SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 19 - Fruit Cake

ed note: This article originally premiered on December 19th, 2017

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen

Day 19: Fruit Cake

The holiday season is filled with emotions that swing from one range to another. We are filled with joy and happiness one moment, then we are filled with dread and anxiety a minute later. The excitement of finding a perfect gift, followed by the dread of seeing the price. The warm fewling of being with long not seen family, followed by the realization of why you only see these family members once a year. The holidays are filled with feelings that are in direct conflict of each other.

Fruit cake is the perfect holiday dish to reflect this emotional dichotomy. Fruit cake is either an awesome dish, or it is dreadful. Go to your local grocery store and buy a cheap fruitcake mixed with bad walnuts and over sweetened dried fruit, it is a holiday chore to get through. Find a special homemade connection with real brandied fruit, and you can sometimes taste holiday bliss. The lesson here is skip the chain store fruit cake, and find a nice artisanal made one that has spent years wrapped in brandy soaked cheesecloth. That is the only reason to eat fruitcake.

We go from the greatest highs to the lowest lows during the holiday season. We experience the joy of charity, and the dread of sticker shock, sometimes within the same act. Fruit cake is the perfect holiday treat to represent this swing. Sometimes it is great, sometimes it is terrible. Yet fruit cake will always be part of the mystery of what our holiday season is all about.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Fruit cake can be enjoyed with any holiday feast. Devo knows no matter what you believe, none of it is true, a Merry Something to You.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 2 - McDonald's Holiday Pie

ed note: This article was originally published on December 2nd, 2017

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One

Day 2: McDonald's Holiday Pies

Every season brings out a few unique treats from our local eateries. Special salads come out in the summer months, a new beer style seems to arrive each month, and September brings the legion of items flavored with pumpkin spice. The Christmas season brings on the biggest onslaught of seasonal treats. Peppermint, nutmeg, and clove usually take a starring role in December goodies. Except for a mom and pop shop called McDonald's, they like to take our holiday eats to a whole new level.

Once the Thanksgiving holiday is in the rear view mirror, McDonald's starts to offer the Holiday Pie as an alternative to the year round apple option. The Holiday Pie is said to be custard in a sugar coated crust, and it is as awesome as it sounds. The crust is not only coated in sugar, it has festive red and green sprinkles to add holiday joy. The custard, extra devine when piping hot, is way better than anything one expects to get at McDonald's. Considering that the Holiday Pie follows the Pumpkin Crème pie of the fall, McDonald's is bringing a pastry A game to the last quarter of the year.

McDonald's is the number one restaurant around the world because one can get cheap, and predictable food at anytime. Variety is not good for their business. The Holiday Pie is part of the predictable pattern, and it is a great one. It can be argued that the Holiday Pie is the greatest thing McDonald's offers during the year. it can be argued, but it is wrong. The Holiday Pie still sits behind the greatness of the Shamrock Shake. There is nothing unpredictable about that.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. One should enjoy their Holiday Pie with a classic Christmas television program. We recommend the great GI Joe cartoon episode 'Cobra Claws are Coming to Town".

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 9 - Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

ed note: This article was originally published on December 9th, 2017

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight

Day 9: Celebration Ale

The craft beer revolution is fairly new. Many attribute the beginning if the beer revolution to the 1970's. Way back in the olden days, President Jimmy Carter (i.e. History's Greatest Monster) signed the law that allowed for small independent breweries. These new freedom lover breweries decided to create a seasonal schedule. Americans were subjected to a beer for each equinox and solstice. The highlight of the year seemed to be reserved for the winter holidays.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was one of the trailblazers in the micro brew revolution. They were also on the forefront of creating seasonal brews. The highlight of the year, and every year after, was the winter offering Celebration Ale. Starting in 1981, Celebration Ale has been an American IPA brewed with the freshest of hops. It was (probably) great in 1981, and it is still great today. Celebration Ale is also vital to getting through the grind of the holiday season for anyone who loves a good beer.

