Family

Today was a day set aside for baking, and baking day it was!!! I made 6 loaves of Armenian Bread/Choreg (on page 152 in the Baby Bear Stew Cookbook) and 5 Xmas Tree Breads (on page 159 in the Baby Bear Stew Cookbook). We began a tradition in our family long long ago to have Xmas Tree Bread on Christmas morning while we open our stocking gifts. We have passed this tradition on for 4 almost 5 generations now. I did realize, with all my girls living away from our town in their own homes that I would be making the Xmas Tree Breads by myself this year. I actually want to have a hands on baking day with them and any interested grandchildren to make sure they know the special secrets of making Choreg and Xmas Tree Bread, so I need to schedule that someday soon. In the meantime-get yourself a copy of the Baby Bear Stew; Family Heritage Cookbook and if you want me to set up a baking day with you give me a call or send me an email. Hands on baking lessons are the BEST!!!

You may have a family traditional recipe that you like to make during the holidays. Why not get together with your kids or grandkids or friends and have a baking day. It is a great time for food fun and fellowship.…

The inspiration for the Baby Bear Stew: A Family Heritage Cookbook was built on a long standing family tradition of gourmet food made by all the great cooks in our family and shared with others during the holidays; and when you have a BIG family…that means any time of year. During the Christmas season, my mom, Roz (aka Grammie Rozzie to my kids) gathered her 30-40 favorite girl friends for her annual Cookie Exchange. I understand that the idea of a cookie party around the holidays is a common festive tradition and may no longer seem like the politically correct thing to do (all that SUGAR!!!!!) but my mom began her tradition in the 60s and it was a wonderful yearly highly anticipated event. My mom’s friends LOVED to cook and LOVED to share their recipes. Rozzie’s Cookie Exchange party was such a fantastic event and such a long standing tradition in our town that an article about it was written up in Sunset Magazine. Not only did we feature many of the cookie recipes in the original Baby Bear Stew; Family Heritage Cookbook that my mom, my aunt Nancy and my Gram created back in the day, I am the proud recipient of ALL of those incredible cookie recipes from over 50 years of Cookie Exchange Parties. That priceless box of vintage cookie recipes is just waiting to be shared, soooooo….another project on my bucket list is to write a Cookie Exchange Cookbook- 50 Years of Family Tradition. Today I am going to share a recipe with you that my mom created years ago. The original name of the recipe (on page 212 of the Baby Bear Stew Cookbook) is Oriental Brittle Cookies (not sure how politically correct that name is in today’s world). It is a crisp …

To give you a taste of the easy gourmet recipes in the cookbook here is one that is delicious and nutritious. On page 104 of the cookbook is a recipe for Poached Chicken Breasts with Ala (Ala was the trademark for cracked Bulgur Wheat but you can use Quinoa for a gluten free option) was created by my mom, Roz, and served with cooked asparagus and a light tossed salad with mandarin oranges and avocado. When you remember that this dish was cooked and served back in the 80s and 90s you get a glimpse of how ahead of the times the cooks in our family were with regards to health conscious cooking. There is a family tree in the beginning of the cookbook so that you can see the connections and where each recipe originated. There are fun anecdotal comments throughout the book as well.

Poached Chicken Breasts with Ala (Bulgur Wheat)

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts with bone
2½ cups canned chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
4 slices lemon
½ cup chopped celery
¾ cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon fine herbs
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup chopped jicama
¼ cup shredded carrot
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon dill weed
¼ teaspoon oregano
1 cup Ala (bulgur wheat or quinoa)…