makings of a holiday tradition

Gatherings over the holidays become traditions for their heartfelt spirit and endure often when they're reminiscent of past experiences.

When I joined the Big Bowl team last year, the chefs at all the Illinois locations gathered at L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge to bake cookies, which were then packaged into beautiful gift baskets and delivered by Big Bowl President Dan McGowan to staff working over the holiday.

This week, the nine of us came together again at L. Woods (Dan is a partner in that restaurant, too) with our own recipes, including childhood favorites like my mother's ginger molasses cookies (recipe follows) which were inspired by the ones at Jennifer House, a collection of shops in Great Barrington, Mass., that sold furniture, clothing, penny candy and those glorious cookies.

Others included pumpkin chocolate chip, Shaker nut balls, and the signature brownies from L. Woods. For the thumb print cookies, we used jam that I jarred over the summer. There were a lot of small touches like that -- something special to us, now shared with others.

The kitchen at L. Woods, surrounded by industrial stoves and shiny stainless steel like any other restaurant kitchen, was turned into something a little extra special that afternoon for us, reminding me of the smell, warmth and memories of my mother's kitchen growing up in Western Massachuetts. More than 500 cookies later, a lot of laughter and commeraderie, we couldn't have been happier sharing and giving them all away.

In that spirit, I wish all of you a wonderful holiday in whatever way you celebrate and come together. We've got a wonderful holiday tradition now, one I hope will endure for years to come.

Beverly Bernard's Molasses Cookies

1 pound unsalted butter  

3 cups brown sugar ¾ cup dark molasses

¼ cup water

¾ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

6½ cups unsifted flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 ½ teaspoon crystallized or ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cloves

Cream butter with sugar and add molasses, water and salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together and then add to creamed mixture. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Roll dough into 2-inch balls in diameter, roll in granulated sugar and arrange 2½ -inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350F oven until cracked on top, 15 to18 minutes.  Rest on cookie sheet then carefully transfer to continue cooling on wire rack. Store in airtight container at room temperature.