Christmas was always a magical time of year for us growing up!!  Dad would always take us to see Santa and celebrate with the kids from our town!! There was always lots of family around, now that I am older I realize that my parents were making wonderful memories and traditions for us to carry on, which we did with our own children giving them memories and traditions, and now our children are making wonderful memories and traditions for their own children, it is the circle of life!! Here are a few of my special memories!!

 me Jim Our kids Heather, Danny & Angel

Sam, Sally & Nunie

Still have that chair!

Sammy

Our tree that year

Me and my first best friend Sammy

Sam & June Youmans bringing in the New Year!!

thanksgiving 1985

thanksgiving 1985

the Grandkids at Thanksgiving 2013 Kaylin, Katie, Eli, Dylan & Carter

Thanksgiving

The Holiday's were always such a wonderful time growing up!!  Thanksgiving was always spent with lots of families, Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles and a multitude of cousins!! For several years we would rent cabins at parks and get together, sadly I never got pictures of that!! The last one was in 1993, the year my Dad passed away,  Seems after that all life changed. Now thanksgiving is always at my sister Sally Gednetz and we make a point of taking a group picture, no matter how little the gathering may be, when it is spent with family it is always good.

CHRISTMAS 2016 IN PICTURES

We celebrated Christmas at my daughters on Christmas Eve this year and just wanted to share some of the photos from that event. It was very fun. I believe everyone had a great time. My daughter Krysta and her companion Chris, did a great job making everything festive. Pickle winner for the adults was my son Sam who seems to have a knack for finding the thin g. For the children, it was Phoebe Sharp my Granddaughter. She was the only participant as Samuel Elliot  is too young. Enjoy.

My daughter Krysta Youmans, her daughter Phoebe Sharp, and her nephew and my grandson Samuel Elliot Youmans

Krysta and Christine Uhlhorn, her Aunt and my sister-in-law

Krysta, Christine and my wife Becky

Krysta and my son Samuel Nathan

Christine, Phoebe and Christine's friend Dave Hill

Our hosts, Krysta, Phoebe and Chris Jarvis. Nice food table eh!

Phoebe handing out presents

Dave, Christine & Becky

Sam and his wife Megan

Phoebe opening gifts

Sam, Megan and myself. Sam is 6'9" and is holding up a gift

that says "I've Had It Up To Here With Short People"

Christine & Dave

Sam with his son Sammy

Phoebe with Chris in the background

Sam-he found the pickle

Sammy-7 months old

Christine holding Sammy with Phoebe in front

Becky, Christine & me

A NEW YEARS TRADITION-PIGS IN A BLANKET

New Years is a time for new beginnings, second chances. There is a long history of eating sauerkraut and pork on New Years with the family. It is supposed to bring wealth, blessings and good luck to those who participate. I have been making pigs in a blanket for over 30 years on New Years. My family never made them but our neighbor, Kate Johnson, always made them for her family and I gladly partook. Two of my best friends were Terry and John Johnson, Kate's sons. I always looked forward to watching the Rose Bowl with them and eating pigs.

My recipe is not the one Kate made. She used sour head cabbages, and there were other differences. However, my recipe is clearly inspired by Kate. I owe this to her. We always called these pigs in a blanket. Others have different names for it such as cabbage rolls, etc. There are pig recipes that are nothing like this one. It doesn't really matter what you call it, it is what it is.

Part of my goal for this blog is collecting favorite family recipes. We have shared some already. This one is mine and I would like to share it with you,

PIGS IN A BLANKET

3 LB Ground Beef

2 LB Ground Pork

1 1/2 Cups Long Grain Rice

6 Eggs Beaten

3/4 Tsp. Paprika

1/2 Cup Parsley

1/2 Tsp. Thyme

1 Tbl Caraway Seed

2 Heads Cabbage (I use one regular and one red)

1 QT. V8 Juice

1 QT. Tomato Juice

1 Cup Minced Onion

1 Tsp. Garlic Minced

4 LB Sauerkraut ( I use 2 Lbs. Polish Style, One LB regular, and 1 LB sweet Bavarian style)

Preparing the cabbage:

Cut the stems from the cabbage so that the leaves can be separated. Like peeling an onion, separate the outer leaves of the cabbage until all are separated and the remaining leaves are to small to be used. Once separated, place leaves in boiling water for a couple minutes to soften them and then cool under running cold water to stop the cooking process. This will take some time to get through all the leaves so be patient. Once completed, set aside.