December brings us a wide variety of great new beer flavors. All the micro, and local breweries, have decide to throw their lots into the holiday game. Celebration Ale was one of the first commercially available holiday beers for the greater public to try. It started revolution. And nearly thirty years later, Celebration Ale is a must have for all beer lovers of every Christmas season. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. Holiday hijinks spare no one. Check in on the mushroom kingdom to see how Mario and Luigi handle holiday mayhem. 

SeedSing Classic: The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 6 - Brandy

ed note: This article was originally published on December 6th, 2017

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we are looking back at the great holiday music, movies, television episodes, and food of this great season. Enjoy

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five

Day 6: Brandy

The month of December consists of two main ingredients, cold weather and family gatherings. Each of these elements usually require a person to find a way to get warm and to find courage to deal with seasonal family and friends. Blankets and isolation are the usually go to for avoiding these calamities. The more social acceptable way to deal with weather and family is liquor. Lots and lots of liquor.

The grape is an incredible fruit that brings the world great joy. One of the best uses of the grape is fermentation to make wine, or distillation to make brandy. Brandy has become the go to liquor of the Christmas season. Get a good one to sip, and the taste is divine. Get an average one to mix with, and our company becomes tolerable. Get a cheap one to do shots with, our holiday nights will be fun. Brandy is a versatile holiday potion for any of our escapes. 

On it's own, brandy is a vital part of anyone's holiday season. We need a liquor that is classic, and classy, to mask our unpleasant fears of Christmas. Hell, if Brandy is good enough for St. Bernard's to save a life, it should be good enough to save our Christmas. Drink up, and Happy Holidays.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. A cheap bottle of brandy may be a lame gift, but will it be lamer than Kevin Arnold's gift?

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 24 - Christmas Pudding

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One,                              Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three

Day 24: Christmas Pudding

Christmas Eve is a day of tradition. Families gather to try and recreate memories from holidays past. Christmas Day is usually filled with early excitement, afternoon resting, and a quite evening meal. Christmas Eve is the time to party, and remember the great gatherings of generations past. The generational celebration brings back the ancient food of our ancestors for the modern crowd to enjoy. No food is more ancient, and more enjoyed, than the classic Christmas pudding.

Christmas pudding, or plum pudding if your nasty, has been a holiday celebration staple in western world for a long, long time. Most recipes called for indulgent ingredients that need to be mixed by every member of the family. The legend says that those who mix the pudding will get their holiday wish. The mixture is wrapped in linen, soaked in liquor, stored for months/years, and boiled for hours before the big holiday feast. Once ready, the pudding is unwrapped, soaked in brandy once again, set on fire, then a sprig of holly is ceremoniously placed in the top, once the fire is out of course. Once the family has finished the pudding the holiday's have officially been celebrated.

Christmas pudding is special treat to finish off the most wonderful time of the year. The recipes vary from family to family, the way to cook the different mixtures is not uniform, the taste is not consistent, yet the tradition of the Christmas pudding is the highlight of the season. Even a drunk ass like Bob Cratchit can not deny the masterpiece of the traditional Christmas pudding. Have a very merry holiday and an awesome new year.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Historic food like Christmas pudding deserves a song that tells the tale of Christmas's greatness story of goodwill towards man. 

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 23 - The Mall Food Court

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One,                              Twenty-Two

Day 23: The Mall Food Court

The final days of the holiday shopping season can be brutal. The stores are packed with people trying to score those last few perfect gifts. Anxiety is high among these last minute shoppers, and good will toward one's fellow person is at an all time low. There is very little time left to enjoy a well crafted holiday treat. The shoppers of the last few days need only to eat in order to survive. The local mall food court is the ideal trough to provide the necessary sustenance to the gift seeker.

