Merry Memories Giveaway Day 4 – Kitchen Traditions!

23 responses to “Merry Memories Giveaway Day 4 – Kitchen Traditions!”

1. My tree NEEDS your ornament’s help.  Pick me, Pick me, Pick me!

2. My father’s mother is Croatian and his father is German. Back then, it was a big deal to marry people from different origins, even if Europe is Europe. Gram is a sassy lady and gramps is mischievous and sly. Gram’s sister, Aggie, never married and was in turn like my third grandma. Every year, Aggie made these crescent cookies (pretty much just butter and sugar-yum!), and other types of sugar cookies. As kids, my brother and I always decorated cookies and made gingerbread men. (my mother still makes these gingerbread men for me once a year and sends them to me in Michigan from Chicago-i’m 29). The one thing in common with all of our traditions, was the Croatian nut roll (Orahnjaca). Aggie, Gram, and my dad would make it each year and in their own style. Aggie’s and gram’s was more like cake, and my dad’s is more like bread. It takes literally all day and can be ruined like any bread with even the slightest variances in conditions. It would be served at each location for each gathering and we’d all talk about how good that variety was. I never appreciated it as a kid, but now i look forward to it as if I’ve fasted (which i haven’t, i assure you).

   Aggie is currently 91 and in the hospital with a feeding tube. Gram takes care of her and my slowly ailing gramps (both in their mid-80s). Their fire starter spirits still remain. My dad still makes the recipe and spend the whole day making sure the yeast is ‘just right.’ i can’t wait to go home in a few days and watch him do it, so I can learn myself and make my own version some day. I love to cook and bake and refuse to do anything not from scratch, living up to the delicious standards i grew up indulging in.

   This is a recipe for the nut roll. Ours is at my parents’ house, written on paper, and i couldn’t submit this in time.

   http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/75671/croatian-nut-roll-orahnjaca

   Happy Holidays!

   Lisa

3. So, this is embarrassing.  Every Christmas, we would make what my family has dubbed the “wheat thin cookies”.  I really thought my mom invented putting peanut butter between wheat thins and dipping them in chocolate.  For a girl who loves chocolate and pb like myself, these were winners EVERY year.  Imagine my surprise when I was in college and heard OTHER families had these delectable treats as well.  And now, in my adulthood, I can find the recipe online.  So they’re not a Porter family original, but super yummy nonetheless. http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,177,151187-224194,00.html

4. My family and I have always celebrated Christmas Eve. My mom would let us stay up till midnight and let us open a few presents. I always looked forward to this time. We would open presents and eat this fruit salad my mom would make. I really am not sure on the recipe, but I think it was half/half milk, cream cheese and fruit cocktail.

5. My mother growing up would always make us and everyone we knew English Toffee, but I am not sure what I will have to do to get that super-duper secret recipe out of her hands! In the meantime, I have come up with my own tradition of making Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese frosting. The best recipe I have found is Paula Deen’s: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandmother-pauls-red-velvet-cake-recipe/index.html

6. My family is huge and SUPER competitive so naturally we have a cookie decorating contest. 🙂 I have 3 sisters and 2 brothers and now 3 brother in laws and 4 nephews/nieces so the competition has grown. We bake a bunch of sugar cookies and then its game on! We started with just your basic icing and spinkles but over the years upped our game with new shapes,food coloring, the icing bags with the different fancy tips, candy, and anything imaginable you can put on a cookie. We make my parents neighbor come over and judge b/c my parents were too nice and could never decide. 🙂

   Since we cheat and buy sugar cookie dough I’ll give you the recipe/website for Bakerella. I love her. She has the cutest things called cake pops! I make them all the time, they are adorable!

   http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/

   The 2nd is for oreo balls – to DIE for. I use mint oreos sometimes, or white chocolate and mix it up.

   http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx

7. Here’s my quick recipe for a simple coconut macaroon:

   1 package shredded, sweetened coconut
   1 can sweetened condensed milk

   I don’t recall if I added vanilla or not, but it seems like a capfull would be nice.

   Mix together, scoop out onto wax paper, bake at 350 for . . . oh, ten – fifteen minutes or so?  I’m sorry I forget that, too!  Check it at ten.  The edges should be carmelized when done.

   I don’t generally like coconut texture, but I LOVE these cookies!!

   I have always loved baking for the holidays.  Even in college, I usually devoted one “reading day” (finals prep day) to baking.  Banana bread is always one of my favorites to do.

