I think we all have traditions that we share with our families and friends. I get very sentimental around the holidays because that’s where a lot of traditions are born. Most of my holiday traditions growing up were centered around my grandmother’s house. I had always been closer to my grandparents on my mother’s side. We called her mamaw. Both sets of grandparents were affectionately called mamaw and papaw. I believe it’s a thing of the south 
I remember fondly of being in her house around the holidays and it was always so warm and cozy and smelled of the most delicious aromas. You always felt welcome there and never needed an invitation to come in. Her door was always open. Although my family still gets together for the holidays, she was definitely the glue that held us together. I miss her very much and can still hear her funny little laugh she had. We still carry on the traditions around Thanksgiving and Christmas but it’s still just not the same.
I don’t know of too many grandmothers who don’t have recipes to hand down even though the dishes don’t come out like grandmas. I found this to be true of a lot of recipes that were my mamaws. I’m sure it was that extra pinch and dash of love they put into everything they made. I used to love to watch my mamaw cook. She rarely used a mixer because everything she did she either had her hands in it or she used good ole elbow grease. I love my kitchen gadgets but I do find myself just using my own two hands a lot.
My husband and his family didn’t have a grandmother or a mamaw they had a Gabby.I never was fortunate enough to meet Gabby but from the stories I hear she was a vivacious ,spunky little woman who was always the life of the party. Sometime after her passing one of her granddaughters compiled a book of her recipes to give away to the family as gifts. It’s full of all kinds of recipes that were very much traditions for their family and most of them are in her original handwriting which makes it even more special 
I love recipes. I love looking at all kinds of cook books. I know I definitely get that from my mother. She has a huge collection of them. I am always scanning tons of them for inspiration. I like to take the recipes that were childhood favorites and convert them to being vegan. Some are challenging but I love a challenge Tonights challenge is a Gabby favorite and it’s a Moravian Sugar Cake. Before marrying my husband I had never heard of such a thing. He is from Ohio and it is very much a holiday favorite. My challenge is not so much about making it vegan but downsizing it. Her recipe makes a huge quantity. So here goes Gabby……
Moravian Sugar Cake
( Note I halved everything to make a smaller batch) This is her recipe as it reads
Pre-heat oven to 375
3/4 cup Earth Balance
1 cup mashed potato
1 cup sugar
2 eggs( I used chia eggs 1 Tbsp chia seeds to 1/4 cup water per egg)
2 packages yeast in 1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
Mix above ingredients and add 3 cups all-purpose flour and let stand 5 minutes
Add an additional 2 cups of flour
Place into 8 inch pans and punch holes in tops. Drizzle melted butter and 2 cups brown sugar + 5 tsp cinnamon.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Behold the wonderful flavor of a yeast cake with a brown sugary crusted top. Can you smell it?
Do you have favorite traditions in your family ? What are they?
Life is short so cherish those that you love 
Have a great evening!
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Before I started running I used to walk hills a lot but have gotten out that routine a bit so now let the fun begin. I will be posting my stats here on my blog just to keep me accountable and on track. I really am excited and know it’s the beginning of an adventure. Wish me luck 
