Thankful Day 21

The major theme for today was the annual making of potica (poh-teet-sa), a Slovenian walnut bread.  My mother has two recipes which she got from her mother (requires kneading) and from her aunt Julia (no kneading).  When I was a child, we’d invite all the neighborhood children over to help make it as the hand stretching of the dough and spreading of the nut filling on the dough is a job for many hands.  My childhood friends often ask if my mother still makes potica, some have even asked my mother if they could help make it again.  Personally I do not like potica, but I do like the nut filling and insist that I get some if I help since I do not eat the bread.  Making this bread is a large undertaking so if you ever receive some homemade potica, it is a major compliment.

Today my son and I, along with my sister and her two kids, helped my mother make a double batch of Aunt Julia’s potica.  It is a family tradition and it has been a while since all of us could be together to make it.  So today I am thankful for family holiday traditions.