traditions. I don’t know about you, but I am definitely inspired to try some of these new ideas. 🙂

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, no matter how or where you celebrate them. All that matters is that you celebrate the holidays with family, friends and loved ones. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.