Day 1 - Traditions

Welcome to the 7 days of Giveaways!

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We don't really talk about ourselves much on this blog (and that is by design) but today I thought we could start out our 7 Days talking about Tradition.  I hope by posting a Christmas tradition we have in our family that it will cause you to think about traditions in your own family. 

I am guessing...as with many of you one of our favorite traditions involves food.  

Enchiladas to be exact.

My mother was Portuguese (Azores) and these enchiladas were tradition in my family.  We learned to make them as children because as you will soon see, the recipe calls for many hands to help.  We continue to make and eat these each Christmas Eve.  I know the recipe might seem odd...hard boiled eggs in enchiladas?  but I can attest to the fact that an entire tray of them will be devoured that evening (we always make 2 trays because they are even better the next day).  So even though this might not seem like a holiday meal...it means something special to our family.

This is my mothers recipe, the one she used to teach me and the same one I have used to younger family members.  It is stained and there are words spelled wrong (typical for our family) but it is in her handwriting which makes it all the better.  We have tweaked the recipe over the years but just slightly... by adding more cheese to the mix and I always seem to need more eggs for the top so I just boil a dozen to be safe.  You can always add sliced olives instead of whole.  My dad did not like olives so my mother always used whole so they would be easy for him to pick out.  She loved him like that.

 

I thought I might share some candid shots of the youngest family members making the enchiladas.  These photos were taken last Christmas Eve to document the process.  The kids know the recipe and their specific job because they have been taught by their mother, my niece Courtney, who was taught by my mother as a young child.  

Tradition.

Everybody is at their station and ready to start!

 Britney dips the tortilla in Wesson oil, then drains off the excess.

 Skyler dips the tortilla into the Las Palmas/tomato sauce then hands it over to mom for filling,

 Across the table, Courtney adds the filling to the enchilada then it moves it on to the cheese station.

 As I look at this picture I am wondering what in the heck is all the stuff on my kitchen counter?  Looks like an episode of Hoarders.

 Maddie adds cheese to the inside, then slides the tray to Ellie...

Courtney rolls it up and holds while Ellie adds two toothpicks (always 2), one on each end. 

 

 Ellie is only 3 but she takes her toothpick job very seriously.

 Almost done

 Add a bit more Las Palmas to the top before adding the last of the cheese, eggs slices and olives.

 Here are the finished enchiladas waiting for to go into the oven.  

350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

 I hope this post has you thinking about your traditions.

How about some journaling prompts?

What Holiday traditions do you have in your family?

Which traditions are the most important?  why?

What is the longest running tradition?  

What is your favorite tradition you had as a child?

Use these prompts to journal about your family traditions, make a scrapbook page, or just write the story down for later generations.  If you participate in a Holiday dinner it might be fun to give each person a 4 x 6" card to write down their favorite tradition, then share it with the group.  It's all about keeping the traditions going so we remain connected to our past, then sharing it with family or friends.

To enter today's Giveaway of a stash of 7gypsies products just leave us a comment.  If you like, you can tell us about a tradition in your family and if you want to go a step further you can always send us an email with a story and photo if you have one. 
But remember to leave a comment first!  

Day 1 giveaway will close at midnight pacific time.  

Good Luck Everyone!

Come back tomorrow for a new project tutorial and another chance to win!

cheers!

paula