Fat pants, spice jello and holiday traditions

I’m wearing my fat pants to work tomorrow. It’s Sunday morning and I’m sitting in front of my computer at home distracted by the waistband of my jeans. It feels a little too binding after a weekend of over-eating ... even with the top button undone.

Yes, I am definitely wearing my fat pants tomorrow -- the ones that are actually a size too big and fall comfortably on my hips with room to spare. Pants like these can be a woman’s best friend -- especially at this time of year.

I haven’t stopped eating since Thanksgiving! 

My binge began with turkey and sausage stuffing and I suspect it won’t end until I’ve downed my last piece of spice cake on Christmas morning. 

In my family, there are a few choice dishes served at every important occasion. Most of them are recipes from my childhood that were favorites of my mom’s and over time became traditions in our household. Now that my mom is gone, they play an even more important role in our celebrations. These days I look forward not only to the smell and flavor of these foods, but the memories of mom that they evoke.  

My mother brought her recipe for popovers from the Netherlands, where she grew up. As kids, we couldn’t get enough of them and still, today, at our dinner table they’re as coveted as gold coins. It’s a simple recipe of flour, milk and eggs that produces delicate, airy rolls with a light crust and hollow inside. Around our dinner table, they are meticulously rationed so everyone gets their fair share.

When I was growing up, each year as Christmas approached, the smell of cinnamon enveloped our house. This signaled that mom was baking batches of her holiday spice cakes. She wrapped them in foil and tied them with bows. Then we delivered them, as a family, to all the special people in our lives. We nibbled on cake Christmas morning as we opened presents and savored what was leftover for dessert that night. I adopted the same routine with my sons when they were young and spice cake is still a part of our holiday rituals.

Orange spiced peach jello is another favorite served at family celebrations.

1. Drain two cans of Harvest Spiced peaches (save the syrup). Place peaches in jello mold. 
2. Add water to syrup to make 3 cups liquid. Add 3 teaspoons white vinegar, 6 cinnamon sticks and 10 cloves. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Strain to remove cinnamon sticks and cloves. Add 6-ounce box orange jello to liquid. Stir until  completely dissolved.
4. Pour over peaches and refrigerate until firm. 

My son called from college the other day and asked for the spice jello recipe. He made it for the first time to bring to a holiday feast with his school friends. I love the fact that he’s carrying on the tradition and sharing it with the people closest to him. 

My hope is that he’ll continue to make it for his own special occasions. 

When he does, perhaps something about the taste, the smell or the task will remind him of happy moments with me and make him smile ... in much the same way these holiday recipes conjure up wonderful memories of my mom for me.

It’s nice to know that, at least for one more generation, the legacy of spice jello lives on!