Preparing the mixture:

Mix beef, pork, spices except caraway seed, rice, and eggs thoroughly together.

Assembling:

Take the mixture, about 1 Tbl.  at a time and wrap in a cabbage leaf. Place in the bottom  of a deep roasting pan. Once you have a layer in the bottom, add some sauerkraut to the top of the layer, add some caraway seed and then pour some V8 juice over that.. Continue process layer after layer until mixture is gone. Alternate between the V8 juice and tomato juice.

Cooking:

Preheat the oven to 325 and place roasting pan in oven Cook for about 3-4 hours until done. This can be frozen, served later, or served immediately.

Options:

I usually place in the bottom of the roasting plan before creating my first layer, a small slab of St. Louis Style spare ribs. It adds another dimension of flavor and texture to the dish.

If you try them, let me know what you think and any variations you use. I am getting ready to continue the tradition at my home. My kids are on their own now and my daughter is making them and my son is still eating them.

Happy New Years

 

HAZEL VICTORIA VAUTIER

Hazel was my Grandmother and a very special person. I loved her very much. She was also a very interesting person. I don't remember any special recipes of hers. Maybe she didn't have any. I don't remember her baking bread, pies or cookies. I do remember her as fun to talk to and great to spend time with. Grandma died in 1976 shortly after I got out of college. I remember all through college, when I would be home, going over and spending time with my Aunt Ruth Gottschall and my Grandmother at Ruth's house.  They were both very special people. I wish I had been more inquisitive at that time and documented more of what we talked about.

As I understand it, from stories I recall, Hazel was born with a veil over her face. This is similar to having a hood over your face when you are born. People born with veils over their face are said to be caulbearers.  These people are believed to be possessed with special powers which vary from culture to culture. In the case of my Grandma, she always told us that she had some psychic powers that would let her see the future at times. I don't know if this is true or not but the stories are fascinating. She recalled once she had a vision of the moon hanging low in the night sky and attached to a string. She wasn't sure what it meant but the next day President Warren Harding died and she believed that what she saw was a sign about his pending death. She told stories about seeing Satan in her back yard which foreshadowed the depression. I wish I could remember all her stories. I don't recall her talking about this in later years.

My Grandfather Samuel Harvey Youmans was less than an ideal husband. They lived in Hopewell, Virginia after they were married and all six of their children were born there. During the depression, they migrated to Sebring, Ohio which was a pottery center. They came for the jobs. There apparently weren't any in Virginia but the potteries were working and had jobs. These weren't boutique like potteries we see today, they were dinner ware manufacturers and produced large quantities of dinner ware. My Grandfather eventually left the family and my Grandmother managed to keep the family together in Sebring through this tough period. My Grandfather eventually remarried, and upon his second wife's death, married again to her sister. They remained in the area the entire time. I don't remember my Grandfather very well as I was pretty young when he died. I just remember recalling what seemed to be a strained relationship between my Father and him and that through the years, only visiting him maybe twice.

I remember that my Grandmother loved to sing and dance. Music was important to her. She seemed to be a loving soul who enjoyed life fully. She was a fun person. I wish I had more stories about her and more pictures of her. At the top of this post is a picture of her when she was only three. She grew up in Camden, New Jersey. She is buried in Highland Memorial Cemetery, Sebring, Ohio in the Youmans family section surrounded by her loved ones and family that she so cherished.

Anyone with more information or photos to share will be greatly appreciated. I welcome all comments and contributions.

FAVORITE GETAWAY

I imagine most everyone has a favorite place they like to get away to when possible. It might be a cabin on a lake, a favorite resort, a Summer home. For Becky and me, it's Galena, Illinois. Galena is a small town of about 3500 people with a very big history. It is located in the Northwest corner of Illinois only a few minutes from both Iowa and Wisconsin not far from the Mississippi River. Today it is primarily a tourist and recreation area. At one time, it was much more.



