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Dining services serves up Christmas favorites

Christmas traditions extend to the dinner table.

Even adventurous eaters tend to revive tried-and-true recipes for holidays. After all, one of the things we look forward to is sinking our teeth into our favorite dishes.

This year, a resident at Parsons Presbyterian Manor will utilize the dining services kitchen to make her own recipes for cranberry relish and chicken and noodles, said dining services director Ruth Haille.

It’s not the first time a resident will use the kitchen to prepare a treasured recipe. As part of her occupational therapy, a former PATH® (Post-Acute to Home) resident made an apple pie in the kitchen. It was her contribution to Christmas dinner at Presbyterian Manor, when pie reigns.

“I try to get a lot of pies, because desserts are the best,” Ruth said. “I usually have just about every kind of pie you can imagine for them to choose from.” These include peach, apple, banana cream, coconut cream, and strawberry rhubarb. Cherry and pecan pies are two perennial favorites.

A couple of years ago a resident gave Ruth a recipe for pecan bourbon pie, though she didn’t make that one.

Along with Thanksgiving, Christmas is a day when assisted living and health care residents don’t have to adhere to their dietary plan.

“That’s kind of my thing,” Ruth said. “They follow it all through the year, but Thanksgiving and Christmas is their choice.”

Residents usually choose between two different proteins: often ham, roast beef or turkey. And of course, Ruth and the dining services staff provide all the traditional sides, including mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, hot rolls and deviled eggs.

Some years, residents have special requests, such as cranberry sauce.

“We just try to make it as special as we can, and especially this year,” Ruth said. “I think everyone at Presbyterian Manor is trying to make that extra effort for the holidays.”

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