Traditions. 
Funny thing, I don't even remember how we started this tradition or how long we have been doing it. 

The thing with traditions:
As you all know we are a military family. 
We move on average every two years. 
Things rarely stay the same for us.
New house.
New friends.
New schools.
New jobs.
New playgrounds.
New  pets.
New restaurants.
New grocery stores.
And that just scratches the surface.

This, my friends, is one of reasons behind my madness. 
So many things in our lives change so often that I need and want stability for our kids, my husband and myself.  
Even with all the change in our lives there are so many things that stay the same and there are many areas where I can help create that stability: 
The 'guts' of our house - even when we can't take all of our worldly things with us we take as many things as possible to help create that "we are home" feeling.
Our true friends. We may make new friends everywhere we go, but we also keep in contact with those we have met over the years.  Thank goodness for Skype, Facebook and Kakao!  :o)
And traditions. Traditions are a huge part of that stability.  Even though I may not remember when, where or why we created a tradition, it is something that doesn't change in this crazy life we live.

                                                                             New Year's Eve Fondue!
As we were sitting around the fondue pot this New Years eve the kids mentioned how every year we invite someone to join us for fondue.  We reminisced about Austin....Austin was Boy 1's BFF in elementary school/Junior high and how he spent a couple of years around our fondue pot ringing in the new year with us.  Girl's friend Lauren, who now lives in Spain is now bugging her mom about start this tradition in their own home.  Connor, Boy 1's BFF from the past 2 years in Texas hung out doing fondue with us last year.  This year was Boy 1's girlfriend.  How awesome is that? 
Tradition.

Reminder:  Cheese coming out of the fondue pot is HOT. 
Don't burn your mouth.

One of the cool things about living in Seoul is that on NYE morning you can run to the fish market to pick up fresh shrimp for fondue.  The uncool thing is that I have to remove the heads. 

Fill fondue pot about 1/2 full of peanut oil.  Heat on high until peanut oil reaches a temperature 350 - 375.  To cook food stab with fondue fork and put in oil.  Cooking time depends on what you are cooking.  Shrimp takes the least amount of time depending on the size of the shrimp.  This is where you will need to experiment.  Chicken & pork need to be cooked all the way through - steak can be cooked rare - well done depending on your preference. 

You can dip shrimp and chicken in Tempura if you so choose.
Feel free to marinate your meats or leave them as is before cooking.
I marinate our steak in Soy Sauce and Montreal Steak Seasoning.
I add salt and pepper to the chicken. 

                              This is actually my FAVORITE thing to eat during the entire fondue experience:

Stuffed mushrooms:
What you will need for stuffed mushrooms:
Large mushroom caps
1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 cup of chives
Tempura Batter.

Mix cream cheese and chives together in a bowl.
Fill mushroom cap with mixture.  Stick fondue fork through the cap in the meaty part of the mushroom.
Dip in tempura, covering ALL AREAS.  Make sure everything is covered in tempura batter or your oil will pop!
Put in oil and cook until golden brown.

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture.

Something new we tried this year was stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon.  That's right, I said bacon.  Mmmmm.

Stuffed Jalapenos:
Large jalapenos
bacon
cream cheese and chive mixture (use the same as the mushrooms)
shrimp
tempura batter

Cut the top off the jalapeno
Slice one side of the jalapeno, keeping it attached
Deseed
Put some of the cream cheese/chive mixture on once side of the jalapeno
Put a shrimp on the other size
Squeeze the jalapeno back together and wrap with a piece of bacon
Stab with fondue fork & dip in tempura batter, again making sure to cover EVERY AREA!!  Put in fondue pot and cook until a deep golden brown. 

Hello beautiful.

A few important thing you need to know about the meat course.
- Have separate plates for uncooked and cooked meats.
- NEVER let the uncooked meat touch your cooked meat plate.
-Do NOT touch uncooked meat with your hands.
- Do NOT eat off fondue fork.  You are sure to burn yourself.
- Place cooked meat on your 'cooked meat plate' and eat with a fork.


                                                                             Fondue Rule:
The only rule in fondue is that if you lose something in the fondue pan during ANY course you must kiss someone of the opposite sex at the table. 

Dessert Fondue.
The last course.
Can you guess what Boy 1 said before this course?

Melt both types of fondue in fondue pot on low heat stir until smooth.

Things for dipping:
Strawberries
Bananas
Pound Cake
Cheese Cake
Blueberries
Raspberries
Marshmallows
Pretzels
Really anything that taste good dipped in chocolate.

Vote on which flavor you like better.
In this house we are 3 for dark, 4 for white.

Fondue starts in our house anytime after noon on New Years Eve.
In between courses we play games, watch movies and just hang out.
5 minutes before the new year we open the sparkling cider!
This year we had sparkling grape and cherry.
As a reminder to myself: Don't ever buy cherry again.

Ringing in the New Year!
Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

                                                       As many of you know my mom has Alzheimer's.
                                                                  (Just FYI, Alzheimer's SUCKS!)
Before Alzheimer's took my sweet Momma from us (she is still alive, but anyone that has lived through Alzheimer's will know what I mean when I say Alzheimer's took my Momma - and sure we still get glimpses of her but it is not the same) she was an amazing cook.  She was a back home, country girl cook and with 10 kids in tow (that's right, that was NOT a typo - I have 9 siblings!) and she could make a meal stretch.  I swear one cup of beans would feed our entire family for a week.  (Oh goodness, I see this post going in a different direction - back on track =  Chocolate Meringue Pie - that is what we are talking about.)  Growing up I LOVED the holidays. We may not have had much in the way of worldly possessions and I may not have loved that meatloaf Momma always cooked, (give me her fried chicken ANY DAY OF THE WEEK!) but when it came to Thanksgiving and Christmas my favorite thing ever was Momma's homemade Chocolate Meringue Pie!   She always made the pies a day or two ahead of time and she would 'hide' them on the washer and dryer.  I would go look at them and ask her if I could PLEASE have a slice, she always said "No, those are for Thanksgiving - you need to wait."  It was TORTURE.

