It's not the actual food that I love. It's the love that comes with it. If my children get a hold of this then hopefully they will continue this tradition with their children and grandchildren.

P.S. Tell me if you ever see this casserole anywhere and I'll be there before you can say, "…casserole."

We usually have them with orange juice and apple juice. One time, two years ago, we forgot to thaw out the dinner rolls. We had to make them really quick, and my parents were panicking. The recipe is important to me because they taste so good, and we always eat them at Christmas with my Grandma when they are over too. I imagine that the buns are the clouds and as they start off low and as they rise they get happier and happier. And then when they are really happy they get their hair which is the butterscotch. Then they get lumps, which are really the nuts. Another special thing is that we never have leftover sticky buns. Christmas just is not Christmas without our good sticky buns.

My mom also had crumb cake on Easter morning when she was a kid. She always enjoyed it when her mom made it. So she thought she'd keep the tradition going by making it every Easter morning for breakfast. The special thing about it is its texture. The bottom two inches are soft and squishy, but on top it's crumbly with powdered sugar on top. I like the sweetness of it - it really wakes you up! When you make it, you always put it in the oven. If you put it in the microwave it gets soggy and doesn't get crumbly.

If you put it on the stove it will burn or it will not get cooked all the way through. Obviously you need an oven to make crumb cake. I hope the tradition keeps going. Otherwise if it doesn't, I don't know what I'd eat for Easter breakfast for many years to come.

We always have the pie after we open presents from my grandma and grandpa. The first time I had the pie I loved it! It was delicious. I get really excited when my mom makes it. When I think about it, it reminds me of Christmas. That is another reason I like Chocolate Oreo pie. Chocolate Oreo pie is one of my favorite foods. That's why I picked Chocolate Oreo pie for my recipe.

Optional Toppings:
Capers
Sun dried tomatoes
Red pepper
Olives
Walnuts
Hard cheeses like Asiago and Parmesan
Soft or veined cheeses like gorgonzola or chevre
Canned Artichokes
Smoked oysters
Black pepper

Pour 3 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a wide serving bowl along with garlic. In 4 minutes, start tasting. When done, a string of spaghetti should be springy when pulled on. To the tooth, there should be some resistance but not so much that the pasta sticks in the teeth. As soon as pasta is done, drain immediately in a large colander (lidded models are the best). Shake pasta to stop cooking but don’t shake dry. And no rinsing! Add pasta to serving bowl and toss to coat. Quickly divide into individual bowls and toss with various toppings.

My special memory is when I was going to eat spaghetti for the first time. I got it in my hair and all over my face, and ever since then spaghetti has always been my most favorite dishes that I have eaten. When my sister was young she got sauce all over face. We have a picture of it. Another memory is when my dad was at his girlfriend's house. My dad was eating spaghetti. He accidentally dropped the plate of spaghetti on the floor. It was such a mess.

Next pullout the packages in the bird and wash bird cavity thoughly.
Stuff turkey, filling the wishbone cavity of the bird.

Gently place butter patties under the skin of the bird in various locations. Grease the outside of the skin with the cooking oil, covering thoroughly (this will keep the bird moist).

You can now put the Turkey in a foil pan (breast up), add one cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil. Preheat grill to 350 degrees using indirect heat (back burner is hotter than front burner).

Place foiled pan in the front of the grill. Cook approx. 20 min per pound (18 lb. Turkey / six hours) checking regularly. Add water as needed to keep bird moist.

After four hours, remove foil and bast turkey every 15-20 minutes.
When the Turkey is done it should be golden brown and legs should pull off easily.

Let the bird stand for 15 minutes to absorb the juices.

ENJOY!

This year we went to see Harry Potter, and then we went to my Uncle John’s house for a Thanksgiving feast! Every year before the feast we say prayers and each person adds what they are grateful for. We always rotate homes for Thanksgiving. Last year we were at our house and next year at another family member's house. This is special to me because it gives me time to chat with my cousins, aunts and uncles. I am fortunate to have three uncles and an aunt on my Dad's side and 11 cousins!

The problem is getting everyone together because we all live in different cities. We watch T.V (football), talk, eat, eat, eat, and eat some more. As you can see we eat a lot! My sister, Sami, and I usually get the wishbone because we are the youngest in my dad’s family. (I always wish to find a pot of gold).

To get the most juice from a lemon, bring the fruit to room temperature and roll on a hard surface while pressing down on the lemon

The word lemon is believed to have been derived from Asian words meaning, "sour" or "sour fruit."

In the year 1299, the Mongolians had invented lemonade.

Resource:
http://www.produceoasis.com/TipOTDay_folder/Tips_folder/Nov13tip.html

Making the ROLLS:
Butter a cookie sheet. Pinch, or cut off with a spoon, a piece of dough the size of a large walnut, smooth it round, and place it on the cookie sheet (leaving about 2 inches of space between rolls). Continue making rolls to fill the cookie sheet. Let the rolls rise until doubled. With your fingertips, stretch (do not mash) the roll into the shape of a tiny pie shell. Fill with fruit filling (see below). Brush dough edges with butter and let rise again until dough is light (about 15 minutes). Add Posipka topping now, if desired (see below). Bake about 20 minutes at 375ºF.

