Holiday Traditions, Grandma Joan’s Cookie Recipe, and Potato Pancakes – Oh My!
Ah, the holiday season! A time for cozy gatherings, twinkling lights, and – for the clue crew – many of our traditions involve both unraveling mysteries and savoring the culinary delights of different cultures!
My favorite holiday snack this time of year is the sugar cookies my grandma always made. I never thought about it before, but it is a little funny: we used homemade dough for the cookies but just regular canned frosting off the shelf. I will definitely be dusting the recipe card off and using it to bake my entries for the annual Nancy Drew cookie decorating contest that is right around the corner!
Straight from my recipe box to yours!
Please share with us if anyone uses my grandma’s recipe! I just know she would LOVE it.
Another holiday tradition my family has is always opening one present on Christmas Eve. Growing up, I used to always go to my grandpa’s house on Christmas Eve and exchange cousin presents, and then we would go to Christmas Eve Mass. This is because my grandpa is Polish, and in Poland, Santa (at grandpa’s house it was St. Nicholas) visits many houses on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve has always been more special to me than actual Christmas. While working on Game 34, there has been a time or two when I’ve heard Czech words that remind me of words I once heard my grandpa speak. Or I will learn about a tradition the Czech people have that is very similar to a tradition on my mother’s side of the family.
Many members of the Game 34 team have visited Prague and the specific places that inspired us. I think everyone who I have worked with agrees that the potato pancakes the Czech people eat during the holidays is our FAVORITE holiday tradition we learned about. These potato pancakes have such a fan club at HeR that if you keep your eyes peeled, you might just find a potato pancake food cart somewhere in the game. Brighella spent so much time researching the best potato pancake recipes and designed a really cool recipe card. When the game comes out, you might just find this recipe card hidden somewhere in Nancy’s new world!
A traditional potato pancake cart that you find in the holiday markets this time of year.
Did you know? “Erdapfel” is basically derived from the phrase “earth apple!”
These small touches of authenticity in the game are what I think take this game from just a great mystery adventure game to a thoughtfully planned and immersive Nancy Drew game. If you want to fill your holiday with this Czech tradition and make some potato pancakes yourself, let us know how the recipe turns out!
What are some of the holiday traditions you and your family and friends have? Comment below. I’d love to learn more!
Happy Holidays!
— Indy
