Just like K-Mart with its Christmas decorations, the holiday-based threads start earlier and earlier. With (American) Thanksgiving 3 weeks from today, the holidays are almost upon us. Whether you celebrate them with your families or cant wait until they are over, they are an interesting time nonetheless. I love this time of year. The decorations, the food, the wood stove burning, even the snow. My most anticipated event of the year is not Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Years Eve, but a little tradition I've been doing with my dad and brother and a few family friends for the last few years (that Ive briefly written about before). The Saturday before Thanksgiving, we drive from Connecticut to upstate Vermont to a wild game dinner. We eat all kinds of wild game meat donated to the church in which its hosted, cooked on-site and is served in a gloriously rainbow of colors. For me this is the official kick off of the holiday season. Its something that my father, brother, and I have shared since I was very young and I start asking my dad about it in September. For reference, heres what my plate looked like last year: Focus: What are the holiday traditions that you look forward to every year? Alt Focus: What are some great (booze-infused) holiday drinks that you recommend?
Stop buying Sangria at the store, make that shit and since it is holiday time you Martha Stewart types can throw in some cranberries and call it good. Sangria by dewercs 1. 5 or 6 bottles of cheap red wine, you can use 2 buck chuck it really doesn't matter 2. half a bottle of brandy or 2 cups for you engineer types 3. one cup of triple sec, don't buy triple sec the does not have alcohol in it 4. 1.5 liters of sprite/7up, I use diet 7 up because it tastes better 5. one cup of sugar 6. one lemon, lime and orange 7. one cup of cranberries 8. Some other fruit, pears, berries etc 2 cups You need a big container to make this, I use a 3 gallon clear glass container that has a spicket towards the bottom. Poor the sugar in first then the brandy and dissolve all the sugar, poor the rest of the stuff in and put it in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Some people like it with ice and some don't, be careful it will sneak up on you.
I've mentioned that my parents were hippies who brought us up listening to folk music. Well, our Christmas tradition is that the season doesn't start until we all sit down and watch Peter Paul and Mary's 1985 Christmas special. We had a VHS copy that we taped from the "send us your pledges" channel, but that tape died about 8 years ago so I sourced a RIDICULOUSLY expensive VHS tape from Amazon and we ripped that fucker to DVD.
Focus: Hunting with family and friends, watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with my family the day after Thanksgiving, and travelling to Illinois to visit family (and getting royally shitfaced with my cousins on their farm). Also, enjoying this classic: Note... ONLY after Thanksgiving can it be considered the Christmas season. I don't get into it until the turkey is gone. Alt-focus: Mulled wine! Spicy holiday beers. Also, raiding my dad's stash of good scotch. Any good recipes for mulled wine?
I fucking hate mulled wine. Everyone over spices the shit out of it, you drink two maybe three cups before your stomach hurts, then it sits in the fridge until Valentines Day before you toss it. Hunting season is what I look forward to around the holidays. Im kind of lazy about it the past few years but what ever. After that it's eating Thanksgiving Left overs for weeks on end. My mom started baking two dinners, one the day of, one the day after, so she could give us left overs galore. During college this was amazing. She'll even give it out to relatives if they are in town to much praise. Here is a side dish recipe my mom's boyfriend's brother made a few years back I really liked: Traditional Bread Sauce
What. The. Fuck? That does not look delicious, Kubla. And what the hell do you do with your... bread gravy? Do you pour it on your turkey or does it stand alone? I... I don't even... I mean, I'm sure it tastes good or something but... fuck, it looks bad.
It's a side, used to lubricate the turkey as you gobble it down. The cloves and/or nutmeg along with the cream made it delicious and very seasonally appropriate.
Focus: Doing mulled mead this year. Damn fine stuff. Also am working on two new drinking horns for it. Anybody have good eggnog recipes? And I concur with katokoch, the Christmas season is after Thanksgiving. Our Canadian members may have a different view, then again I don't know how early their stores put out the decor because I've only been in Canada during the early fall or early spring.
The perfect Holiday Digestif- Nuts & Berries: 1 part Chambourd 1 part Frangelico 1 part half-and-half Its refreshing and delicious.
... Am I the only one who saw the thread title and just skipped to read what BlueDog said?? Just me?... Ok. I'll go jack off in a corner now.
Apparently, in Florida, if you have a tag, they will provide you with a deceased "wild" turkey so long as you pay for the tag (which you already paid for). Found that out because I'm spending my Thanksgiving (thankful I was back in TX) in Florida. Because, FLORIDA!!!!!
I have a slightly different Sangria recipe. 1. Slice up a punch bowl's worth of fruit. I like peaches, nectarines, berries, and oranges mostly. Pour a bottle of sweet Spanish brandy over it (I like Black Bull) and let it sit for an hour or two. 2. Grab a jug, fill it 2/3rds of the way with cheapish chilled Rioja wine. If you're like me, ie borderline fat, pour in about 3 tablespoons of Equal or poisonous sugar substitute of your choice. The better the wine, the less sugar you need, generally. 3. Ladle in some of the fruit/brandy mixture. Top with soda water. 4. Cover passed out guests with blankets.