8. TAMALES TAMALES TAMALES all season long! My mom made tamales: Pork, chicken, Cheese, Sweet… it was truly a family afair. Days before, my grandfather would begin soaking the corn husks and seperating them, cleaning, then drying them. He would prepare the POUNDS and POUNDS of Pork in a mild homemade red chili sauce – my darling grandmother…  for as much as she could see, would help all she could – spreading the “masa” on the corn leaves, my mom would fill them and wrap them, steam them for 2-3 hours. She sold a great many dozen to have enough to buy us gifts each Christmas! Christmas morning we would unwrap warm and steamy tamales. The posibilities of tamale fillings are endless – but I still prefer a trandional Pork filling, and green chili chicken.  We would have tamales all the way until New Years Day. Friends and family would come over and there would always be warm steamy tamales to share with everybody. Neighbors looked forward to there piping hot gift by the dozen. We still have my grandmother’s “Tamale spoons” that she saved just for speading her masa onto her corn husk leaves. My mom does not make to sell anymore – but the trandition is the same. It is truly a process: a labor of LOVE, in deed!
   http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-tamales-pork-15286

9. My parents have both passed away but one of my favorite Christmas memories is my Mom making Peanut Butter Balls.  My Dad loved them so much he would eat them almost faster than she could make them.  No link as this came right off a well worn recipe card.

   Mom’s Peanut Butter Balls

   2 cups powdered sugar
   1 ½ cups crunch peanut butter
   1 stick margarine
   1 tsp vanilla

   Beat margarine and sugar together until creamy.  Add peanut butter and vanilla.  Cream together.  Roll into balls and chill.

   ¼ cup paraffin wax
   2 6-oz pkg butterscotch chips

   Melt chips and paraffin in a double boiler.  Dip each ball in the mixture and place on waxed paper to set.

10. My family’s celebration was always on Christmas Eve.  We would go to service at church, come home and sing a few carols, eat soup in bread bowls, and then open the bulk of our presents.  It’s nothing super fancy, but it’s the tradition that I absolutely love and yearn for during the holiday season. One staple soup is chili, linked is a similar recipe to the one we make, but it’s never exactly the same two years in a row.

    I love thinking about all the Christmas memories and traditions that we have!

    http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/Easy-Chili-I/Detail.aspx

11. Growing up as kids my sister and I were 7 years apart. This is the first year in 20 years that we won’t be together Christmas morning to open presents together because I now have a son and I’m going to be with him and my husband. But I can always remember Christmas eve we would make tollhouse chocolate chip cookies with my mom and leave them for Santa to eat. For some reason the love that was put into them always made them soo good for me. This year I will be making them with my 9 month old son to leave for Santa. Seems a little traditional but hey that’s what Christmas is all about. Here is their awesome recipe:
    http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18476/Original-NESTLÉ-TOLL-HOUSE-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies/detail.aspx

    Enjoy and Happy Holidays

12. And I imagine I speak for us “all” when I say WE’RE enjoying the memories you’re stirring!  Your pictures make me smile and I don’t even know you!  ha!

    The recipe I wanted to share is one of the highest trafficked posts on my blog—and I DON’T have a foodie blog!  But, it’s an old fashioned tradition passed on to me from my sweet mother-in-law, and I love my daughter (and sometimes SONS!) join me in making these—homemade butter mints!  I’m linking to the post ‘cause it comes with pictures, especially helpful when trying something the first time.

    (Thanks, again, for these giveaways!)

    http://bit.ly/HomemadeButterMints

13. I had a cookie swap his weekend! Wine goes great with cookies!

    When I was growing up, my mom made krumkakes (a Norwegian waffle cookie). She’s now in a nursing home and hasn’t made them in years so I tried them this year and the first taste brought back many memories. I don’t have the *exact* recipe with me but here’s a similar one:

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Krumkake-I/Detail.aspx

    Thanks for the chance to win. I would love another Curly Girl ornament on my tree.

14. Last night, my fabulous, fabulous friends braved the cold and snow to attend our third annual “Table for Sixmas” supper club holiday party. As always, it was full of laughs, great food, and yummy wine. This year, I was in charge of dessert, so I decided to make the Bavarian Apple Torte I made for our first supper club dinner over three years ago(!). It’s extremely easy to make, and so freaking good. Definitely make it for those in your life you love most. Leigh, this one’s for you.:)

    https://files.me.com/laurachristian/tf2hxu

    (and let me know if you can actually access the recipe since I don’t have a website)

15. OH YESSSS!!! This Apple Torte was ‘win major impressive brownie points” good!! Take notes! and Thanks LC for a fabulous three years and this fabulous recipe!