The mall food court sees some of it's best business in the last days of holiday shopping season. Sbarro's, Panda Express like eateries, the cheesesteak joint, and Chick-Fil-A on a non-Sunday join their fellow store fronts in offering the shopping masses some needed calories during the homestretch of peak capitalism. Want pizza for Christmas, the food court has got you covered. In the need for generic cheesesteak and thick cut fries for your Hanukah,  the food court is your oasis. Do you desire a huge cherry Icee and some kettle cooked popcorn, the mall food court will deliver on your wish. If a person needs to shop first, and think of nutrition second, the mall food court is one of the best gifts these people can find in the Christmas rush. Taste be damned, just give these soldiers of late year commerce something edible, and give it to them quickly.

Shopping late in the holiday spending spree can be draining on a person's soul. Many people are looking for gifts that are in low supply. Sometimes multiple hands reach for the last doll on the shelf. The winners go home happy, the losers recharge at the food court. There must be a better way. The food court is a gathering place for the rest of us. Celebrate.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. What is this great holiday for the rest of us? Watch this classic episode of "Seinfeld" and be enlightened. 

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 22 - Eggnog

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One

Day 22: Eggnog

There are certain seasonal treats that certain people inexplicably look forward to. Minty flavors tinted with green food dye are sought after in the late winter weeks. A thousand different varieties of lemonade invade our taste buds during the summertime. Pumpkin spice everything appear once the sun sets on Labor day. When the Thanksgiving feast is complete, eggnog takes it's place on the throne of high holiday treatdom.

Eggnog has been around a long time. Texts dating back to the late 1600s talk of a nog drink. In the America's of the 1700's, history describes a dairy, egg, and spiced drink. The famous Modern Bartender's Guide from 1878  has multiple recipes for eggnog. It is a drink that has been around a while. Eggs, cream, sugar make this delicious elixir. Adding some nice brown liquor, bourbon, spiced rum, brandy, or cognac, make this holiday staple even more intoxicating. Eggnog has held the throne of holiday favorite for centuries, and it shows no sign of abdicating.

Eggnog, alcoholic or not, is awesome. Anyone that says otherwise is a holiday treat Grinch. Their humbuggery is not needed at your holiday table. Eggnog rules, and debate will not be tolerated. One does not challenge the throne without a hearty rebuke. Go drink some eggnog, and be merry and bright.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Eggnog is great, the song The Christmas Shoes is terrible. Enjoy your nog as you listen to Patton Oswalt masterfully take apart that Christmas tune from hell.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 21 - Ham

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty

Day 21: Ham

Welcome to the winter solstice. The day with the least amount of daylight, in the Northern Hemisphere that is. A day that is usually cold, again in the Northern Hemisphere. A day with a long history of grand feasting. For many millennia, at least in he Northern Hemisphere, having a grand feast on the winter solstice was a thing. Since the daylight was short, the weather was cold, and spirits needed to be lifted, a grand feast would cure all. The highlight of this winter fess was meat. There is no greater winter feast meat than ham.

Christmas ham is a tradition, and awesome one. Many meats show up during the holiday season, but nothing beats a good ham. Glazed in sugar, spiral cut, that is the best way to do a December ham. Go out to a reputable ham shop, get that magic meat, and your holiday guests will love you forever. Ham is the peak of holiday meat. No question about it.

The grand feast of the winter solstice has been lost to history. We tend to have our feast in the last days of November and the end of December. November gets the overrated turkey as it's meat star. December gets ham. December is the better month for feasting. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. The winter solstice is also a time for reflection. Maybe you can drink on apple wine and listen to Dolly Parton sing about a "Hard Candy Christmas".

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 20 - Champagne

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen

Day 20: Champagne

The holiday season is a time for indulgence. We eat more candy than any other time of year. Fine foods like steak, veal, and top of line fresh caught fish are enjoyed more often than in the other eleven months. Even our choice of bubbly wine gets an upgrade from the common sparkling variety to the fine heritage of champagne.