Filling for Kolaches (easy):
You can use just about any kind of canned pie filing (fruit, poppy seed, etc.) to fill your kolaches. If the topping you select is thin and juicy (like pineapple), you should probably thicken it with just a little flour on the stovetop over low heat.

Prune filling: Cook 1 pound of prunes until very tender, remove seeds, and sweeten to taste. Add 1/8 cloves and grated lemon rind (1/2 lemon), if the flavor is desired. Cook until thickened.

Apricot filling: Cook dried apricots until very tender. Add sugar and cook until very thick.

Coconut filling: Mix 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup coconut, and 3T melted butter to form a thick sauce.

Poppy seed filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup ground poppy seed, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 t vanilla, 1/4 t cinnamon, and 1/2 cup sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes and let cool before filling kolaches.

Posipka Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbs. melted butter
Combine all ingredients and mix with fork until consistency of coarse meal.

There are special tools used for making lefse: a grooved rolling pin is needed to roll out the dough; the lefse griddle is a large, round, flat, electric griddle that is needed to bake the lefse on, and the lefse turner is a long wooden stick, slightly rounded on one side. Grandpa Willi sometimes substitutes it with the slat from the bottom of the window shade.

Once, during a family gathering, Aunt Gail (who is not Norwegian) accidentally used her piece of lefse as a napkin! There is even a song about lefse. It is sung to the tune of "Camptown Races." The first two verses go like this:

Norsky ladies sing dis song... Uff Da! Uff Da!
Bake dat lefse all day long... all da Uff Da day!
Bake it till it's almost brown... Uff Da! Uff Da!
Makes you yump yust like a clown… all da Uff Da day!

(Chorus)
Gonna bake all night... gonna bake all day
I'll spend my money on potatoes and flour...
To have me an Uff Da Day!

Vent to town in my Model T... Uff Da! Uff Da!
Tire vent flat and I said "poor me"... it vas an Uff Da day!
Used dat lefse for a patch...Uff Da! Uff Da!
Now I gotta bake me anodder batch... Oh da Uff Da day!

This isn't a very important dish, but my family enjoys eating this because it's spicy and sweet. Spicy foods are a custom of our culture. We add fish sauce for flavor and lettuce is an optional choice to wrap the Papaya strips in. Rice is also a choice to eat this with. Lettuce and rice is not a very popular choice and sometimes people just eat it plain. This goes along with our traditions and religion. We eat this when we like, or when we celebrate holidays.

My aunt makes this extremely spicy. If there were a scale from 1 to 10, 10 would be the hottest! How do I know about this? My sister said it was the spiciest thing she tasted, which is not a lie! I hope for your tongue's safety that you don't put too many red peppers in this dish. You might be washing your tongue out with very cold water. This is a simple dish, but hard if you did something wrong. It may take a while for you to make, but you can make it anywhere. Some tools you need are clay pots, grinding club, and a small knife. When you are going to crush the garlic make sure you take out the garlic skin so you don't eat it and it will taste better.

It’s used in soup and it has lettuce in the soup. This food does not have a tradition in my family. I'm the only one that likes wantons, also known as wanton soup. This is why I picked this recipe. Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant, I order it if they have it. I try to share with my family, but the only other person that likes it is my step dad.

5. Mix dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes or 200 strokes.
6. Whip egg whites and carefully fold into cake batter. Pour into pans and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check if the cake is finished by sticking a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes out dry, the cake is baked.
7. Remove the cake from the pan and let cool. When cooled frost with favorite frosting.

When my dad was 10 his grandma started making him German Chocolate cake for his birthday. Ever since then, she found out he liked it and she started making it for his birthday. When she died, my mom started making it for him.

I like German Chocolate cake because it has a lot of chocolate in it. The only reason why I don't like German Chocolate Cake is because sometimes it has cherries in it. I like cherries, but I don’t think they taste good in cake. My dad's favorite part of the cake is the frosting. I like that part too! Some times we add coconut filling… Yummmm!

The answer is no. The term "German chocolate cake" was derived from a man named "Sam German," who worked for Kraft Food / General Foods in 1852. Originally in the recipe called for "Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, but as the cake recipe gained popularity, it was shortened to "German chocolate cake."

Resource: http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth01.htm

Snickerdoodles are fun to make too. On Christmas you can use red and green sugars. On The Fourth of July you can use red, white, and blue sugars. When Halloween comes in to play you can use orange, brown, and black to give them a creepy look. Snickerdoodles could be made over an open fire, and they would taste better than any other cookie. The Snickerdoodle has been in my family since my mom was a little girl. I remember making them with my grandma when I was seven. The fresh smell of cookies almost knocked me out. I love Snickerdoodles even though they haven’t been in my life for a very long time. When I eat them I feel excited and happy – all at the same time.

Usually my family and I will add maple syrup to the eggs and sausage, which is delicious. When it is cold at Christmas the hot, juicy sausages keep me warm. The eggs do the same thing. It is the best recipe in the world to me.