Creating Traditions

[megray]

What food related traditions have you created in your family?

I always bake a special cake for the kids birthdays, and usually try to do the same for dh and myself.

When we have large family dinners there is always a "Pav Roll" which is the hot favourite!

[barbszy]

On their birthdays my kids get to pick what kind of cake they want. They have had elaborately decorated homemade cakes (not super looking but THEY think the cakes are great, so that's all that matters). This past year my Big Kids have both requested apple pie instead of birthday cake! LOL!

When I host a holiday dinner (like Thanksgiving or Easter) I like to make my favorites from the dishes served on the same holidays when I was a child....turkey with stuffing (my grandmother's recipe) OR ham & cabbage; mashed potatoes; mashed rutabagas; my other grandmother's special rolls. It's one big Nostalgia Feast for me :D

[DeBora4BobbyL]

When my children were small, I always went all out on birthdays. I used to make their favorite meals, party themes, and birthday cakes.

For holidays, we have the works. I like to set up a appetizer table that everyone can munch on. I usually get requests ahead of time for my Bran Dinner Rolls (http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18), as well as my Cream Cheese Braids. (http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21)

When my children were small, we always set out eggnog and homemade cookies for Santa. That was always so much fun.

[Amayesing]

I usually (even though they are adult) let my children come up with the menu of choice and I cook it for them. They seem to enjoy it so much more than going out. A home cooked mama meal beats restaurant food hands down for them.

[ewriggs]

Most of our "food traditions" follow the Russian Orthodox Church year. The 12-dish meal of Nativity Eve (http://russian-crafts.com/customs/christmas.html) is one example. Then there is the Pascha (Easter) Basket (http://www.orthodox.net/pascha/paschabasket.html).

During the Dormition Fast, we refrain from eating fruit prior to August 6 (which is the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ). On that feast, we bring fruit to Church to be blessed. After the feast, we eat fruit. On the Feast of the Dormition, we traditionally bring fresh basil leaves to Church to decorate the Icon of the Theotokos.

On the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Forerunner (John the Baptist), we do not serve foods on round platters or bowls, and don't eat round foods. I know it sounds crazy - and my ol' curmudgeon refuses to get this piestic! But I find I just can't make myself eat anything round on that day!

In October, our family has in the past had a variation of Oktoberfest - we call it Rocktoberfest! We have several birthdays / anniversaries in that month and celebrate them all together. We've missed a year here and there, but I'm hoping we can do it this year. Usually have German foods to celebrate Oktoberfest.

During Great Lent, before Pascha, we eat a lot of meals with lentils in them. "If it's Lent, we eat lentils!" the kids used to say. Great food, tasty, has good protein in it.

I guess that about sums it up.

Cheerio!
Elizabeth

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~*~ Every day, by God's grace, brings us a new beginning. We are all always "commencing" a new spiritual adventure in living and loving as God lives and loves. It is never over. And it is never too late to start anew. ~*~
~*~ Fr. Thomas Hopko ~*~
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[Coll]

Only food traditions we have are for the holidays I make a turkey. DD1 and DS don't like ham so I always made a turkey, mom did the ham. Dad does it now. Oh, and the potatoes have to be "real" mashed. No instant ones.

[Bilby]

I have always made a special cake for the kids birthdays but now they are older I ask them what type of cake they'd like, and what would they like me to cook them for dinner. ds 2 will say apricot chicken and ds1 will say schnitzel grubens, (why grubens I have no idea as they are only schnitzels, and I would hate for him to go to a restaurant and ask for this when that is just a name we gave it LOL)
Grandma Duffy always makes 2 cheesecakes for dessert, (if she'd offered to bring one) she always brings to much over and says we get to keep the extra.
Christmas breakfast is always leg ham and eggs with a croissant, then presents.
Grandma Adams makes the best chicken stuffing we always fight over that.
Easter, even now I hide the eggs and make them look for them, they think I'm nuts but hey .... LOL
Maybe out tradition with food is the unpredictability of the recipes, I don't think I ever make the same dish exactly the same way twice LOL

[ajrsmom]

We do special cakes for birthdays, too.

I have started a tradition of making a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving and then having Lasagna for Christmas. I started the lasagna so that I wouldn't have to be in the kitchen all day while my kids were small. :)

[katharina]

I usually (even though they are adult) let my children come up with the menu of choice and I cook it for them. They seem to enjoy it so much more than going out. A home cooked mama meal beats restaurant food hands down for them.

And I *definitely* agree with this! There's nothing quite like mama's
kitchen when it comes to comfort food! :)