Champagne is special. Maybe it is grapes, maybe it is the process, or maybe it is marketing, but champagne is almost always worth it's hefty price. The legends in this case are true. actual champagne is light years better than sparkling wine. Pouring a few ounces of the bubbly elixir is indulgent, and it makes anyone's holiday's extra merry and bright.

The holidays are about gifting our guests, and ourselves, with the very best. Our lunch meats should be upgraded with roast beef or steak. Our M & M cookies need to be upgraded with red and green M & M's. Our sparkling wine deserve the ultimate upgrade in any holiday season. Go out and splurge on champagne, make your holidays merry and indulgent.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. If you happen to be alone this Christmas Day, go to your local tavern, order some champagne, and listen to Phoenix (with Bill Murray) sing a jaunty tune about being alone on Christmas Day.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 19 - Fruit Cake

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen

Day 19: Fruit Cake

The holiday season is filled with emotions that swing from one range to another. We are filled with joy and happiness one moment, then we are filled with dread and anxiety a minute later. The excitement of finding a perfect gift, followed by the dread of seeing the price. The warm fewling of being with long not seen family, followed by the realization of why you only see these family members once a year. The holidays are filled with feelings that are in direct conflict of each other.

Fruit cake is the perfect holiday dish to reflect this emotional dichotomy. Fruit cake is either an awesome dish, or it is dreadful. Go to your local grocery store and buy a cheap fruitcake mixed with bad walnuts and over sweetened dried fruit, it is a holiday chore to get through. Find a special homemade connection with real brandied fruit, and you can sometimes taste holiday bliss. The lesson here is skip the chain store fruit cake, and find a nice artisanal made one that has spent years wrapped in brandy soaked cheesecloth. That is the only reason to eat fruitcake.

We go from the greatest highs to the lowest lows during the holiday season. We experience the joy of charity, and the dread of sticker shock, sometimes within the same act. Fruit cake is the perfect holiday treat to represent this swing. Sometimes it is great, sometimes it is terrible. Yet fruit cake will always be part of the mystery of what our holiday season is all about.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Fruit cake can be enjoyed with any holiday feast. Devo knows no matter what you believe, none of it is true, a Merry Something to You.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 18 - Smoking Bishop

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen

Day 18: Smoking Bishop

The end of the year finds the daylight short, and our spirits needing to be uplifted. It is easy to grab a beer we know well, or a mix a drink that carried us through the entirety of the year. December though calls for something different, it calls for a drink more festive. During the holidays we should be uplifting our spirits with a nice hot bowl of smoking bishop.

Smoking bishop was an old drink when Charles Dickens made it famous with A Christmas Carol. Once Scrooge was redeemed, he offered to share some smoking bishop with already hung over Bob Cratchit. The ancient drink calls for hot port wine spiced with holiday seasoning and baked fruit. It is simple, it has been around for years, and smoking bishop is delicious enough to share by reformed misers and their alcoholic clerks. It is a drink that screams Christmas.

The holiday season is about bringing people together. Old friends gather, friendly acquaintances meet up, and bosses will toast the holidays with their clerks. Smoking bishop is a festive holiday connection that has held it's own with the test of time. This December, gather a bowl of smoking bishop and share with all you wish to make merriment with. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Smoking bishop is meant to be shared. It is not a drink one has alone. The band Phoenix, with help of Bill Murray, knows what is like to be alone on Christmas Day.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 16 - Bourbon Balls

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen,                           Fourteen, Fifteen

Day 16: Bourbon Balls

Once the end of year holiday season hits, homes are filled with sweet treats and plenty of good liquor. Both of these staples make the holidays cozy and warm. Many night are ended with a nice sweet treat, and a stiff drink to wash it down. But what about the special December treats that are one part dessert and one part booze. In this special category of holiday magic, bourbon balls are the first choice anyone should make.

