My Grandfather

This is not a fun post about living in Chicago or a quest for fried chicken. It won’t be witty or include any Southern colloquialisms. Feel free to stop reading here.

Since I was a little girl, I have always turned to pen and paper when it comes to my feelings to organize my thoughts. The people most important to me have been on the receiving end of handwritten (or typed) notes since I can remember—love notes, apology letters and thinking of you emails. My mind is swimming, and I need a place to let out my emotions.

I am on a plane right now traveling to Philadelphia to join my family as we wait for my maternal grandfather to finally succumb to dementia, which has ravaged his brain and now is shutting down his body one system at a time. With any luck, he will finally let go by the time we make our way to Williamsport.

Eatin’ High on the Hog: My Family’s New Year’s Food Traditions

Mixing the specken dicken batter on New Year’s Eve

I’m going to let the cat out of the bag…technically I’m Yankee-born, BUT I am Southern by the grace of God. Although, I spent 25 of my 31 years in South Carolina, I was born in New Jersey, and my parents—and much of my extended family–hail from Pennsylvania. So why am I sharing this with you? Well, this post is a little different. Instead of sharing a bit of the South or the Midwest, I wanted to share some of my family’s food traditions.

Every New Year’s my mom, step-dad and I join my extended family in Sinking Spring, PA. We come from Chicago (obviously!), South Carolina (double obvious!!), Massachusetts, Connecticut, Minnesota and Pennsylvania, and although we are one family, we bring with us different regional and familial traditions.

This year there were 18 of us mostly under one roof, ranging from 10 months to 83 years old. We watched college bowl games, celebrated the ball drop and exchanged Christmas gifts. There was even a fun side trip to the family-run Blair Vineyards for a wine tasting. However, when we are together, we spend much of our visit in the kitchen partaking in a tradition we call “grazing.”

Now, check out some of my family’s favorite New Year’s food traditions.