Thursday, December 3, 2009

Christmas Kipfels

This family recipe comes from my maternal G-Grandmother Maria Rauner Stosz and her daughters Theresa Stosz Hack (left) & Anna Stosz Bauman (right) of Segenthau, Austria-Hungary (now Romania). G-Grandmom Kollain from my paternal side of the family also made these and called them Horns.  These are made every year at Christmas - no exceptions!

Mix 8 oz of cream cheese, 1/2 lb of softened butter, 1 Tblesp sugar, and 1 egg yolk until combined. Add 2 cups of flour 1 cup at a time and mix and kneed well. Divide dough into two pancake-like patties, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch on a surface that has been dusted lightly with flour. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of strawberry or apricot preserves on center of each square. Overlap 2 opposite corners of dough to the center over filling and pinch ends together then give it a tweek to shape the cookie into a slight crescent. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire cooling rack and dust with powdered sugar.
I never have to worry about storing them as they are always eaten within the hour!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wordless Wednesday - It's That Time of Year


Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Confederate White House

The White House of the Confederacy

Located in Richmond, Virginia, the gray-stuccoed mansion built in1818 was home to a succession of wealthy families throughout the antebellum period.  This building has earned a unique stature in American history for its role as the Executive Mansion of the Confederate States of America from 1861 to 1865. The official residence of President Jefferson Davis, his wife Varina and their children, the house was the social, political and military center of the Confederacy. The home has been meticulously restored and is open for guided tours daily.     The Museum of the Confederacy


Created for the White issue of A Festival of Postcards.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Orphaned by Another Means



Great Grandmother Maria was born 12 Jan 1869 in Budapest, Hungary. Oral family history has it that her mother died when she was still young.  Maria was the youngest of several children and her father, not being able to handle all the extra responsibilities, gave her to a Jewish family to be raised as a servant. 
She married Ignatz J. Kollain and they immigrated to the U.S. in 1909. They were residing in NYC in 1912; then moved to Jamesburg, NJ, prior to 1920. Maria Kollain died 12 Oct. 1957 in Jamesburg, Middlesex, NJ. Because of her past, researching Maria has been very frustrating. Her parents were listed as 'unknown' on her death cert. We gleened the date and place of Maria's birth from her husband, Ignatz's naturalization papers. Interestingly her older children cited her maiden name as Bergner while the younger children cited Pergel on their documents.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Good things come in Sevens



Thank you to Tonia's Roots for bestowing the Kreativ Blogger Award upon Tangled Trees.

Recipients are asked, in return, to share this award with 7 special genealogy blogs.
I wish to recognize:
 Al's Polish-American Genealogy Research
Ancestor Tracking
Ask Olive Tree Genealogy
Genealogy's Star
A Canadian Family
Acadianroots
and, finally,
Mustaches of the Nineteenth Century which always makes me smile.

Recipients are also asked to share 7 bits about themselves....
This is the harder part of the two requirements as I enjoy following more than the 7 blogs listed above and would like to recognize them all  (that counts as 1!).
I have been researching our genealogy for over 20yrs. 
My spouse & I are both from Southern California - as you might have guessed from previous posts.
We now reside in Northern VA.
I am a member of the Fairfax Genealogical Society - an outstanding organization comprised of wonderful people.
Teenagers have made me prematurely gray - I now resort to enhancing my hair ;-)
My other hobby is sailing.   hhmmm...research or sailing???  The answer all depends on the weather.

Thank You to all who take the time in their busy days to read Tangled Trees.

Friday, November 27, 2009

A "Black Friday" Special Worth Sharing


 Footnote.com is having a Black Friday 50% Off Special.
One year of full access for $39.95.
That's one of the best deals I've seen in awhile.
Shop til you drop.
Have a safe Thanksgiving Weekend.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving from Tangled Trees