Tasty Gifts from the Past

As the holiday’s inch closer and closer I feel the urgent need to bake. And not just your run of the mill bake goods, these have to be family recipes handed down through the generations; tried, true and delicious. I’m obviously not the only one who has this yearly need to make a connection with our ancestors via the kitchen. The other day at work several of us were sharing some of our family holiday favorites; one gal of German descent always makes potato dumplings with sauerkraut, another with Norwegian roots talked about making potato cakes, as for me I’m planning on making Grandma’s Swedish coffee ring. My eighty-nine year old mother-in-law still has this strong urge to cook at this time of year and is planning to whip up some kolache, a Czech pastry with fruit in their dimpled centers; Christmas time wouldn’t be the same without them. So don’t worry about all the Grinchy food police who say all of us including Santa should chow on carrots instead of cookies; go ahead and enjoy your baking, enjoy your holidays, and enjoy the warmth of having family close; past and present.