Bourbon balls are an extremely easy treat that can made at home. Ground vanilla wafers, corn syrup, confectioners sugar, chopped pecans, unsweetened chocolate powder, and some fine bourbon - that is all it takes to make a bourbon ball. It takes less than an hour to complete the entire process of making a good bourbon ball. It is simple, it takes very little effort, and the end result is delicious. The booze/candy treat known as a bourbon ball is a fantastic adult treat during the holiday season.

Once the weather gets cold, and the daylight gets shorter, candy and booze become a happy marriage for the holiday season. Chocolate is awesome, pecans are incredible, and bourbon is a magic elixir. Adding all of these great icons together results in one of the most festive treats for the end of the year. Go out and make bourbon balls, and as an extra treat, take a sip of bourbon for your effort. That will make your holidays warm and bright.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. The "Star Wars Holiday Special" is a million times worse than the prequels. The Boba Fett carton in the special is one of the best Star Wars holiday gifts ever.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 14 - Beef Brisket

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen

Day 14: Beef Brisket

A big hunk of meat is a big part of the holiday season. The weather is cold, we need a big hunk of meat to warm us up by filling our stomachs. Our clothes are bigger and cover our whole body, a big hunk of meat will add excess pounds that can be lost in the spring months through vigorous exercise. The holidays are filled with joy, and nothing is as joyous as a well season big hunk of meat. One of the very best, and festive, big hunk of meats out there is that of the beef brisket.

Beef brisket makes an appearance on our Holiday Eats Advent Calendar because it is a classic Hanukkah dish, and it is an awesome hunk of meat. Get a nice fatty piece of beef brisket, season it to your desire, then place it in a slow cooker for six to eight hours. Once done, your family/guests/self will have an awesome holiday feast. Sauce or no sauce, horseradish or no horseradish, au jus, or lack of jus, no one can go wrong with a well cooked hunk of beef brisket. It is worthy of any holiday feast.

December is a month filled with feasting. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Immaculate Conception, Winter Solstice, Friday, we have a a reason to feast on any day. The star of our feast is usually a nice big hunk of meat. Turkey is boring, steak is overrated, but beef brisket, that is an awesome hunlk of meat. Make sure you enjoy this magnificent hunk of meat no matter what your December feast may be.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. This December, one can find a great brisket in any fine New York City deli. Indulge yourself in a fine ditty about a Christmas Fairytale in New York.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 13 - Apple Cider Doughnuts

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve

Day 13: Apple Cider Doughnuts

One of the best parts of the holiday season are the seasonal takes on food available year round. Hershey's Kisses, M&Ms, and our favorite beers all have special December releases. Many of these treats are spiced with the flavor of the seasons. Peppermint, fresh hops, and late fall fruit are the enhancements used to turn yearly indulgences into holiday masterpieces. There is no grater holiday enhancement than apple cider, cinnamon, and fried doughnuts.

The classic apple cider doughnut starts to make an appearance around September. Cider is starting to make itself part of the weekly shopping list, so why not add the doughnut that gets enhanced by this fall elixir. The holiday season brings on the height of apple cider doughnut due to the timing of Hanukkah. The eight nights of celebration incorporates oil fried foods into the festivities. Doughnuts are fried foods, apple cider and cinnamon are late fall staples, bring them together and it all adds up to an awesome  holiday treat.

Once December rolls around, the treats we have loved all year get a bit extra festive. What makes the end of the year so great, is the culinary adventure we get to have. The flavors of the end of year have no equal. By adding apple cider, and cinnamon, to fried sweet rings of dough, we create one of the greatest treats of the end of the year holiday treats. Go out and grab a dozen apple cider doughnuts from your local shop. If it is a good doughnut shop they should give you thirteen if you order dozen. That will make for a very happy holiday indeed.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Many people consider December 13th to be the beginning of the Twelve Days of Christmas. We are more in favor of the song that cuts down on that endless tune.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, holiday Eats: Day 12 - Latkes

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven

Day 12: Latkes

Today is the first day of Hanukkah, or Chanukah if you prefer. The next eight nights are filled with ceremony, presents, and some nice traditional food. Many of the treats associated with Hanukkah are fried in oil. Other than being delicious, food fried in oil has a tie to the history of Hanukah. The legend says that the Maccabees had oil for only one day, but it lasted for eight. The importance of the oil for the Jewish army has been brought forth as a vital part in the food we eat during Hanukkah.