Galena was founded as a community in 1826 and started as a lead mining boom town. In fact the name Galena is a type of lead ore. One of the original houses in the town is still standing and is a primitive tourist attraction called the Dowling house, below. Galena was an economic powerhouse prior to the Civil War. It was a major trade and transportation center as a result of its location just off the Mississippi River on the Galena River, a tributary that saw riverboat and commerce traffic for over two decades. It was larger and more important than Chicago. Unfortunately, the railroad became more important than river traffic as a means of shipping goods, and with the lead mines dying out, Chicago became the more important town. It was 1854 before a railroad reached Galena and it was a branch line of the Illinois Central Railroad.



Galena was the home to US Grant when the Civil War started. It was also home to eight other Union Civil War generals. After the war, Galena built a house for General Grant, below, which you can visit today without charge. Also, most of Grant's original furniture is still in the house today. Every April Galena hosts the Grant family reunion. They have people dressing up in period dress including Civil War re-enactors.



It was also home to Elihu Washburne who was the Congressman from Galena who became Secretary of State under Grant. When we visit Galena, we generally stay at the Desoto House. It is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Illinois. It was built in  1855. It was where Grant had his campaign headquarters when he was elected President. It has had many notables grace its doors including President Lincoln who made speeches from its balcony, President Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain who was a good friend of President Grant, and others to numerous to mention.


Desoto House

Courtyard Restaurant in the Desoto House

Lobby at Christmas in the Desoto House

We have visited Galena at all times of the year but love it before Christmas. It is very festive and their Christmas parade, which takes all of ten minutes, is something to behold. They also have a luminaria day which is truly magnificent (not being facetious this time). We generally park our car in the hotel garage and walk every where we go. We like it because of the history, shops, restaurants, and bars, They have a craft beer brewer (Trivia fact-Red Stripe was originally brewed in Galena), a distillery that makes vodka, gin and other spirits, and very good winery. The brewery is also an excellent restaurant with live entertainment on the weekends. in fact they have several pubs with live entertainment that are must visits.

We have several favorite restaurants, in fact to many to visit each time. The one place we always visit is Vinny's Little Italy. If you like Italian food, this is as good as any I've ever had. What is great about Vinny's, and all Galena restaurants, is that they provide very generous portions. You just can't eat it all. The Desoto House has three restaurants and one of our favorite bars. The formal restaurant is the Generals, the Courtyard pictured above which is open for breakfast and lunch and has a Sunday buffet that is hard to beat, and the Green Street Restaurant and Tavern. We love the tavern. We like to sit in the front windows and people watch the folks strolling along Main Street. There are always people strolling along Main Street. Another famous restaurant is Fried Green Tomatoes.   

Fried Green Tomatoes

Vinny's Little Italy

The Generals

Green Street Tavern

There are a half dozen other very good restaurants including the Log Cabin which is a Greek Steak House, Campeche's which is a Mexican Restaurant, the Brasserie which is a high end gourmet restaurant, One Eleven North which is a restaurant which highlights local grown products and cuisine, a couple burger and pizza places (not McDonalds or Papa Johns) that are also very good for lunch. There are a couple breakfast and lunch places also.

Galena is known for their golf courses. There are to many to count within the area the most famous and challenging of them being the General, naturally. There is also skiing, downhill and cross country, in the Winter. Boating and canoeing, hiking and camping in the Summer. Something for everyone.

One item of interest. Do you remember the green curtains from "Gone With The Wind"  that Scarlet O'Hara made into a dress? Anyway, they are in Galena and displayed in the Belvidere House which is open for tours during the Summer. The owner, who still lives there, is a collector of Hollywood memorabilia and you can find many pieces on display, some of which once were owned by Liberace.

Belvidere House

Anyway, this is me and Becky's favorite get away place. It is only 2 1/2 hours from our home and easy to get to. We have thought about buying a place there but the old hotel is just to nice to stay in and it just wouldn't be the same then. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this article. I would love to hear about your family favorites. After all, these places are part of our family history and future generations may just want to know about these places and why we loved them.