This post is special! My sweet Aunt Bonnie shares wonderful memories of the holidays when she was growing up and bonus, some family recipes!! She of course picked some of our family’s’ all-time favorite desserts! Makes my mouth water just thinking about them! Let’s get into it!

Bonnie Czoer

What’s the first thing you think of when you think of the holidays? I think for most of us … its food and family. Growing up in northern IN in the middle of countless cornfields and farms, we celebrate by making home-cooked food and gathering together to enjoy the company of family.

Walk down memory lane

My first memories of celebrating the holidays were going to my grandparent’s house. I would walk thru the door of that farmhouse and take in the aroma of the spices from grandma’s cooking already nearly complete and the heat from grandpa having the wood-burning stove radiating heat too hot for everyone but him. We would wear our special outfits that day but always ended up stripping those warm sweaters and accessories off before we even sat down to eat lunch because the house was so hot. The heat may have been from having so many family members in that small house and that small kitchen being in overdrive for so many hours, but overall, the wood-burning stove put out sooo much heat.

It would be mentioned over and over how hot it was in the house but no one left early. No one changed plans for the day. No one would have it any other way. The family was key to everything when it came to the holidays. It was a given that we would spend the day eating, playing with our cousins, being sent outside to “run around the house” when we had too much energy, napping, and then eating the leftovers again. No one left for shopping. No one left for another family gathering. Not one stayed home or skipped it. The family gathering was what you did during the holidays.

Typical menu

I could write for days on all my memories from my childhood during the holidays, but Sydney has asked me to share some thoughts on holiday desserts with you for her blog. So I’ll try to stick to that as best that I can. We primarily went to Grandma Kate and Grandpa Andy’s house for Thanksgiving. I’ll start with the basics: Grandma’s turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, dressing (regular and “with oysters), homemade turkey gravy (that you would put on well… everything!), green beans, corn, 24-hour salad, and the MOST important thing… her homemade yeast rolls! Oh, those rolls make my mouth water just thinking about them.

It never occurred to me until I was married with children as to how we always had enough food for all those people. Grandma’s kitchen is so small, yet the amount of food that was prepared for that meal was always plentiful. We never ran out and there was always enough for leftovers for supper that evening. The preparation and planning for that meal was never a chore placed on any one person. Everyone came thru the door with LOTS of food to share. Oh and how this family could cook… Yummy!

Schedule of the day

Mealtime was always announced by Grandpa hollering that it was time for the Blessing. Everyone would gather close to the kitchen, and bow our heads for prayer. The comforting voice of my Grandpa thanking the Lord for our many blessings. Embracing each one of us with his old-time preaching ways. It was just the beginning of a wonderful day of family. There was always a designated “Kid Table”, where the youngest would sit together. Their mothers would work their way through the line first. Then the rest of the family would make their way through that amazing line of goodness.

There was never enough room on your plate for everything that you wanted to eat, so most would resort to “piling”. You’ve all seen it and done it… the roll gets placed on top of the meat so it doesn’t get soggy, the food that might run into something else gets placed next to the “blockers” (those items that would keep it from touching the other side of your plate). We’ve all played that game 🙂

The amount of conversation was endless. The ladies discussing new recipes, where they had found the best sales items at the grocery, etc. The men spoke about the crops, the weather, politics, or the recent sports scores. As children, we didn’t listen to any of that. We ate as much as our mothers said we had to ”try” and then we moved on to playing. Oh, good times… it makes me smile when I think of those days.

Desserts, desserts, DESSERTS

Saying all that, I haven’t even gotten to the BEST part of that meal. There is something to be said for good old fashioned desserts! Today we have Pinterest and Google to find new recipes and new ways of changing up the same old same old. But tried and true is sometimes the ONLY way for holiday desserts.

I’ll start with Grandma’s PIES. The perfection in the crusts and the homegrown fruit in each one can never be duplicated in my eyes (or tastebuds). But I will share my favorite flavor pie with you and you can try your hand at duplicating it. My all-time favorite pie is Gooseberry Pie! Grandma would pick her gooseberries once a year and freeze them in perfect portions for making pies later in the year. That was part of the thrill of enjoying that piece of pie… once those berries were gone, there were no more gooseberry pies until the next season when the berries came on. The pie is tart from the berries and sweet from the amount of sugar added and then that perfect crust!

Recipe #1

The next dessert was added to the family lineup at some point and I’m not really sure who to credit for this one. It’s the Peanut Butter Pie (or Crumbly Pie, as Becca calls it)! This pie shouldn’t be assembled too far in advance. You want the flavors to blend but not to leave the crust soggy. And one word of advise… once you cut into this pie, it should be consumed within a few hours due to sogginess, which usually isn’t a problem in our family. This needs to be refrigerated (or placed in the garage when it’s REALLY cold out and there’s no more room in the fridge 🙂

Recipe #2

Finally, I’ll leave you with something called Banana Split Salad. This is a very sweet dessert that you can stand over the pan and eat with a spoon. I speak from experience… you only live once, right? It is so simple to assemble and will delight most anyone. My mom made this so many times over the years and it reminds me of her when I see the recipe.

Recipe #3

I forgot to mention that I am a bit of a recipe hoarder. My joy comes from pouring over recipe books and planning what I could make next from the ingredients that I have in the pantry or freezer already. Holiday preparation is no different. I relish in the fact that this is a wonderful family trait that I am carrying on. My Grandma also enjoys “reading” cookbooks and my mom was always mailing me her latest new recipes that she thought I would enjoy. I have shared with my children the love of cooking and bringing family together for the holidays. Hopefully, someday they also will look back at their holiday memories and smile when they think of the homemade goods that were a part of their past.

I wish you peace and well-being this holiday season. Maybe instead of spinning those recipes into a “new” creation this year, go with the tried and true ones from family gathers in the past.

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Doesn’t that just make you want to go home and bake?! I can definitely attest that all of those recipes are incredible! I highly recommend wowing your family with these options this year! No one will be disappointed! Drop your favorite holiday dessert in the comments below!

Want more recipes from the blog? You can find them here! Plus, don’t forget to share to be entered in the Blogmas giveaway!