While shopping for edible holiday gifts this Christmas season, I came across Turkish Delights. It seems that this treat has become a Christmas special ever since The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe presented the sweet meat stemming from the Ottoman Empire as an enchanting treat that Edmund Pevensie could not…
This Christmas Santa will be guided by the light of the full moon. After 38 years we will be bequeathed with a full moon Christmas, which last occurred in 1977. Christmas is already a very special occasion and takes on a bit of an esoteric feel with the final full moon of the year falling…
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping on your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, And folks dressed up like Eskimos……. Ahh… this 1945 classic by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé is the most sung Christmas song and the most famous recording is by Nat King Cole. The song is full…
The Scotch Egg, originally called Nargisi Kabab or Kofta goes back hundreds of years to the Mogul Empire of India. Although the London department store, Fortnum & Mason, claims to have invented Scotch eggs in 1738, clearly the inspiration came from the Mughlai dish Nargisi Kabab, which the British must have encountered as they claimed…
It’s the last night of Hanukkah and I had promised last week to provide a variation in doughnut recipes which is a bit easier and chocolatier. I think Old Fashioned Chocolate Doughnut Cakes are simply divine in the winter time to enjoy fresh out of the oven with hot chocolate or a cup of warm…
This week we have been doing a lot of Hanukkah celebration ideas, however, today it’s time to get back to how the Brits party during the holidays, particularly Christmas. I think todays little party starter appetizer is a great selection because it involves salmon which also plays into the Hanukkah festivities. Besides salmon being a Jewish…
It’s the fourth night of Hanukkah. We are half way through the 8 nights of Hanukkah, have you integrated any new creative ideas into your traditions? Why not bring back an Old Russian Hanukkah tradition to your evening celebration? Hanukkah being the Festival of Lights, symbols embodying the use of light for the festivities are…
Hanukkah commemorates rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire and the Biblical miracle of a small amount of sacred lamp oil meant for one day that lasted eight days and kept the Temple lit. It was sacred pure olive oil and as such, oil…