Winter Holiday Food Traditions Around the World
At The Original Pancake House Denver, we love the holiday season. Each year during the months of November and December, we add a few holiday favorites to our Denver breakfast menu – Sara’s Granola Waffle with Maple Whipped Cream, Egg Nog French Toast and our much loved Ho! Ho! Ho! Pancakes, to name a few. These special breakfast traditions always make our season brighter and we love sharing them with our OPH Denver family. Which got us to thinking – we know what we love for a holiday breakfast in Denver, what are some holiday food traditions celebrated by other cultures and religions? We did a bit of research and found a multitude of delicious dishes to make your mouth water!
Mexican Holiday Feast
In a traditional Mexican holiday feast you will likely find tamales on the menu. Because they take so much time and care to prepare, many families only serve them on special occasions. Mexican tamales are wrapped and steamed in a paper or a corn husk and are filled with masa, a corn based dough, and either meat, cheese, fruits, vegetables, or chiles.
In addition to tamales, pan dulce is traditional treat during the holiday season. These sweet rolls are made fresh daily in local panaderias. Almost like a Mexican doughnut, you might find them with a red or green topping and festive sprinkles.
Filipino Christmas Treat
Just after Midnight Mass on Christmas Day, many Filipino families enjoy a Bibingka Especial. This coconut and rice flour cake is lightly sweet, and made with rice or cassava flour. Traditionally, these cakes are cooked over charcoal in a banana-leaf-lined clay pot. Served with tasty toppings, Bibingka Especial is very popular in the Philippines during the Christmas holiday season.
The German Fruitcake
Ah, the infamous fruitcake! Dresdner Stollen, the original and famous fruitcake recipe from Dresden, is sold throughout Germany during the holiday season. Made from rich yeast dough and mixed with candied fruits and nuts, these special holiday loaves are folded before baking to symbolize the baby Jesus in his swaddling clothes.
American Kwanzaa Traditions
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration that links African traditions and American customs. Kwanzaa runs from December 26 through January 1 of each year and is always accompanied by friends, family and feasting! On each day of a Kwanzaa celebration, the host serves a dish from a different symbolic place, such as Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. These dishes might include black-eyed peas, shrimp creole, mashed yams, corn bread, or creamed collard greens.
Hanukkah Brunch
Also known as the Festival of Light, Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and eight nights in the Jewish religion. A typical Hanukkah brunch always includes several delectable dishes. Potato latkes, or crispy potato pancakes, are a staple of many Hanukkah meals. In addition you might find a simple applesauce, or delicious egg frittata. To round out the meal, Jewish families often serve homemade doughnuts, a tribute to the oil that lasted eight days and nights, and traditional rugelach cookies.
Whatever holiday food traditions you celebrate this season, and whatever your heritage, we hope you are able to share a good meal with friends and loved ones! Happy Holidays from The Original Pancake House Denver!
Holiday Stocking Stuffers!
It’s that time of year! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has us bundled up and running around town finding little things to bring joy to our family and friends. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite stocking stuffer ideas! 
For the forgetful spouse
– Trying to get to your favorite Denver breakfast spot and they can’t find their keys…again? This key fob locater may be just the gift! Now they just have to remember to attach it to their key chain!
For the eco-conscious friend
– For the tree-hugger in your life, Carbonfund.org offers several gift options. Choose between offsetting their carbon footprint or planting trees, for as little as $10 you can make your green friend a happy camper!
For the over-worked
– She canceled your Saturday morning Denver breakfast date again because she had to work? Brighten up her cube with some fun games from officeplayground.com. This fun website offers little gadgets such as mind bender games, stress balls, and even solar powered flowers for her desk.
For the techie
– For the family member or friend who is attached to their new iPhone, these gloves are just the gift. The North Face E-Tip glove has full palm conductivity so you can stay connected and active on your touch screen without exposing fingers to the frosty elements.
!For the Foodie – Give the gift of Pancake Cheer! Did you know The Original Pancake House Denver offers gift cards? Share the joy of a delicious breakfast with co-workers, friends and family! Nothing says love quite like the gift of a warm and delicious breakfast in Denver.
Happy shopping and Happy Holidays from your OPH Denver Family!
What’s cooking? The Original Pancake House Denver chefs share their favorite home recipes!
The chefs at The Original Pancake House Denver are up early every morning to create delightful breakfast treats for our customers. Pancakes, crepes, waffles and omelets are hand-crafted and cooked to perfection by our hard-working team. So what do our chefs do when they head home for supper? They cook, of course! Here are a few of their favorite recipes to make at home. Read on as these dishes will warm you up on the coldest winter days!
Ceviche Recipe by Guillermo Jimenez
Ingredients
2 lbs. tilapia
5 tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 cucumbers, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 bunch of cilantro
8 lemons, juiced
Salt to taste
Directions:
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place tilapia in boiling water for 3 minutes. Once tilapia is cooked, shred the tilapia into a bowl and add the fresh lemon juice. Stir to coat. Place tilapia in the refrigerator for an hour. After an hour, add remaining ingredients and salt to taste. Allow the mixture time to marinate. Enjoy on a tostada with sliced avocado.
The Original Pancake House Denver Chefs’ Homemade Salsa
Ingredients
4 tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
Directions:
Grill or boil the tomatoes and jalapeno until soft. Once soft, place all ingredients into blender and puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.
We appreciate Guillermo and The Original Pancake House chefs sharing their kitchen secrets with us! We are lucky to have such a talented team in the back of the house to bring you our much loved breakfast recipes. What winter recipes are a staple in your home? Share them with us on Facebook @OPHDenver.
Share your Pancake Cheer!
Join us this Holiday Season in sharing Pancake Cheer! During the month of December, we'd like to share the JOY that our pancakes bring to you and yours. 
Helping us share this message is as easy as...
1. Snap a photo of you and friends or family enjoying breakfast.
2. Upload your photo to Facebook and/or Twitter to share the JOY!
3. Tag @OPHDenver and include #PancakeCheer in your post (we don't want to miss your photos!)
And what is better than sharing Pancake Cheer? We'll randomly select two winners from #PancakeCheer photos on social media to receive $25 gift cards to The Original Pancake House!
Happy Holidays!