As the years went on and I grew into an adult and moved further and further away from my home and started missing more holidays at home I tried recreating the chocolate pie for my own family.  I remember the first time I tried to make Momma's pie, I was living in Colorado Springs - I called Momma on the phone and she walked me through making the pie, a pinch of this, a pinch of that, and let it bubble, if is not sweet enough just add more sugar, pour in a little more milk....that pie turned out so awful I had to throw it out.  Mom had a talent, I was fearful I did not.   I didn't try to make Momma's chocolate pie for many years to come.  I knew the next time I went home Momma would make one for me.  The years passed, mom made pies for me and I didn't bother learning.  Then one year it was clear to me that I needed to learn, Momma's memory was slipping and she had stopped cooking.  She couldn't remember how to make the pie.  She couldn't even remember what was in the pie.   My sister and I pulled our resources and I started experimenting.  It took a couple of years but I finally did it.  I have recreated Momma's Chocolate Meringue Pie.  Now I cook a little like Momma used, a little of this, a little of that..... but I tried very hard to put everything into measurements for my children so that they to can make "Momma's Chocolate Meringue Pie" for their families some day.

Momma's Chocolate Meringue Pie:

3/4 cup of sugar (a little more or less depending on how sweet you want it)
1/3 cup of flour
sprinkle of salt
2 1/2 cups of milk heated (Momma would say "Scald the milk in a pan on the stove")
3 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 TBL melted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pie shell baked (Momma always bought the frozen pie crust that were already in the tin pie pan - I haven't seen those in a LONG time!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In cereal type bowl whisk egg yolks (save the whites!)

Put sugar, flour, salt and cocoa in a saucepan over medium heat, gradually whisk in hot milk.  Once all milk is mixed in continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken.  When mixture thickens add about 1/2 a cup of the cocoa mixture into the egg yolks (in case of curdling you have not lost your entire cocoa mixture!)  and mix.  Once the eggs and cocoa have been mixed well add the egg mixture into the saucepan and continue to whisk until the cocoa mixture start to make big bubbles - continue cooking for about 30 seconds while bubbling.  Remove the cocoa mixture from heat and add the melted butter, chocolate and vanilla - mix well.  Pour into pie shell.

Meringue topping:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites on HIGH until they start to thicken and form peaks when you pull the beaters out of the mixture.  Once it starts to thicken gradually add the sugar and vanilla (still on high).  The meringue is ready when you can make firm peaks with the egg whites. 

Add meringue to the top of the chocolate pie, spreading out with a spatula. 

Once the meringue is spread evenly and all of the chocolate pie is covered make peaks. 

The best way I have found (this is the way Momma used to do it too - and I tried many different ways - proving that moms do know best!) is to use a regular ol' kitchen teaspoon.  Using the backside of the spoon gently smack it down on the meringue and pull it up quickly with (only using your wrist) and you will create delicate little peaks (pictured below and above).

I start making the peaks by working my way around the edge and then moving to the center.

When peaks are perfected put this bad boy in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes (give or take a few depending on your oven) or until your peaks a soft brown.

This is the hard part:

Cool the pie at room temperature for NO LESS THAN AN HOUR.  4 hours is better. The chocolate filling needs to set. 
If you CAN'T wait that long go ahead and dig in, it won't be set, but it will still be super YUMMY!

This one wasn't set all the way, but I couldn't wait.

This one was almost fully set:
Either way, it is good.
Just eat it.

This post was about so much more than pie so I am going to continue on with another little story about Chocolate Meringue Pie.

I just like my mom made the pies a day in advance for Thanksgiving.
Just like me, Boy 2 can't resist a good Chocolate Meringue Pie. 
Boy 2 just like me wanted some the night before Thanksgiving.  But just like my mom did when I was little, I told Boy 2 -"No, those are for Thanksgiving - you need to wait." 
Boy 2 couldn't resist and I found this:

Now, I hate to admit this part: 
I yelled at him.
"Why on earth would you do that?  You KNOW these pies are for Thanksgiving!  I can't believe you would do that!"
He ran off crying.
He hid in the bathroom.
I started thinking.
And feeling bad.
It's just a pie.
I hated having to wait for pie at Thanksgiving & Christmas.
After all we are teaching our kids to be thankful for what they have. 
Boy 2 is thankful for pie and he loves his "Momma's homemade Chocolate Meringue Pie". 
I thought to myself "What is the big deal?  Why did I freak out over something so little?"
At that moment I went back into the kitchen (took a picture of the pie with my phone), and then cut a big ol' piece of pie, the piece he stuck his finger in and put it on a plate and went and knocked on the bathroom door.
Through the door I said "I'm sorry I yelled at you, please come out, it's not a big deal, it is just pie and we have 6 of them in the kitchen."
He ignored me.
After a few minutes of pleading with him and telling him over and over how sorry I was, he FINALLY came out of the bathroom.
I hugged him and gave him the piece of pie.
The grin on his face was priceless.

And now a new tradition was born into our home.
I told Boy 2 that I was glad he stuck his finger in the pie because now every year the night before Thanksgiving I want him to find the pie he wants and to stick his finger in it.
When I find the pie he stuck his finger in that will be our Thanksgiving Eve pie.