Learning how to survive a processed food holiday with a local food appetite.
I’m 29 and my mom still believes in Santa Claus. Although many of our traditions have faded over the years, like trudging through the cold to set out hay for Rudolph and his reindeer buddies or making cookie chains that were nearly taller than my dad and had more sugar than any child needs in a year, my Mom still lives and breathes Christmas 24-hours-a-day in December.
She’s known to dress up like Santa or the Grinch and drive around town to make people smile. She doesn’t stop watching Christmas movies and music is always on if she’s home. She still makes us close our eyes and wait until she says “ok” to see what Santa brought us. After midnight, there’s a no peeking and no peeing rule for fear that we may accidentally see what we good girls got for Christmas. Although I’m happy Santa now brings me a Le Creuset dutch oven rather than a Barbie soda shop or a Furbie, I’m starting to realize that the presents my mother, I mean Santa, gives us every year will never be as important at the time we spend together as a family.
Holidays always revolve around food – grilling on July 4, turkey on Thanksgiving and chocolate on Valentines. Christmas seems to be one of the few holidays where every family has its own go-to traditions.
We’ve always made a smorgasbord of snacks – sausage balls, oyster crackers, dips, cookies and desserts galore. It takes us weeks to create Christmas candies for our Christmas Eve feast. My favorite thing to make as a child was the cream cheese block covered with cocktail sauce and canned lump crab meat. I thought it was the most decadent appetizer in the world, and I looked forward to making it for 364 days of the year.
When I went to college, I majored in nutrition. Suddenly, our family food traditions of highly processed treats seemed like blasphemy. Where were the whole foods, the farmers’ market finds and the vegetables, at the very least? I got on my soapbox and said we’d been doing it all wrong. Beets are delicious, why we didn’t have a beet salad or beet latkes? Why did we not make kale chips or fresh squeezed juice? My family humored me. Some tried my creations and others commented on how interesting they were. But most just ate the crock pot weenies and Rotel dip.
I’m learning that tradition involves compromise. Although I consider myself to be a bit of a food purist, there’s a time to be vocal about your beliefs, and there’s a time to realize it’s best to meet in the middle. I’m learning to tweak traditions to marry my parents’ generation’s processed food obsession with my own local flavor focus. I accomplish this by bringing a few dishes that use local ingredients hidden in them, a.k.a. home-canned local tomatoes in cheese dip or local frozen corn in Texas caviar.
I bring homemade bread. I even try to include a veggie that may, or may not, only be enjoyed by anyone but me. My favorite recipe I’ve tweaked is sausage balls. It’s amazing what local Italian sausage, Sweetwater Valley Cheddar and sage from the garden can do to this Bisquick classic.
The lesson of compromise began during my family holidays and has trickled down to all aspects of my life. I love food, and I value and support my local food community whenever possible. But rather than getting angry, upset or frustrated that my family or friends don’t value those same things, I try to incorporate what’s important to me into dishes we all enjoy. Although I won’t be making any veggie terrines or chicken pates for Christmas anytime soon, I’ll always be happy that I make food that is enjoyed by my family and supports my community.
Not My Momma’s Sausage Balls
1 lb. Italian sausage (preferably JEM Farm or Spring Creek found at Three Rivers’ Market)
2 C. Sweetwater Valley Cheddar cheese, grated
2 C. Homemade Bisquick (see recipe below)
3/4 C. water
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, finely chopped
- Preheat oven to 350 º.
- In a small saucepan, saute shallots and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add red pepper flakes and fresh sage and saute for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- In large bowl, combine Italian sausage, grated cheddar, the homemade Bisquick, water and the sauteed vegetables and herbs.
- Mix all ingredients together with hands, making sure to blend well. Add a bit more flour if the mixture is too sticky or a bit more water if it’s too dry.
- Roll into 1” balls and bake for 20 minutes.
Tip: Sausage balls taste great with homemade or store-bough whole grain mustard.
Homemade Bisquick
6 C. all-purpose flour, sifted
3 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. salt
½ C. unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- Mix dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk thoroughly.
- Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender until thoroughly incorporated. Store refrigerated for up to 4 months.
