"They're good, but not as good as Lucy's"-common refrain at my house at the holidays any year Grandma wasn't on site to make her famous rohliky. My grandma was a great cook and her traditional Czech bread rolls were a key part of holiday meals. My mom and her siblings lived across the country and they all wanted easy access to her many great recipes. They collected them, along with other family submissions, into a cookbook and distributed one to everyone, even my baby sister (we were eager helpers). Over time the recipe evolved and spread. My dad's sister first discovered how well the rolls freeze and now dad freezes them as soon as they're cool so they taste fresh out of the oven at the meal. Reheating the rolls has led to disaster; one Easter mom turned on the oven to heat the rolls, later to find my sister's Easter basket-complete with melted chocolate bunny! Officially rohliky should be crescent shaped, but we found easier variations (knots, muffins). As my sisters and I grew up, we each took Grandma's cookbook with us. I've even made the rolls with part-whole wheat flour, a daring change. My first Christmas with my husband's family, I brought Grandma's rolls (they were a mild disaster). This year I tried again with greater success, using my grandma's baking mat as a workspace. I used butter, whole wheat flour, let technology knead, and froze them right away-not how Grandma did it. I'm eager to share them though I know they'll never be quite as good as Grandma's

– Emily

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more