Proud to be Czech - Proud to be a Simcik

Paul Matthew and Eunice Simcik had six children of their own.  Those six children grew up and had children of their own making 11 grandchildren.  Combined, the grandchildren had 11+ children amongst them and those great-grandchildren are now having children of their own.

I am one of those great-grandchildren.

I never knew my great-grandfather, Paul Matthew Simick.  He passed away at a very young age (45, I believe).  However, my great-grandmother, Eunice (Grannie, the grandchildren called her, G.G. the great-grandchildren called her), lived to be 97 years old!  I remember her as a little lady, very petite with white hair.  She wore glasses and always had her hair curled.  I remember she always had some piece of jewelry on.

Christmas has always been a very important holiday for our family.  Every Christmas Eve was spent at G.G.'s, no matter where she was living.  I only remember her living in a little 2 bedroom, one bath bungalow right outside of Whitney, TX not far from the dam.  You didn't miss Christmas Eve at G.G.'s for anything.  That was the time where our entire family gathered to hear of the news, gossip and going's on of the previous year amongst families.  That little bungalow was filled to the brim with food, laughter, reminiscing and family members.

After G.G. passed away each family started doing their own thing for Chrismas and it seemed as though the time between visits were few and far between.  I have cousins that I haven't seen in years.

My family opted to spend Christmas Eve at Mammie's house and that is what we have been doing since 1998, right up until this year.  This has been a tough year for me, and especally for Mammie.  She got through the stroke and the hip surgery, but now she is in a nursing home/rehab facility waiting for the day she gets to go home.

I had made the command decision this year to take on the task of baking Kolaches.  A Kolache is a Czech pastry with a fruit (Apple and Poppyseed in our case) center and sprinkled with a sugar, cinnamon crumble called Posypka. 

My whole life I have been eating Kolaches.  G.G. made them, Aunt Polly made them, Aunt Katie made them, Aunt Eva made them and a few years ago Mammie started making them.  The Kolache has been an important pastry in my family for years.  Unfortunately, most of my aunts have passed on and the two remaining Simick girls are to the point now where making Kolaches isn't feasable.  This thought truly broke my heart and saddened me.

So, being a descendant of Paul Matthew and Eunice Simick, I knew I must take up the torch, so to speak and learn how to make Kolaches.  This is a daunting task - it takes roughly 6 hours from start to finish to make Kolaches - a task I was willing to take on.

I bet you are starting to wonder, "Why a blog dedicated to a pastry?"  Well, it really isn't about the Kolache, you see, it is about why I was inspired to take the time to bake the batch of Kolaches.

I had found myself working up to Christmas Eve and being in a quite the bah-humbug mood.  I was sad because instead of being at Mammie's house, eating Mammie's delicious food we were going to be in Mammie's room at Colonial Manor spending Christmas Eve.  I know that isn't where she wanted to be - she wanted to be home too.  Every time I leave I just want to bundle her up and take her with me.  I know I can't because she needs to be there to get better.  I knew baking the Kolaches would make her feel some sense of home even though she couldn't be there. 

Mike was my taste tester.  He LOVED them.   I was so overcome with emotion when he said that I just cried.  I was so happy that I had made an edible Kolache!  He said I should be proud to give these to Mammie and my mom.  So I did. 

I took Mammie two apple and two poppyseed kolaches.  When we walked in I told her that I had something for her.  Not one to want gifts, she got this disapproving look on her face.  I told her that they were Kolaches - and I made them.  I think my uncle was more shocked than she was.  She didn't feel like eating one at that moment.  But, before we left, I gave her a kiss and she told me that she was proud that I had taken the time to make them and that she thinks I am the only great-grandchild that has ever attempted to make them.  I am waiting to go back to visit to see what she thought.

My mom loved them.  That is all that I needed.  I have now been deemed the new Kolache maker!

Even though my Mammie couldn't be home this Christmas, I brought a little bit of her home to her.  It is amazing how a simple Czech pastry can bring back the fondest memories and warm your heart and make everything better.