16. I made these Sunday and the results were outstanding!  With 4 ingredients, they are definitely added to my usual cookie making rotation…

    http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/10/twice-baked-shortbread-other-lost-recipes/

17. Curly Girl,  this Christmas tradition started with my Great-Grandmother and the cookie recipe has been passed down through my mother to me.  I have a waffle cookie recipe written in lbs instead of cups to make a batch of dough that makes 12 to 14 dozen cookies.  All made in a hand-held waffle press 2 at a time.  The press is cast iron with handles 18 inches long and laid on top of your stove.  It takes 8 hours to make them all but it is worth it.  They are heaven.  Plenty to give as gifts and eat yourself.  Everyone looks forward to them each Christmas.  I have put the recipe on my blog at http://omzblog.blogspot.com.

    I love cookies,
    Debbie

18. Oh, baking is a tradition in our house, both growing up and with my own family.  As kids, we baked all month long… today I only set aside a few days for baking with all that our family has going on, but I try to always make all the favorites.
    We bake cookies and breads to take to our neighbors, friends and family most years.  I have always enjoyed bringing a box or plate of homemade goodness over to someone (especially to those who don’t bake) it lets us tell them they are special to us in the way a gift can’t. 
    Here is a link to my family’s top 2 cookies… hope you enjoy them too!  (These are always requested from my cookie exchange group too.)
    http://celebratelifeeveryday.com/christmas-cookie-favorites/

    Another favorite tradition on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas morning (works well with cookies too!) is a hot chocolate bar… homemade hot chocolate with a variety of toppings and additions from peppermint, to caramel, marshmallows, toffee, cinnamon, and if served in the evening, we add Bailey’s and Amaretto to the line up as well! 

    I’m looking forward to it already…

19. I got this recipe from a friend a few years back but it has been tradition in my family and our Christmas Eve Celebration with our second family.  When you look at the ingredients you will think “oh no” but I promise, make it and eat it with turkey or ham and you will love it!

    White Trash Casserole (or Pineapple Casserole)

    1 1/2 C sugar
    6T flour
    1 (20 oz) can chunk pineapple (drained)
    1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple(drained)
    6T pineapple liquid from drained cans
    1 C shredded cheddar
    2 C crushed wheat Ritz crackers
    8 T butter – melted

    combine sugar, flour and pineapple liquid until sugar melts – add pineapple and cheese – put into casserole dish – mix cracker crumbs and butter – top casserole
     
      350 degrees – 30 minutes

20. The best holiday cookies are these date nut balls. They are so good. And so easy!
    Ingredients

    1 (8 ounce) package whole pitted dates

    3/4 cup sugar

    1/2 cup butter or margarine

    2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

    1 cup chopped pecans

    Flaked coconut or powdered sugar
    How to make Date Nut Balls
    Chop dates; combine dates, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan.
    Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
    Stir in cereal and pecans; cool mixture to touch.
    Shape into 1 inch balls, and roll balls in coconut or powdered sugar.

    http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/date-nut-balls

21. Yummmmmmmm!!! Thank you all for your stories and recipes! This was the best give away yet I think!! Well, maybe I just love food….

    Lucy picked a winner (at random) and the new owner of two Curly Girl ornaments is:
    Lisa and the Croatian Nut Roll!!

    Emily will be in touch to get you your goodies!!
    Thank you all!

22. Every year, my mom would make her from scratch sugar cookie dough with visions of her three little girls cutting out Christmas shapes.  I am sure she imagined all of us giggling as we worked, a la “Happy Christmas Card Type Family”. 

    Unfortunately, what usually happened was a knock down, drag out fight that ended with someone in tears…“She is copying my cookie!” or “I was using that color sugar!” or “She is taking too long with the tree cookie cutter!”.  This continued until all the little cookies were cut, decorated, and baked (and my mom was muttering to herself “never again”).

    Yet, without fail, we would do it again.  Year after year.  Our Christmas tradition of arguing and crying over sugar cookies continued.  Now that we are all in our 30s, mom still makes sugar cookies – only with a little more peace and quiet.  And with every cookie we eat we always laugh “Hey, remember when…?”.

    Ingredients
    1 1/2 cups butter, softened
    2 cups white sugar
    4 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    5 cups all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon salt

    Directions
    1.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
    2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
    3.Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

23. yay monkey bread!  One of my all times faves!