During this time of year everyone is so busy with the holiday season celebrations. Even when times are crazy politically in our country and times are so uncertain we crave and bask in traditions. Every group, family, or person is different. Not only are the family ties different but whole sections of the country celebrate the foods and recipes in so many different ways. Center of the country like here in Oklahoma will do things different compared to other regions of the country like the deep south or the north west United States or north east part of our country. Some things are universal in what we do and set on our tables. The main thing is it is the gathering of people we love, care about or just want to share the holidays with.
Lets remember as we are gathering and planning to feast and once again share our celebrations with the same folks in our gene pool to pass on some of the traditions to the younger generation. Which each generation there are more new and modern times to be had. Many times our treasured traditions are not honored and passed on. We forget the importance and let life get in the way with complaints of no money, no time or energy to do some of those things and sometimes just pass them by leaving them in the past with forgotten ancestors. Sure sometimes we want to start new traditions and do our own version of the holidays but we still need to continue on with what has always been shared with family and friends.
One of my things is of course recipes. My mother was not a recipe person that was just not her thing. What she did do was to get everyone together and have a big long table like 3 or more cafeteria tables end to end and we had food being passed around in all directions. Sometimes it took a bit to get it all going the same way and still some folks missed out on something passing by and had to have it passed from person to person to get the desired tidbit of holiday food. She was always busy replenishing the table and making room when a dish was empty for the family. I remember one year we had oh my goodness I don't know how many people over! We lived in a old old house with 13 rooms 2 porches an a attic with 12' or more ceilings. My uncle came up with his huge family of his kids an his wife's kids from another marriage. They were all teens and older but good grief we had people in sleeping bags on the floor chairs couches anywhere you could sleep comfortably! I think the most I have managed on my own was about 12 in my house. I did all the cooking for it with nobody bringing any dishes from their home. Now days our family is so small and the older grand kids are getting old enough for life to get in their way and not attend the gatherings. We are lucky enough that Nikki's family has always been kind and invited us to celebrate with them on many of their holiday events.
Please remember to gather up all the favorite recipes the family uses ( if they don't mind sharing their secrets) and making a copy and putting them down on paper. I know that some of the recipes I have from my husbands mother I still use because they liked them when he was growing up. It gives you a special feeling when you not only use the recipe but when you look at it and see the words written in that persons own handwriting it makes the food extra special when you make and serve it. Sure it may not ever be as good as "Mom" made it or Aunt Betty or Uncle Joe but it is still family food. I am picky about my recipes that I am developing for my use. Although I like to have hand written recipes from a person because the energy of them is still on the paper and the memories just flow when you see their handwriting I have to have to have them all laid out in the same way on the page. I have to have a picture of what it is supposed to look like on the top under the name and a link or the name of the person that it came from. Under the picture I might make a note as to when and how it's served. The next few lines is yield, temp, time to bake, pan size to use then a list of ingredients and instructions. When my family passes these down they will see handwritten notes all along the side of any adjustments or secrets to getting it just rite.
I have some of my mother in laws dishes and some of hubby's Czech grandmother's dishes. Some of the bread bowls and other serving dishes I don't dare put in the dishwasher or microwave! We are talking about dishes that are over 60 years old in some cases! They were not designed to be used in modern day America. So we just do old school. Grandmas bread bowl she always made yeast bread or kolache's in is now used with a dish towel to cover and keep warm the bread on the table for when we sit down to eat. Hubby's mom dishes are done the same way. I am usually the person that likes everything matching but anymore I don't mind if it is something from a past generation gracing my table with it's presence and air of family ties that makes the food in the dishes taste "more better" when it goes into the mouth and wanders around my taste buds.
I have been trying to gather up family members recipes but haven't done a very good job of gathering to put together for folks. I know one time I sent a recipe to my husbands cousin. She is a professional baker at home making wedding cakes an all. I sent her my MIL's red velvet cake recipe. She was so excited! She said that it was the very first red velvet cake she ever had and was from her Aunt Beulah! Then I was just talking to my husbands niece the other day. I got a good laugh. She was talking about a recipe they just love in her family. She calls it Elephant Shot! I said what??? in the world is that???!! She said it's green jello with marshmallows and fruit in it. I said you mean like Grannies green jello? She said yes that's the one! I for sure have not ever called it Elephant Snot! I promise you my MIL would not have called it that. She was so much more cultured and proper to even have the words coming out of her mouth! My MIL was considered a really good cook in her family. She was the oldest of 8? and she was like a mother to many of them since mom was out in the cotton fields of Oklahoma picking cotton someone had to be in the house taking care of the kids. I think in some cases she was 20 years older than some of the younger ones. She did lots of cooking for the family. (Honestly I have to wonder if the mother would rather be in the fields instead of having to deal with all those kids all day LOL!) My husband loves the green jello (AKA Elephant Snot) Jon liked it and Allexcia just can't stand it ! You get a gagging yuck out of her on that recipe. Terri the niece and her family loves it! I need to make sure she has grannies original recipe of that one.
Well although I have no clue what kind of Christmas we will be having meal wise I do know I have to find a place to thaw a 28# turkey for about 6 days before cooking it! I can't imagine where that will be since my refrigerator can barely hold what I have now. I think I am going to have to babysit a ice chest a few days the best I can figure. Other than the turkey I have no clue yet what else will be served. I still have to get my baking recipes out and see which ones I am going to bake for us an what I am going to share with others.
All of this and working around hubbies surgery! It will all work out. Just like turkey day did one way or the other.
I hope everyone gets to share and pass on the family traditions of your gene pool and share some of the memories of the folks no longer able to sit at our table with us. ( I can promise you though for sure ........ you may not see the folks that have passed on but they will be there with you all)
Love
Ranchmama
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