This can be a good time to celebrate other cultures, or your own heritage, especially if you have a multi cultural family. You may not even know your child’s heritage, so you can celebrate the cultures from around the world.

Our family make up is fairly similar. I am German, Irish, Luxemburg and Polish. My husband is German and Irish, but his step-mother is Norwegian and they have traditions which we continue in our home. Sammy is Polish, German, French and Norwegian. I don’t have any idea about Hannah’s heritage, but based on her birth name, I suspect there is French in there somewhere.

One of my mother-in-law’s traditions is my husband’s favorite cookie called SANDBAKKELSE. (there are various spellings of this.)

1 cup shortening (use half butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg, unbeaten
1 t almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour

Cream shortening, add sugar and cream well. Add egg and extract, beat well. Add the flour to make a stiff dough. Pinch off a small ball of dough, place it in the center of tin and with the thumb press dough evenly on inside of sandbakels tin , spreading as thin as possible on the bottom and side of tin. Place filled tins on cookie sheet, bake at 357 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before removing from tins, fill one set while the other bakes. To remove from tin, invert the tins and tap gently. Clean tins with a dry cloth only.

I have used lemon juice rather than almond extract, and they taste equally wonderful. These disappear as soon as I make them.

My favorite thing from my German heritage is my Great-Grandmother’s Berry Kuchen. This is a form of a pie with a custard type filling. I have great memories of standing alongside her in the kitchen and making this, or for her making it as a special treat for me. I asked for this for my high school graduation. It an also be made with rhubarb, but I prefer raspberries, so that’s what she always made for me.

Grandma’s Kuchen

Line a 9 x 13 pan, or two 9 inch pie pans with your favorite pie dough.

Put 4 c. rhubarb, diced (or berries) in the bottom of the pan.

Mix

3 egg yolks
1 1/4 c. sugar (1 c. sugar if using berries)
2 tbsp. flour
3/4 c. half & half

And pour over the rhubarb or berries. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes then bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

These are just a couple of some wonderful cultural recipes. Investigate your heritage, or the heritage of your children and do some cooking or baking with the cultural recipes. You can also investigate recipes from other cultures that don’t apply to your family. If you’ve never tried Thai food, cook up some Thai Pad Noodles for dinner. Each culture has wonderful food that you can try.

Photo credit – Sammy and Hannah baking Valentine’s cookies