Merry Christmas 2012

From all of us in the Voodoo Kitchen,

Merry Christmas

  

Afrikaans - een plesierige kerfees 

Arabic - I'D MIILAD SAID OUA SANA SAIDA 

Argentine - Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo 

Armenian - Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand 

Azeri - Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun 

Basque - Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! 

Bohemian - Vesele Vanoce 

Brazilian - Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo 

Breton - Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat 

Bulgarian - Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo 

Chinese - (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan  (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun 

Cornish - Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth 

Cree - Mitho Makosi Kesikansi 

Croatian - Sretan Bozic 

Czech - Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish - Glædelig Jul 

Dutch - Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! 

English - Merry Christmas 

Esperanto - Gajan Kristnaskon 

Estonian - Ruumsaid juulup|hi 

Farsi - Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad 

Finnish - Hyvaa joulua 

French - Joyeux Noel 

Frisian - Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier! 

German - Froehliche Weihnachten 

Greek - Kala Christouyenna! 

Hawaiian - Mele Kalikimaka 

Hebrew - Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova 

Hindi - Shub Naya Baras 

Hungarian - Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket 

Icelandic - Gledileg Jol 

Indonesian - Selamat Hari Natal 

Iraqi - Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah 

Irish - Nollaig Shona Dhuit 

Italian - Buone Feste Natalizie 

Japanese - Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto 

Korean - Sung Tan Chuk Ha 

Latvian - Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu! 

Lithuanian - Linksmu Kaledu 

Manx - Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa 

Maori - Meri Kirihimete 

Marathi - Shub Naya Varsh 

Navajo - Merry Keshmish 

Norwegian - God Jul 

Pennsylvania German - En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr! 

Polish - Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia

Portuguese - Boas Festas 

Rapa-Nui - Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua 

Rumanian - Sarbatori vesele 

Russian - Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom 

Serbian - Hristos se rodi 

Slovakian - Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce 

Sami - Buorrit Juovllat 

Samoan - La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou 

Scots Gaelic - Nollaig chridheil huibh 

Serb-Croatian - Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina 

Singhalese - Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa 

Slovak - Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok 

Slovene - Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto 

Spanish - Feliz Navidad 

Swedish - God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År 

Tagalog - Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon 

Tamil - Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal 

Thai - Sawadee Pee Mai 

Turkish - Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun 

Ukrainian - Srozhdestvom Kristovym 

Urdu - Naya Saal Mubarak Ho 

Vietnamese - Chung Mung Giang Sinh 

Welsh - Nadolig Llawen 

Yugoslavian - Cestitamo Bozic 

Papua New Guinea - Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Figgy Pudding and other stories

Figgy pudding is a pudding is something like a white Christmas pudding containing figs. The pudding may be baked, steamed in the oven, boiled or fried.

The history of figgy pudding dates back to 16th century England.

We know of figgy pudding because of the Christmas carol "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," which sings, "Oh bring us a figgy pudding" in the chorus, suggesting that it was a traditional Christmas dish served during the season and maybe was handed out to Christmas carolers.

Figgy Pudding

1 cup suet (Suet is raw beef (or mutton) fat, especially the fat found around the loins and kidneys)
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons rum
1 apple peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 pound dried figs, ground or finely chopped
Grated peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large egg whites, stiffly beaten

Grease a two-quart mold.
Cream together butter and shortening. Gradually add sugar, egg yolks, milk, extract, apple, figs, lemon and orange peel. Add next 6 ingredients, mixing well. Fold stiffly beaten egg whites into mixture.
Pour into two-quart buttered bowl or mold and place into large shallow pan and steam for four hours.

Custard Sauce

2 cups milk
1 large egg
3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
In saucepan, scald milk and allow to cool.
Mix together remaining ingredients, except for butter. Add to cooled milk. Cook over low heat until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter, mixing well.
Serve pudding warm with custard sauce or sweetened whipped cream.

Good King Wenceslas is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give gifts to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen which is the second day of Christmas, December 26.

The song is based on the life of the historical Saint Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia. (907–935)

12 Days of Christmas (song)

It was first published in England in 1780, but it may be an older secular French love song.

It may have been about a woman, whose "True Love", sent her gifts.

Some believe the songs gifts are hidden codes or meanings to the teachings of faith.

There is some disagreement about this however because from 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their Faith openly. At that time (according to those Roman Catholics), this traditional English carol was adopted as a catechism song for young Catholics.

For them, it had two levels of meaning: the original surface meaning as the love song, plus hidden religious meanings.

With the hidden meanings, "true love" you hear about in the song, we are told, refers to God Himself.

The other symbols or codes mean the following:

2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping = the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

The Gordon Ramsay Christmas Special

We never tire of this:

Christmas New York Cheesecake Recipe

Holiday traditions always center around the kitchen and food, and that's the way we like it.

No matter how the the culture or holiday originates, our memories seem to always recall the aromas in the kitchen and the delicious tastes of the foods we love.

Once again, we would like to share with you our Christmas New York cheesecake recipe, it's a holiday tradition here in the Voodoo Kitchen.

You can choose your favorite graham cracker crust and any fruit topping, if you like, but we eat it just the way it is, plain and and delicious.

Christmas New York Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8" spring form pan.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 8 oz. Cream Cheeses (softened)

* 1 cup Sugar

* 3 medium eggs

* 2 cups Sour Cream

* 1 teaspoon Vanilla

* 3 Tablespoona Lemon Juice

* Cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, blend the cream cheese and sugar together with a fork until smooth.

Add eggs one at a time, blending and creaming each one in smoothly with the fork.

When it's well mixed, add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice.

Mix on Medium with a mixer until smooth.

Then, mix on high speed for about one minute.

Now pour into floured spring pan and dust the top of the cheesecake with cinnamon.

You may want to place pan underneath for any drippings.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Turn off oven and let set in the oven without disturbing for one hour.

DO NOT OPEN DOOR.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes and then place in refrigerator.

Chill your cheesecake 24 hours before serving.

Merry Christmas

We are going to be in New Orleans for the holidays,

so from all of us here in the Voodoo Kitchen, 

we wish you a very merry Christmas.