I love, love, love paella.  It's a traditional seafood, chicken, and sausage dish from the Valencia part of Spain.  I first ate it in Spain - way baaack in the early 1970's and my tastebuds fell in love at first bite. 
     It took another 10 years to taste it again.  My tastebuds were longing for it badly when my second mom, Lynne Young, made a rip-roaring version of it in Houston, Texas one night.
     Never had it again until we moved to Uruguay.  It's a traditional New Year's dish here.  One of the large supermarkets has a giant paella pan (which looks somewhat like a wok).  We're talking more than a meter in diameter.   You can buy paella by the kilo!
     This year we decided to make our own.  We drove to Piriapolis, a smaller coastal town in Uruguay, about 45 minutes from us.  No hardship, as it's a beautiful spot with great seafood vendors.  We bought shrimp and mussels for our paella at the beach and made a quick stop at the grocery for some chicken and chorizo (sausage).
     Here's the thing - my husband had never eaten paella.  He thought it was a soup (which he loves) and more like gumbo.  Nope, it's thicker, more like an etouffee or jambalaya.  I only have Cajun food references, as that's how I grew up!  He was in for a surprise, but he did like it,
     Try it sometime for yourself - it's easy to make!  Here's the link to my PAELLA RECIPE on my cooking website:  MissCookbook.com.

     Traditions, traditions, traditions!!!  We all have made fun of our own or those of others, but I'm convinced that traditions are the stuffing that shape a culture.  
     I'm a Southern woman who married a German Guy, lived in Texas, then came to Uruguay. Boy howdy, do we ever have some mish-mash of traditions at our house!  I'm not complaining, as I get the best Christmas traditions from all three cultures:  pecan pies and divinity (Southern); lebkuchen cookies and semmelknödel dumplings (Germany); summer  watermelons at the beach (Uruguay).
​     These semmelknödel, are fun to make!  I looked at Hubby like he was nuts when he asked for a piece of cloth or dishtowel for making these.  I had no idea.  The cloth or dishtowel is wrapped around the dumpling tube to hold it together while cooking.  It all made sense once I watched it cook.
     No matter where we are, we love to eat these on Christmas Day with a pork loin or a roast chicken and some great red cabbage.  Here's our grandmother's recipe; it's yummy:  Maria Schlehuber's Red Cabbage.  And here's my mother-in-law's recipe for Lebkuchen Spice Bars.
Whatever your holiday traditions may be, always cherish them and don't be afraid to change things up and add new ones.