Chocolate Traditions

It just isn't Christmas around here without The Chocolate Angel Pie that my mother in law handed down to us.

Meringue crust with a whipped cream and German Chocolate filling.

Some strong coffee in with the chocolate and cream.

Ginka's Pie

Crust Meringue

1/2 Cup finely chopped Pecans or Walnuts nuts are optional here.

3 egg whites room temperature.

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 Cup sugar

butter a 9 inch pie pan bottom only.

heat oven to 450 degrees

Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Then add sugar a little at a time as you continue to beat.  At the end mix in the vanilla and fold in the nuts. Spoon into pie pan making a nest shape. Put in oven and turn off oven heat. Leave pie  meringue  in oven at least 3 hours or overnight as oven cools meringue will cook.

Filling

1 bar German Sweet chocolate. 

1 Cup heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks with 1/8th cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.

2 tbsp strong black coffee

Melt chocolate stir in the coffee.  Cool slightly. Gently fold into the whipped cream. Stirring as little as possible.  Pile into cooled pie crust.

Chill at least 2 hours. 

That says Merry Christmas by the forkful.

Anne~

Daughter Amy started a new tradition by making a 1905 salad from the Columbia Restaurant. 

gifts and paper everywhere

Sammy unwrapping

Brennan with.....?

cousins loving the bounce house Fire Truck

Fire trucks by the score.

Uncles giving advise.

Happiness

PJ's on Christmas Eve

Getting on all the protective gear for skate boarding!

Nothing better than holding a cute baby !

Grampa  with Mya

A little egg scrambling!

We always cook too much!

It was bedlam and we ate so much!

Josh got us a magnificent prime rib and Amy got a huge Honey Ham

We cooked a huge amount of goodies.  

Daughter in law made a fabulous Pineapple souffle. I wish I got a picture of it.  

I am stuffed and full of memories. 

Family time is treasured. We live so far apart. Daughter had to leave before dinner to get to work so she will get lots of left overs tomorrow. 

Every moment of connection with each other a midst the hustle and bustle, the wrappings, the work schedules, shopping, phone calls, and endless interruptions of busy life is a blessing. The older I get the more I realize that life's memories are the string of pearls we make from these little moments in time when we are sharing our lives with each other. Time passes so quickly. We are all so busy and blessings come with the gift of time we spend with each other. 

Thank you to God for all our many blessings and Happy Birthday to our Lord and Savior Jesus.