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    A Kitchen Inspired by Baking Tradition

    The holidays- I join a majority of my kin in stating that the holidays are my favorite time of the year. When I was younger, the holidays meant playing outside in the leaves, getting snow days from school, fun crafts, and of course, all of the yummy foods! Now that I have a young family of my own, the holidays represent a plethora of things, but most importantly, closeness with my family.

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    A classic sugar cookie.

    I guess you could say it is my mission as a parent and wife to keep my family close; especially when current times seem so rushed. It’s important to take a breath and really be present with your loved ones. One of my favorite ways to initiate this time of closeness is by keeping up with traditions.

    Traditions, especially those past down through several generations, not only allow you to connect with your present-day family, but also your extended members who have long since past. Our family seemed particularly good in connecting tradition with food. Some were ongoing throughout the year, like having my grandma D’s macaroni salad (made with dill pickles) at every cookout or informal get together. Some traditions were reserved for very specific dates, such as baking a birthday cake on Christmas Eve, then eating cake for breakfast on Christmas Day. Still others depended on certain events that could happen at any point throughout the year.

    Thumbprint Cookies filled with fruit juice sweetened jam.

    I have fond memories of when I was a young girl waiting for the first snow. Not only was it a sign that snow days were in my near future, and Christmas was but a sniff away, but it also meant cookies! My mom learned this tradition from her mom; you always bake cookies on the first day of snow. My younger brother and I would get to pick out the recipe from my mom’s recipe box, which was filled with scraps of paper and hand written recipe cards from Grandmas, Great Aunts, close friends and so on. Inevitably, we always chose a tattered card of our favorite sugar cookie recipe from our Grandma S. We got to take turns dumping in and mixing the ingredients. I always got to crack the eggs because I was the oldest. Mom was so patient with us as she would roll the dough out again and again; letting my brother and me cut out what seemed like a million cookies. We went all out with royal frosting and sprinkles, and made sure that no cookie was left out in the decorating. Any “oops” cookies were put on a plate for our dad to eat when he came home from work. He would always ask us why we didn’t mess up more cookies for him.

    My memories of these times are so vivid and filled with warmth and love. Now that I have a family of my own, complete with two kids, I gladly carry on this tradition with them… even though I swear that my brother and I were far less messy than my two. As a matter of fact, the first snow of the year in Columbus happened on Wednesday, October 23rd. My six year-old woke up, pulled me to the window, pointed to the snow on the ground and said, “Mommy, you know what that means!” So despite the busy Wednesday with school and work, we spent the last two hours of our day making cookies as a family.

    Family traditions are a way to connect the past with the present. Bringing back that feeling of nostalgia and recalling memories of your own childhood, while creating memories for the younger generation. I cherish these times of tradition, for they are momentous gifts that can last a lifetime and beyond. Happy holidays!

    Grandma S’s Sugar Cookie recipe:

    (The perk of this recipe… You don’t chill the dough before rolling out!)

    1 cup unsalted butter, softened
    1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
    1 egg
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    1/2 teaspoon orange extract
    2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In mixing bowl with an electric stand mixer, cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in egg and extracts. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed. Divide dough into 2 balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle about 12 inches wide and 1/8 inch thick. Dip cookie cutter in a little flour to prevent sticking, then cut out desired shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake cookies for 6-7 minutes or until cookies are golden on the edges. Cool completely before decorating. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

    Also, try the thumbprint cookies or the classic sugar cookies featured above.

    What are your favorite holiday traditions? Tell us in an email to [email protected].

    With “A Kitchen Inspired” we will share with you the current and up and coming ingredients, products and cooking methods that inspire our team members, chefs and the kitchen at Whole Foods Market Dublin.

    Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company’s motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement.

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    Mandy Moore
    Mandy Moore
    Mandy Moore is the Associate Team Leader for the Specialty Department at Whole Foods Market in Dublin. She loves to cook for and with her family and prides herself on the making the most fun birthday cakes.
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