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Sharing Traditions
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Traditions carry with them a magical spirit to strengthen family bonds and provide a source of identity. Our customs and beliefs are passed down from generation to generation, and along the way, they teach our children where their family came from and help them understand their own cultural or religious history. Knowing your past makes you feel like you belong to something bigger, instilling personal confidence. Those shared traditions create many happy memories that make us smile when we think about them.
The holiday of Easter is celebrated in many different ways. Christians have religious ceremonies but like others, fun activities are also included that reflect many different cultures and past ages. Think about coloring eggs, bunny baskets filled with goodies, egg rolling, or hot cross buns. These are gifts of tradition and rituals that bring us closer together as a family.
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Egg Wars II
Egg Wars II – A family tradition for over 50 years.
You know how some celebration days just can’t come fast enough. That was how I felt about our Sunday morning on Easter. There they were, all those beautiful colored eggs, just waiting for the Egg Wars. We played lots of egg games like “The Easter Egg Hunt” and guessing Jelly Bean colors by their taste, but the best activity was Egg Wars. I’m not sure where this ever started but I know that it existed for my entire life. Everyone in our family participated and anxiously waited for it to begin.
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Bushia’s Creamy Polish Horseradish
Bushia’s Creamy Polish Horseradish
Inspired by: Bushia- who served it every Easter with rye bread, boiled eggs, and of course, Polish Sausage
Cook’s Note: Bushia said to always use a wooden or plastic spoon for mixing or serving and a glass bowl for grating. She said metal reacted to the mixed horseradish, turning the product gray and creates an off-flavor. In fact, she always put a piece of plastic under the cover to keep it away from the horseradish. Always keep it in the refrigerator to preserve its zesty flavor and white color. Remember; attach a plastic spoon to the jar as a reminder for serving.
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Old World Almond Quick Bread
Old World Almond Poppy Seed Quick Bread
This old fashioned quick bread is filled with poppy seeds, flavored lightly with oranges, and full of crunchy almonds.
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Incredible Easy and Delicious Baby Potatoes and Haricots Verts
Incredible Easy and Delicious Baby Potatoes and Haricots Verts
Some foods are comforting and delicious because of their simplicity.
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LM Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival – Salem, IN
LM Sugarbush Maple Tree Tapped for Maple Syrup
I found some information that said maple syrup was truly an American product and was used by Native American Indians, who shared their knowledge with the settlers.
A scan through the Internet mentioned a 25th Annual Maple Syrup Festival being held at LM Sugrbush in scenic Salem, Indiana. It is a 140 acre family farm established in 1981, and the Festival draws up to 12,000 people, who enjoy finger lickin’ food, music, tours, activities, and games. A real selling point was that there wasn’t any cost for parking, entry, or tours. They were all free. It was a perfect trip for the whole family.
When we arrived there, we decided to take the woodland tour and actually see the trees where the sap was collecting. Sure enough, there were holes that had been drilled into the maples, where the sugary fluid flowed and was collected into a container. Later at the Sugar House, we saw where the fluid was boiled to evaporate the water and filtered to remove any impurities, producing that thick delicious syrup we all love.
Of course, we just couldn’t resist buying a bottle of warm, just produced, maple syrup and some maple sugar. I didn’t know very much about maple sugar but at the Native American Indian demonstration, I watched them boiling the syrup and actually learned how granulated maple sugar was produced.
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Warm Sweet Spring Salad with Pea Tendrils
Warm Sweet Spring Salad with Pea Tendrils
This stunning salad is filled with tender peas and chopped tendrils and tossed with a maple sugar lemon dressing.
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Maple Syrup Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
Maple Syrup Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
These old fashioned cookies are not overly sweet, making them perfect for a quick snack or lunch box treat.
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Maple Grove Granola
Maple Grove Granola
The granola is delicious to serve with yogurt, a sprinkle on your salad, or fill mini cups to use as a snack for your favorite big or little kids.
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Maple Glazed Parsnip ‘n Carrot Coffee Cake
Maple Glazed Parsnip ‘n Carrot Coffee Cake
This upside down coffee cake combines sweet carrots and parsnips in a cinnamon ginger cake flavored with the bright burst of oranges and maple syrup.
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Sweet Sugar Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
Sweet Sugar Maple Roasted Root Vegetables
Lightly peppered roasted root vegetables get a new turn, flavored with a sweet maple soy sauce.
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Sugar Maple Orange Glazed Salmon
Sugar Maple Orange Glazed Salmon
Using this innovative Pantelligent ™ frying pan, connected to a interactive Pantelligent™ Smartphone App, makes cooking salmon a real snap.
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Elegant Walnut Spice Easter Cake
Elegant Walnut Spice Easter Cake
This European styled cake is perfect for celebrating Easter. The cake has a rich spicy flavor and is drizzled with a sweet butter glaze. Crunchy ground walnuts cover the top.
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Brasky & Son’s Secret 100 Year Old Recipe
Brasky & Son’s Secret 100 Year Old Recipe
This Polish sausage was sold in their neighborhood corner store for about 76 years. It was the treasure of locals, who couldn’t celebrate the holidays without it. The Brasky Family decided to share this special recipe so future generations would be able to enjoy it. It is seasoned simply but the preparation techniques and type/size of the meat make the difference in producing a quality product
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