The latke is one of the most famous, and the absolutely most tasty, treat one indulges in during Hanukkah. Shredded potatoes, eggs, onions, salt, and hot oil, that is what makes a great latke. Crispy on outside, chewy on the inside, that is what makes a great latke. Apple sauce and sour cream to dip, that is what makes a great latke. The fact is that a latke is an outstanding holiday treat.

No matter what your heritage is, a latke is a must have during the holiday season. If you do not celebrate Hanukkah, go out and eat a latke to show solidarity. If you know nothing about Hanukkah, go eat a latke because it is delicious. Latke's are awesome, that is all that needs to be said.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. When is Hanukkah any year? There is a great song about that very issue.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 11 - Mixed Nuts in a Shell

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten

Day 11: Mixed nuts in a shell

The holiday season can be filled with frustration. Trying to get a good parking space, and failing. Trying to find the right gift, and failing. Trying to navigate the social scene without being an ass, and failing spectacularly. The angst of the holidays can usually be cured by destroying something, without breaking the law. This is where shelled mixed nuts come in.

During the holiday season, one can find a bag of shelled mix nuts in any grocery store. The bag contains a nice variety of brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, and almonds. Unlike their brother the peanut, these shelled nuts cannot be opened by a mere mortal's hands. A person needs a special tool. The traditional shelling tool is a lot like a crab claw breaker, a scissor like contraption of steel and ridges. Place the nut between the two legs of the nutcracker, squeeze hard, and once you hear the load CRACK, the delicious insides are yours for the eating. The insides are usually quite tasty, but the ceremony of breaking the shell open is the joy of mixed holiday nuts. Any holiday angst can be remedy with a nice bag of shelled mix nuts.

The holiday season is supposed to be about joy and goodwill towards one's fellow person. Unfortunately, most people are selfish oafs. In order to keep our holiday spirits on the joyous side, we need to resort to basic destruction. Thank goodness we have a nice bag of mixed buts to violently crack open. There are even fancy decorative ways to crack those nuts. Isn't Christmas the best?

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. What would you do to give the meek a happy holiday? Check out what Art Carney did on a classic episode of the "Twilight Zone".

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 10 - Icebox Cookies

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine

Day 10: Icebox cookies

Cookies are the best. Ones filled with chocolate chips, ones acting as the bread in a frosting sandwich, even ones made of oatmeal, good cookies have almost no equal sitting on the top of the desert hierarchy. Cookies are not owned by a season, yet Christmas has some of the best cookie traditions.

Icebox cookies are one of the basic recipes out there. Flour, sugar, egg, and butter (lots of butter) are the main parts in any icebox cookie concoction. The holiday spin on icebox cookies comes with the cutouts. Snowflakes, trees, and any other winter holiday shape is what makes icebox cookies special to Christmas. Once the raw dough is cut into its festive shape, it is cooked, ,and then decorated with a generous helping of red and/or green sprinkles/frosting. Once completed, a simple and delicious treat is available for all holiday revelers. God bless us everyone.

