Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1541674
10 | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | DECEMBER 2025 | Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address:___________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________ DECEMBER 2025 FREE SUNDAY BRUNCH FOR TWO AT THE BISTRO Not valid on holidays or special events. Limit ONE ENTRY per residence per month "Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth." – Edith Stillwell The chill in the air and the longer nights are clear signs that December has arrived, along with a series of annual traditions. Holiday traditions hold great significance; as life progresses, they often help us stay connected to what truly matters to each of us. I grew up in a Mexican household, and our holidays were filled with family traditions that typically centered around big, festive meals. Everyone was invited! Christmas always meant homemade tamales, which we prepared during a huge tamale-making session. The masa was made and seasoned just right, and the pork filling was prepared with the perfect amount of spiciness. Then came the fun part – making the tamales! We spread the masa on water- soaked cornhusks, spooned in just the right amount of filling – not too much, not too little – and wrapped each tamal into precise little bundles of goodness. We all waited eagerly to taste the first tamal as it came out of the steamer. Dessert almost always consisted of pan dulce, piping-hot atolé (a smooth, velvety drink made of fresh cornmeal, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar), and capirotada (Mexican bread pudding made with raisins, nuts, and bananas, all soaked in a piloncillo sauce). My Italian friends proudly shared stories about their elaborate holiday feasts, featuring dishes like lasagna, roasted veal, and various seafood dishes. For dessert, they often enjoyed homemade pandoro, a sweet Italian bread traditionally shaped like an 8-pointed star and dusted with vanilla-scented sugar icing. Espresso was always ready to be brewed and served alongside dessert. In high school, I had a girlfriend whose grandparents immigrated from Germany. Grandma, or Oma, as her grands called her, was the matriarch in charge of all holiday meals. She proudly prepared her famous Christmas roasted goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings. Dessert always included homemade Lebkuchen, in my humble opinion, the best gingerbread cookie known to man, and Stollen (a fruit bread made with nuts and marzipan). Yes, the holidays are often associated with calorie-laden delights, which often make us nostalgic for good times that have passed. December is a month of priorities, family, friends, and memories. It's also the perfect month to let go of the past and welcome the future – to release old baggage and embrace new beginnings. So whatever holiday traditions you hold dear, and whatever culinary delights grace your table, may your holidays be filled with love, laughter, and much memory-making joy. Bon appétit! Pita P.S. Please help us comply with Health Department and insurance guidelines – Access to the Bistro Kitchen is restricted to Bistro staff and Bistro Committee Liaisons. If you need to speak with Francisco, you are welcome to ask any of the servers, and if he's available, he'll be happy to come out and meet with you. Thank you for being so cooperative. Bistro Committee Congratulations to Larry and Debbie Foster, the October Sunday Brunch for Two winner, courtesy of Francisco's Bistro. Victoria Steidmann drew the winning entry. Please note – there is a limit of one entry per residence per month, and only entries from the current month's Herald will be accepted (no business cards or other entry forms are accepted).