Peanut Butter Blossoms

 Aunt Theresa's Standbys

My Aunt Theresa always made German Chocolate Cake. It was my Uncle Jess' favorite and I requested it for my birthday on more than one occasion.  

She also baked Peanut Butter Blossoms at Christmas. I am not sure why I remember this. But I do. They were always there. And now that she is gone, I bake them and think of her.

For many years, my mother was part of a craft club that met weekly. These Santas are one of the projects that she made along the way. They are my favorite. I love them. 

They also remind me of another member of the club: "Aunt" Ceil Czelotka.

Ceil was a kind and capable person, who loved her family and life with equal measure. She and her husband Eddie were an integral part of our lives for four decades. I think of her often, and I know my mother does too.

Click here for the printable recipe

Coconut Snowball Cookies

Jaja's Favorite Cookies

It is hard to believe that my grandfather has been gone 15 years.

So many things have happened since, all of which would have made him very happy. But life marches on and now my father has assumed the role of grandfather.

Grandfather Mike and Grandfather Dave were completely different people. But each share one unwavering trait: love of family.

My grandfather loved my Mother's Coconut Snowball Cookies. 

He also loved Candian Club Whiskey. Straight up. No ice. 

I bought this bottle of Candian Club for him 16 years. It was never opened, and has been on my bar ever since.

Na zdrowie, Dziadek ("JaJa")

Mike and Melissa Christmas 1988

Click here for the printable recipe.

Toll House Cookies

Simple for Santa

Santa eats alot of cookies, but his all time favorite?

Chocolate Chip, of course!

He, Garrison and Dillon also fancy milk served in my vintage Anchor Hocking glasses, which I received from my Grandmother, Sophie. I think the color (Forest Green) and the pattern (Roly Poly) strikes a cord with Santa. The kids just think they're cool.

To guide the way, there is a Swedish Christmas Tree candle holder at the ready. I purchased it 30 years ago at a Christmas Market in the Skansen Open Air Museum in Stockholm  -- with my friend Christina Henning in toe. (Or was it vise versa?) Skansen is located on the island of Djurgarden, and highlights Swedish life from bygone days. It also houses animals indigenous to Sweden, including reindeer.

And as we know, Santa also digs reindeer.  

Click here for the printable recipe

Pinwheel and Checkerboard Cookies

New Cookies for Good Measure

The cookies sit on my Great Grandmother Trycoski's dish.

My grandmother, Sophia, bought me the poinsettia.

I bought the Santa in a Christmas shop in Austria, while taking a river cruise on the Danube in 1997.

The table cloth is an antique Swedish textile that I bought in a little shop in Gamla Stan, Stockholm. I wonder if that shop is still there? After multiple visits,  the elderly store keeper got to know me. One day she told me, "You love my old things". Yes, I do. And I still use everyone one of them.

Click here for the printable recipe.