December is far and away the best month for sweet treats. Many of these treats are not unique to the month, but the holiday adds some enhancements to our indulgences. Icebox cookies are welcome anytime of the year. When those cookies are in the shapes of pine trees, snowflakes, and menorahs (I have that one) and the same cookies are covered in red green sugar connections, we have a holiday treat worthy of the best of the year. Plus, if the cookies come out too overdone, you can always put some string through them and hang the ruined treat on the tree. One will never lose with a holiday icebox cookie.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. One should always enjoy their snowflake shaped cookie with a great interpretation of "A Christmas Carol". We recommend a more modern take on Dickens' tale like a Dr. Who interpretation.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 9 - Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight

Day 9: Celebration Ale

The craft beer revolution is fairly new. Many attribute the beginning if the beer revolution to the 1970's. Way back in the olden days, President Jimmy Carter (i.e. History's Greatest Monster) signed the law that allowed for small independent breweries. These new freedom lover breweries decided to create a seasonal schedule. Americans were subjected to a beer for each equinox and solstice. The highlight of the year seemed to be reserved for the winter holidays.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was one of the trailblazers in the micro brew revolution. They were also on the forefront of creating seasonal brews. The highlight of the year, and every year after, was the winter offering Celebration Ale. Starting in 1981, Celebration Ale has been an American IPA brewed with the freshest of hops. It was (probably) great in 1981, and it is still great today. Celebration Ale is also vital to getting through the grind of the holiday season for anyone who loves a good beer.

December brings us a wide variety of great new beer flavors. All the micro, and local breweries, have decide to throw their lots into the holiday game. Celebration Ale was one of the first commercially available holiday beers for the greater public to try. It started revolution. And nearly thirty years later, Celebration Ale is a must have for all beer lovers of every Christmas season. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. Holiday hijinks spare no one. Check in on the mushroom kingdom to see how Mario and Luigi handle holiday mayhem. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 8 - Roast Beast

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven

Day 8: Roast Beast

Every community has their own way to celebrate the winter holiday feast. It is not a religious, or cultural thing, it is usually something that relates to the community itself. Some communities focus on the cooked goose, some focus on glazed ham, and many more focus on takeout Chinese food for the holiday season. A very special group of people at the foot of Mount Crumpet, they love to indulge in roast beast as the highlight of their Christmas morning.

Roast beast is assumed to be the classic dish roast beef. You can search the internets for a good roast beast recipe, and a few non cooking related sites will give you a "recipe", but to be honest we all know it is roast beef. Roast beef is awesome. The ceremony of having it carved. The au jus. The horseradish sauce. It is all magnificent. 

No matter who is in our community, and no matter what we call the special dish, our culinary traditions are sacred during the holiday season. Roast beast is sacred to the Who's, and it is delicious to boot. The only thing more sacred than roast beast for Christmas dinner is the one who gets to carve it. Only a creature who's heart can grow two sizes is worthy of carving the sacred roast beast. Are you that worthy?

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. A great dish like roast beast deserves one of the greatest holiday episodes of the greatest show ever. This season, let your heart grow two sizes while you watch "The Simpsons - Gift of the Magi"

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing. 

The Advent Calendar of Good, and Bad, Holiday Eats: Day 7 - Brussels Sprouts

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a treat associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be terrible. Enjoy.

Opened doors: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six

Day 7: Brussels Sprouts

The holiday season is filled with a bunch of sweet treats. Fatty foods, delicious candy, and tons of cookies are indulged on throughout the entire month of December. Oh, and pies, tons and tons of pies. It should be no surprise that so many of us have weight loss as a New Years resolution. The least we can do is try to eat something healthy, something green, this holiday season. There is no better healthy food for our holiday season than that of the brussels sprout.

Brussels sprouts are those little heads of cabbage that confuse every non-knowledgeable eater of food. Those tiny cabbage heads, along with their brothers and sisters on the stalk, are always receptive to some fine flavors. I can never do right about brussels sprouts with out the incomparable Ty to tell you how awesome they are. Read about it here. That should tell you why they are awesome, especially this holiday season.

We need to remember that the holidays may be filled with sweets and indulgence, but we need to balance all off that with something healthy. If you do not do it for yourself, at least set an example for your kids. Brussels sprouts are a nice green way to be healthy. It is even a bit nicer if we add some butter, cheese, and bacon to our grown up little indulgence. 

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. During the early days of December, we must honor the sacrifice of the brave men who don the Santa suit.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.