Preparing for Christmas Dinner

Kitty with Klobase (photo by Rod Kilpatrick)

For the past year, Tuesday night has meant one thing: a Slovenian dinner.

But this year, Christmas falls on Tuesday, the last one of the year. My husband and I are hosting the family Christmas dinner.

It should be Slovenian Dinner #50.  But an all-ethnic dinner might lead to a family rebellion.  So I'm willing to be flexible.  We'll have just a few key Slovenian elements.

We always have potica at Christmas.  So that's a good start.

A couple of years ago, my brother got the bright idea of ordering klobase, the famed Slovenian smoked sausage, from a butcher shop in our old hometown of  Cleveland.

This year, I decided to try a local source: Jelenich Brothers.  Their klobase is made in San Francisco, by a family whose roots are in the traditional Slovenian community on Potrero Hill.  I have enjoyed it at a number of the Slovenian Hall dinners.

But it was hard to track down, even though I was given some tips by a helpful woman at the Slovenian Hall.  Finally, I found the right address and passed it along to my brother, who lives in the city.  He managed to pick some up for the family Christmas dinner.

(My brother took the photo above. That's his cat, admiring the klobase.)

So for Christmas dinner we'll have klobase and potica.  Scottish shortbread.  Probably my husband's famous nut-coated salmon.  And lots more.  It will be eclectic, but with enough Slovenian touches that it will qualify as Dinner #50 in my year of ethnic cooking.

I've been so busy with holiday recipes for potica and pastries that I've fallen behind in writing up my weekly dinners.  But have no fear:  Dinners #43-50 will be posted sometime in the new year.

In the meantime:

Vesel Božič!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Holidays!

I'm off to make more potica :-)