Today, I chat with my sweet husband Ted, and he shares how we met, his thoughts about traditional foods, and his favorite board games and movies. Plus, our sweet son Ben joins us to wish you a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
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Table of Contents
Traditional Foods
In the video, I ask my sweet husband about his thoughts on traditional foods and the types of recipes that he enjoys the most.
You will have a chuckle when you hear my husband’s description of when he first learned about Kombucha. Although he understands the benefits of Kombucha, he approaches any Kombucha SCOBY with apprehension!
Ted shares a funny story where he recounts how one SCOBY blew the lid off of one of my kitchen containers as it was growing. And he was especially concerned about the massive size of the SCOBY that you can see in my Beginner’s Guide to Kombucha Making video. The detailed steps in my tutorial video make a generous batch of Kombucha!
Among other traditional foods, Ted loves eating fresh sourdough bread and ferments, including fermented Giardiniera. And although he never liked beets before meeting me, he was surprised and delighted to discover that he loves my pickled beets recipe.
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Jams and Water Bath Canning
When Ted and I were first married, he didn’t know about the water bath canning process. So the first time I made homemade jam and water bath canned it, he was fascinated by the process.
But his biggest surprise was how much sugar can go into jam, especially when making marmalade. He reserves marmalade as a treat, and instead, prefers my low sugar and no sugar strawberry jams on his sourdough toast for breakfast.
Salt Rising Bread
My sweet husband and I chat about his heritage, both on his dad’s side and his mom’s. And one memory that we share with you is about Salt Rising Bread.
Growing up in West Virginia, my father-in-law loved Salt Rising Bread. It reminded him of his youth and being raised on a farm. I’m so glad that I was able to recreate this bread in memory of him, and I am so thankful for all the comments that I’ve received from viewers letting me know that this recipe brought back fond memories to them and their parents.
I always enjoyed talking about traditional foods and farming with my father-in-law, who was an agronomist. He had a passion to help farmers raise crops so they could feed the world. He has since gone to heaven, and I miss the time and love he shared with me.
Our Family Heritage
Rekindling memories, Ted talks about the wonderful times he had with his dad and our son. Plus, he also shares how he has so enjoyed getting to know more about his family heritage, especially on his mom’s side.
Our family is blessed with many cultures, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to recreate recipes that bring back wonderful memories. We’ve celebrated Chinese New Year with my mother-in-law with a favorite meal—a delicious blend of salmon, rice noodles, and veggies. With his Irish heritage, my dad always enjoyed our St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and loved eating my Traditional Corned Beef And Cabbage Recipe. And my mom always enjoys Cioppino, our Italian Fish Stew recipe.
Board Games
Ted also talks about how easy-listening music brings back memories of going to the hobby shop as a child with his dad. He recalls looking through all the strategy games, model soldiers, and hobby supplies with his dad while easy-listening music played in the background throughout the store.
When we first met, I introduced Ted to KNCT-FM, which is the easy-listening station in our area that I’m happy to support. He loved it right away, and it’s been playing in our household ever since our son was born. (During this holiday season, we’ve been listening to Christmas music from Andy Williams, the Carpenters, and other talented musicians on KNCT-FM.)
Ted loves playing board games with his family and friends, and he especially likes playing Eurogames with their beautiful artwork and pieces. Unlike board games, such as Monopoly and Risk, where players can get knocked out of the game early, most Eurogames promote social interaction without player elimination and favor game mechanics and strategy over luck.
In the video, my sweet husband talks about some of the board games he likes, including Everdell, and he shares how he has enjoyed playing this game with me and our son Ben. As a family, we have played many types of Eurogames together over the years, and we keep a precious game journal to record what we played and what we all thought of the game!
Everdell gives you the best of what Eurogames have to offer. This board game boasts gorgeous artwork of anthropomorphic animals, an exquisite game board, and delightful playing pieces.
Star Wars
Lastly, we talk about how Star Wars has been a big part of our family. Our son enjoyed Star Wars action figures and games during the Clone Wars, and our dog’s name is Obi-Wan. Obi is older and a bit slower now, but you can see her enjoying vintage cookbooks with me in the following video.
Our family loved seeing The Child sipping bone broth in the first season of the Mandalorian, and we just finished watching the second season of the Mandalorian series on Disney+. (Spoiler alert: You find out what The Child’s name is!) What an excellent addition to the Star Wars universe!
Merry Christmas!
In closing, Ted, Ben, and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed New Year! And we even sing you a little song!
Enjoy a wonderful holiday season with family and friends, and remember to take a little time now and again to get to know the older members of your family better. You’ll be amazed at what they share. Those precious memories will serve to comfort you and live on as part of your family history for years to come!
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I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
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