There are some things that have become holiday traditions at the Hanson house. One of the them has always been the Christmas brunch menu and guest list. The brunch menu is always the same....and always enjoyed by all who "grace/graze" at our table. The main entrees are an egg strata....which has an assortment of cheeses, meats and vegetables...including peppers and mushroom mixed with the mozzarella and cheddar and rising high over the pan.
The second traditional entree is something that our family has always called snails...no, don't picture those slimey little creatures crawling all over the table,...these are a seasonal item that the elves at Usinfger's ....a well known sausage shop on Historic Old World Third Street just blocks north of downtown Milwaukee. You will find all kinds of great specialty shops there...that tour is whole blog in itself....be prepared to indulge your senses from the sausage to the spice and cheese shops up and down the street.
Fritzie is just one of the elves you will meet as you tour their website....or stand in line at their store.....you will see why the products of this family owned business have become a tradition in our family.
You have to have some cinnamon monkey bread drizzed with powdered sugar frosting to insure a good dose of sugar and carbs.
On the healthy side of the menu...there is always an artfully arranged fruit plate with an assortment of sliced out of season melons, berries, kiwi and fresh pineapple....palate pleasers that everyone appreciates
Steaming carafes of hot coffee....and chilled pitchers of Mimosa Slush garnished with mint leaves. My husband always says I spend more time dressing the table than I do myself....I enjoy it !
All of this is fun to prepare....beautiful to see arranged on our holiday dining room table with colorful table cloth and napkins...and of course our seasonally red dishes. But the very most important part of this celebration....is not the WHAT of the menu...but the WHO of the guest list. It's the people who have no family or family too far away to visit...,the new divorcee, the recent widow or widower....there is always a new face or two welcome to join the festivities. This year when you have planned your holiday menu...plan on sharing it with someone who would love to enjoy being a part of your family's holiday tradition.
Happiest of Holidays !!!
Sally K. & David L. Hanson, ABR, CDPE, CSS, e-Pro,ILHM, REDS
I feel my waist growing and my mouth watering...what time is dinner??????
Come on over Midori...brunch starts at 10...and we graze till dinner !
Snails? I have my box of Usingers in the refrigerator, a present from a nephew... I was on their website the other day looking for what I am craving, Usinger's liver sausage or braunschweiger. I saw Fritzie on the sight I had forgotten him.
I took a class in college with one of the Usingers.
Growing up in Waukesha our family tradition was eating a stahlen (spelling?) for Christmas breakfast. I preferred friend's families tradition of eating a kringle that was from Racine or Kenosha? I see that in stores in Ohio occasionally. The famous kringle from I believe it is Racine...
Ah....Kringle is from the large Danish population in Racine...and the perfect compliment to "snails" !
Happy holidays !
Mmmmm another feast at your home, sounds yummy! We will be feasting on a cruise, about then, =o) Can't WAIT! Our family traditions are all southern, so some of the things you mention are not at all familiar to me. I do love a good strata, and the monkey bread sounds delish! have a happy holiday, I'm sure your guests will!
Thanks Cheryl....one of these days maybe we will break bread together that isn't virtual...enjoy !
I really enjoyed reading about your holiday tradition. I used to live in Pennsylvania in a very ethnic area. The shops and stores were filled with the finest goodies you could imagine. I really miss that because we just don't have it in the HIlton Head area.
Hey Diane...next year go on line and order the "snails" from Usingers...do it before early December cuz they stop shipping toward then....and start your own tradition...Happy Holidays !
What are snails???? I have tried looking for snails on the Usinger's website.
Ask Fritzie to find these,...Snails are just a family name...lots easier to spell !
Item 2230: Saucisschen Brand Pork Sausage (coiled fresh pork sausage on a skewer, 5 to 6 per lb.,
thanks ; - )
trying to place an order on Usinger's and I must be blind. Ordering snails, lower fat (notice NOT low fat) braunschweiger, Hungarian sausage and kielbasa if I can find how to complete the order.
Sally I have to get to work on Tradition, I am sorely lacking in that department. Sound like a wonderful brunch.
I got my snausages... no they are snails... I have them in my freezer. I got a call last week from my office last week that my sausage was there. Big ole box of Usinger's thanks to this post. I have eaten some of the low fat brauschweiger and we had kielbasa on Sunday morning... I have a lot of sausage in the freezer now (minimum order.)
I am thinking snausages I mean snails on Sunday morning.