Christmas eve day brings back memories of many spent with family in Enfield. The Polish traditions were upheld, starting with delicious mushroom soup containing mushrooms picked by my grandmother, aunts and mother in the northeastern woods. Grandma was the authority for the most potentially delicious and safe mushrooms for the soup. She would take them home, string them for drying in the summer to be eaten months later in a soup never to be duplicated! We ate whitefish and pierogi also made earlier by Grandma, using her never to be imitated dough recipe. The only person to come close to Grandma's recipe for pierogi is my cousin Steve. He and his daughter Katie are well known for making pierogi and no doubt, it has something to do with Steve's inability to get enough stuffed in him on Christmas eve.
Our mothers sang carols in Polish and I especially remember Silent Night and learning to sing it myself in Polish. We would open gifts under Grandma's tree on Christmas eve and at the time I believe it was all about the presents. It's only now, 50 years later, I realize it was all about family.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Another lovely day in Charm town
A light snow dusted the backyard and not so distant bluffs to the south. It's another lovely day in Farmington. The sun came out and melted snow and ice on the streets, making travel possible for everyone going to work or shopping for the holiday - do we live in a great place or what? No worries about shoveling, power outages, or cars careening off the road.
This morning I baked Italian cookies I've been making since high school when a work friend gave me the recipe. Her name is Gay and she reigned over the dressing room in the budget section of G. Fox & Co. almost 40 years ago. These cookies are now a part of my holiday tradition. The dough is unusal and adding rum adds a wonderful flavor to it. The only filling fit for these wondrous cookies is made by Solo of Illinois. Poppy seed, apricot, raspberry, and plum are all potential fillings each year. This morning I used apricot and after testing a small sample I made especially for the taste test, decided them to be absolutely delicious. Thank you Gay!
This morning I baked Italian cookies I've been making since high school when a work friend gave me the recipe. Her name is Gay and she reigned over the dressing room in the budget section of G. Fox & Co. almost 40 years ago. These cookies are now a part of my holiday tradition. The dough is unusal and adding rum adds a wonderful flavor to it. The only filling fit for these wondrous cookies is made by Solo of Illinois. Poppy seed, apricot, raspberry, and plum are all potential fillings each year. This morning I used apricot and after testing a small sample I made especially for the taste test, decided them to be absolutely delicious. Thank you Gay!
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