Many family holiday traditions go back to their roots and many of those traditions involve food. Families from the South might enjoy a sweet potato pie with their Christmas dinner instead of pumpkin or apple pie. Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah may enjoy latkes, a potato cake fried until golden and crispy, while someone from jolly old England might enjoy a hearty slice of mince pie filled with minced meat and dried fruits.
When the New Year rolls around, many folks from the South break out the Hoppin’ John, a delicious mix of black-eyed peas and rice, seasoned with chopped onion sliced bacon and salt. Throw in a slice of cornbread and you will have good luck all year round. Some families have their own traditions such as eating a big plate of buffalo wings while watching the annual college bowl games or drinking hot chocolate at midnight to toast the new year. The point is all of us in the long-term care community should be aware of the traditions of the people in our care.
To make sure people have a choice, we can use a food preference form that addresses the topic of ethnic foods and provides a place for diners to register those preferences, especially those foods that are traditionally eaten by the resident during the holidays. What could bring people closer to a homelike experience during the holidays, than providing them with the traditional dishes they remember so fondly?
With this in mind, we have a couple of recipes that are easy to make and taste wonderful.