Giving Thanks

Hello.

It’s been a while. I haven’t been ignoring you – I’ve been sad. My beautiful Mother left this world on November 4th and is now cooking for the angels. She’s earned her wings as she has suffered from dementia for over six years. Dementia is an ugly disease that robs a person of their mind, their memories and their quality of life. Although I’m sad, I take peace in knowing that she’s in a better place.

While Mom’s dementia robbed Mom of her dignity – it also gave us gifts. As a family, my two sisters, my Father and myself worked hard to keep Mom at home until her final breath. It wasn’t easy but sometimes life’s challenges force other things that don’t always come easy – like forgiveness, stepping outside of your comfort zone, unconditional love and bond of family that you took for granted.  At her funeral, we all realized the legacy that Mom left behind and that was us – a family who took on this disease and fought it in spite of it’s looming demise. We cared for her, loved her, sang to her, cleaned her, fed her and held her hand – just like she did for us in our early years. God bless my Father – who at 88 years old, made it his mission to be her caretaker in spite of his aging issues. He never complained and was determined to keep her at home.

I began this blog because of my Mom. Her cooking was her gift of love. As her memories faded, I wanted to recapture her recipes for my girls and for myself. I wanted to pay tribute to her Slovak and Polish heritage that influenced her cooking and baking. Holidays were filled with wonderful meals and bakery that took hours to make. There was always plenty to go around and to take home.

I’ve only begun sharing her recipes and promise to do more. This week I choose to go into the holiday with quiet reflection giving thanks for what she gave us when she was alive – and for what she left behind.  In the meantime, here’s some of my favorite holiday recipes to enjoy!

• Corn Casserole
• Cranberry Orange Scones
• Easy Apple Pie
• French Apple Tart
• Julia’s Cranberry Sauce
• Kolachy – one of Mom’s best recipes!
• Mom’s Nut Rolls
• Pumpkin Bread
• Spicy Pumpkin Pie
• Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I will be back soon with so much more to share! In the meantime, have a blessed Thanksgiving and show gratitude to the ones you love while you can.

Love you Momma!