Cornbread Stuffing, Sauerkraut, and Sweet Potato Pie

Have you ever wondered what influences our food choices during the holidays? Perhaps the answer is a mixture of culture, history, and of course, personal preferences. Regions also play a part of holiday meal planning.

The first time I tasted sweet potato pie was in North Carolina. A co-worker invited me to spend Thanksgiving with her family. What a treat. Talk about love. She knew I would be spending Thanksgiving alone for I only had one day off. No way could I fly to Pennsylvania and get back to work at Duke University Medical Center, in one day.

Astonished, I stood in the hallway as my friend introduced me to all sixteen of her adopted children. Sporting graduation caps and gowns or military uniforms, the framed pictures, like a wall of fame, filled every space from ceiling to floor.
When time came to eat, the door bell rang and her entire church family poured into the home with delicious Southern delights.

And I tasted sweet potato pie for the first time!

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I doubt I have ever felt so much love and acceptance. Too bad Southern hospitality isn't contagious. But then again, it may be. Do you know someone who is alone for Christmas? Invite them over or at least take them a plate or a piece of pie!

Cornbread stuffing is another dish from a different region.

In Pennsylvania, yeast rolls took precedence for any holiday meal. The availability and affordability of corn in the South and Midwest regions created a variety of new dishes.
Pennsylvania stuffing was so easy. Just dried bread cubes, butter, celery, onions, and salt and pepper. But cornbread stuffing is moist with great spices and different flavors. I'm a fan of both!

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And whenever we think about a quick different meal, never forget the German kraut!
I know that Gram kept the tradition off celebrating the New Year by inviting friends over at midnight to chow down this delicious pork and sauerkraut. The tradition is meant to bring a successful and prosperous future! But it is so good when you have left over tenderloin or just want an easy fix meal. I always called it the white meal.
Gram made mashed tators and biscuits with the pork and kraut! Today the nutritionists say this is so good for us. They call it a powerhouse full of more benefits than Gram could ever pronounce.

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Living with Gram, we made our own. We put the cranking shredder on the picnic table, whacked the cabbages in half, and shredded the cabbage into a big aluminum pan. We mixed it with salt. Then we carried it down the steep basement steps and tossed it into a big cream and brown crock. We added salt and a big plate with a brick to hold it down. If my memory is right, I believe we kept the kraut in the dark cool basement and pounded it daily? But that was over fifty years ago! I know we did put it in Mason jars and canned it!
I remember going to an antique store and seeing the cream and brown crocks with price tags of hundreds of dollars and I was miffed! The sauerkraut crock, an antique? Worth what? As we age do we gain value?

Have a great December. Eat hearty. Love your friends and neighbors. As the years roll on we all gain something! Weight, wisdom, or worry. I choose wisdom! And I'm done worrying about the weight!
Blessings,
Donna