Food and Fun Traditions

My husband and I eat pretty simple meals most of the time. However, we have lots of family and friends and we take turns hosting meals for birthdays and holidays, etc. It’s a lot of fun and a chance to show off a new recipe or just eat pizza while enjoying each other’s company. Entertaining has become "my thing" I guess.

Over the years a few traditions have developed from these gatherings, such as the time Nani, my Mother-in-law, forgot to thaw the strawberries that she mixed with Cool Whip™ for the inside of an Angel Food Cake. She was embarrassed, but the kids in the family loved it! For years after that when asked what kind of cake they wanted Nani to make for their birthday they requested that combination, specifying “frozen” strawberries for the filling. Who knew that it would become a tradition?? Other family favorites include; her Jell-O™ recipe called “Broken Glass”, German Potato Salad, Popcorn cake, Rhubarb Custard Pie and Kolackys. (Apricot filling only please!)

Grandma Cookie, my Mom, likes to bake. Can you guess what her specialty is? In addition to providing amazingly perfect cookies for lots of family events, she’s made them for the Rescue workers in New York City after 9/11, sent them to a unit of the Air Force Reserves in the Middle East, and supplies a young class of mentally impaired students with a weekly snack. She’s also very well known for her delicious Chiffon Cake and Homemade Breads. Everyone in the family helps to keep her busy in the kitchen with our excuses for her to make them. The smartest gift we ever bought for her was a professional mixer, it makes it easier to create and we get the goodies more often!

I've been collecting recipes and pictures of our family "chefs" preparing their specialties. Here's one of Aunt Vera showing Elena and I how to make Cream Puffs.

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