Family Traditions

Last week, the Girls Team took Make It Happen Mondays on the road where we reunited with the third founding Girls Team member, my mom's sister Claire! We spent three days in LA, hanging out with our cousins, watching football, visiting the La Brea Tar Pits and eating delicious food! A post-Christmas visit with our cousins has become a tradition over the past few years, so in the spirit of holiday traditions, my mom, Auntie Claire and myself decided to whip up a few traditional family dishes. We spent the day cooking, soaking up the sunshine in the backyard, playing ladder ball and snacking. It was one of the most enjoyable and relaxing days of our holiday break :)

Irish Bread has been a staple in our family for decades. Don't believe me? Check out this original recipe note written by my grandma many years ago!

We made two loafs of Irish Bread: one without caraway seeds (I don't like them) and one with soy milk instead of buttermilk (my cousin's girlfriend is vegan).

Traditional recipe without caraway seeds.

Vegan edition with caraway seeds.

Warm, fresh Irish Bread with butter :) Mmmm!

We also made deviled eggs and artichoke dip - family favorites! 

Enjoying Fat Tire's Snow Day beer seemed ironic as we spent one of the last days of December soaking up the warm Southern California sun.

Another traditional dish in our family is Orange Jello Salad, which we have as a side dish on special occasions. For the final meal of our visit, my mom made this to accompany chicken, roasted potatoes and salad. 

We got a little too excited before dinner and forgot to take a final photo of the Orange Jello Salad until after we had eaten some of it...ooops.

Traditions and food are a great way to connect with family. We are lucky to have so many traditions and fun memories in our family! The Girls Team hopes everyone had a great Christmas and a happy start to 2012! 

If you are interested in any of the recipes, post a comment and I will send them directly to your email :)