a bit of the ol' holiday cheer

the recipe that i usually make over the holidays is that of Snickerdoodles. And when they are made, we always make a ton.
But my favorite recipe is that of a bean soup. I don't really even know if there is a recipe for it, as my grandmother betty always made it, and when it comes to soups and the like, it is a no rules sort of thing.
the thing that is so great about this soup is that it is spicy hot, chalk full of jalapenos and other zings. and it is delicious. we call it our good luck soup because we usually eat it on new years day. perhaps it is our chance to clean out our bodies (fiber from the beans and spice) in a physical way, which can also be seen as us starting the new year fresh so to speak. oh yes, i went there.

a holiday memory that i have, that has no connection to food, is with my older sister. one christmas, up north at my grandparents log home, we attended the christmas eve candlelight service. that year, they had a new pastor and he was from the south. the south where they are a bit louder and more dramatic. during his sermon, he asked for people to raise up their candles...and this was the breaking point...as b and I began laughing uncontrollably, our arms in the air, shaking and twitching because we were trying so hard not to let our laughter out........and to this day neither of us can sit next to each other in a church service or any type of service where you are supposed to be silent and respectful because we always suffer from laugh attacks.