The Tradition Checklist

I'll start right out and say that if you are looking for a recipe on this post, there isn't one. I encourage you to continue reading, but no recipe here. 

This time of year is about many things including food, which definitely is present in this post, but this is a post about me, my family and how I see our traditions carrying on and hopefully it inspires you to create your own or carry on those that have been passed down to you.

I thought of this post when, a few days ago, I took my son Julian and my photo equipment over to my Grandma's house so I could document a family tradition that has been going on around 50 years. As you can tell by the photo's, one of my families traditions is rolling homemade Kielbasa. 

I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would take my brother Josh and I over to my grandma's about a week or so before Christmas and assist all our uncles and cousins in this tradition. Usually it was a crank or two on the grinder, or throwing some meat in the grinder or maybe Dad teaching me how to feed the casing on the nozzle or rolling the Kielbasa as it came out, but mostly, it was a chance for all of us kids to get together and play. As the years moved along and the getting together for this tradition was a little more about rolling the Kielbasa and less about the playing, I began to appreciate that this is something that had been done for generations before me, yet I didn't fully comprehend until I had a family of my own just how much something like rolling the Kielbasa means to me. Once I had kids I really starting thinking about what I want to leave as my legacy when I'm gone. What things will I do to tell my children that what this life is about isn't the small material things like a house, car, laptop, or camera; life is about family, great friends, actions speaking louder than words, and the TRADITIONS we set forth for those we leave behind to continue and pass on? Creating things that can be passed on are how we know we will still matter once our time is up. 

This is also why I take such pride in my photography. I look at my photography different than many photographers. I love the feeling I get when I am taking a photo and I know I got it, THE shot. The shot that is going to make someone smile with joy when they look at it. My hope is that Joy is but one of many emotions that come to them while looking at all the photos I take. As a father, I know how emotional it can be to have a truly wonderful photo of your children. I have a History degree in Education and I love History, see it everywhere all around us all the time, but the most important History is our own family histories. When I am on a photo shoot I like to think of my time with those people as them letting me into their family's history for a short time to capture their life as it is right now. It is also my hope that someday, years from now, when they look over the course of their family's history, they can look at the photos I've captured for them and the pictures I've taken can bring up all these great emotions when looking at their child, children, or entire family. I like to think of what I do as "Capturing History with Every Press of the Shutter". 


So as you can see I always think about what I will leave behind and that is no different than my photography business itself. Right now it's not a huge, successful business, something I hope I grow it into, but when I was looking at a name for my business, I thought about J. Malec Photography, or Jeremy Malec Photography, but ended up with Malec Photography. I ended here for the simple fact that I won't always be here, but a Malec will (at least for the next generation). It's my hope one of my children learn photography so if they take over the business hopefully it would be a seamless transition in-so-far as the business is already in their name. 

Family traditions are a huge part of what life is about. Getting together with four generations; my Grandma, My Dad, Me, and My son, documenting for posterity the family Tradition of rolling Kilbasa is important to me. It is my hope that one day I will be standing where my Grandma is with my hand on one of, or all of my children's shoulder's while my Grandchild and great grandchild take part in the tradition. 

Trisha and I are creating our own Tradition Checklist with our family, a lot around the holiday's. Two such examples are that we roll out, cut and bake Christmas cookies together and every Christmas Eve we all get a new pair of Pajama's to wear for Christmas morning. We are constantly thinking of news one's and are even thinking when the kids get older of cutting down our own Christmas Tree. 

I hope by reading my post you tend to agree and look at your family in a whole new light. Maybe you want to take something we do, like the new PJ's (we took that as well), or you want to create your own traditions. I hope you just give a little thought to what your kids are going to remember and what things they will want to do when they start families of their own. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

~Jeremy

Slow Cookin' Chicken Curry

"I hope this is good cause its freaking easy....". 

Those are the words I heard when I walked in from the cold one recent December evening. Of course, I know Trisha is talking about tonight's meal, yet I'm still curious as to what exactly is so easy to cook yet complex enough to make Trish wonder if its any good. So, my senses keenly aware, I notice the crockpot out and a jar of salsa next to it and what looks to be another one of her Pampered Chef spices to the right of that. Having been married almost six years, I know Trisha's flavor profile pretty well and when she says "I Hope its good", that tells me she's cooking with a relatively unknown ingredient. As we continue doing this blog, one of my goals is to increase my ability to differentiate food groups and spice profiles by smell and flavor and all the other things that encompass a well rounded and educated food blogger. On this occasion, my rookie senses get humbled pretty quickly. I walk up to the crockpot and gently remove the lid to have my face engulfed in a robust aroma of chicken cooking with something those rookie senses don't yet pick up. I keep my eyes closed trying to quiz my senses, coming up with many guesses. I smell the chicken and salsa, the obvious aroma's yet I can sense a little heat from somewhere yet can't place the spice. As I finally give up, realizing I have a long way to go in my culinary experiences, I grab the spice bottle and see "Thai Red Curry Rub". 

I've heard the word curry many times while watching the food network and shows like Master Chef, but truthfully I had no idea what it was. Here is the description right off the back of the bottle. 

An exotic blend of lime, lemongrass and garlic bring out the true flavors of traditional Thai. Add it to meat, poultry, seafood and Asian-inspired soups, noodles and stir-fry.

Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts

3/4 cup thinly sliced onion

1 thinly sliced sweet red pepper

1 cup salsa

1 tbsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 cloves garlic

2 cups fresh green beans trimmed

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups uncooked instant rice

Cooking Instructions:

1.Place thawed chicken, onion, and red pepper in the slow cooker.  Combine salsa, curry powder, salt, pepper, and  garlic in a bowl.  Pour over top of the chicken mixture.

   

2.Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the chicken is tender.  Stir in green beans.  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened and green beans are soft but crispy.

3.Bring chicken broth to a boil, in a large sauce[an; stir in rice.  Cover, remove from heat.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Fluff with a fork.  Serve with chicken and sauce.

As for the meal itself, it was packed with tons of flavor and what made it so appealing is that besides being easy to make, this meal is a really healthy meal. Having that in mind, I decided to make it less healthy and go back for another half serving. What? You make this meal and if you can tell me you didn't go back for at least another bite or two after you were done with the first helping, I'll make sure a statue will be erected in your honor. Personally, I just don't have the will power to say no to a little bit more of an amazing dish, and sadly, that is plainly obvious. :) Try it out though, and I bet you can't resist the temptation for seconds.

I will tell you what I told Trisha after I was done, sitting and relaxing with a cup of coffee. I told her there was no need to "hope it was good" because it was simply amazing that something so delightful could come out of a crockpot. Until Trisha made shredded Chicken Tacos from the crockpot (A delicious future post), I just thought crockpots were used for meatballs, chicken wings, and baked beans. I didn't think a restaurant quality meal could come out of a slow cooker ready to serve over a simple bed of white rice. I was obviously wrong. This meal is so very simple and delicious you have to try it.  I just Hope you do it sooner rather than later because you will have a meal you will be cooking regularly all winter. Enjoy!