A Family Tradition

Every year in August my husband's extended family gets together for a reunion of sorts. They call it "The Rendezvous." The tradition started after both grandparents had died and the family wanted to continue meeting together on a regular basis. It is a camping weekend for anyone who is able to make it, for any length of time. When we first got married The Rendezvous was at a campground, but they were changing there group camping policy or location or something and the family decided to look into alternate options. That's when some of the family members that had land and a "hunting cabin" decided to share it with the rest of us. Each year money is saved to make improvements on the property for The Rendezvous. There are two ponds and a creek flowing through the property. One of the ponds is for swimming and even has a waterslide. Both ponds are great for frog and tadpole hunting. The woods is a wonderful place for a hike, nature walks, and general exploring. Most of the family brings in RVs or pop-up campers for the weekend, while some of us still use a tent.

We look forward to The Rendezvous every year, such wonderful family memories are made there. The menu used to change each year depending on who was "hosting" the event, but now we have established a fairly set menu. My favorite meal is always the one served on Saturday night. It is filled with Family recipes. Grandpa Hall's glazed chicken, roasted over a huge pile of coals, with special grilling racks built specifically for The Rendezvous. Then there are the sides, always boiled corn on the cob, coleslaw and potato salad. My mouth is watering just thinking about the meal and looking forward to the once a year that we can enjoy it with family. The only recipe that I have attempted to make at home is the coleslaw. I've made a few adaptations, mainly cutting the sugar in half and changing the oil choice and when it is added, it is now our go to recipe for coleslaw after so many dissatisfying coleslaw recipes that we have tried over the years.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays.


Hall Family Coleslaw

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sugar, Sucanat, Turbinado (could try honey or other sweetener)
• 1 cup White Vinegar
• 1 small Onion, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon Celery Seed
• 1/4 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• 3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 head Cabbage
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except EVOO in small sauce pan, stir until combined. Bring to a boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.
2. While vinegar mixture is on the stove, slice cabbage very thin and place in a colander. Sprinkle the salt over the sliced cabbage, mixing to assure all the cabbage has received some salt, then allow to "drain" for at least 30 minutes. Do not rinse.
3. When the vinegar mixture has cooled, mix in the EVOO and whip (with a whisk) until well blended.
4. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and stir thoroughly.
5. The dressing can be made ahead of time and used whenever you are ready to have coleslaw, just store it in a glass jar.
6. Usually coleslaw gets better overtime, but we seem to prefer this the first day. It tends to get a bit too sweet for us after it sits for a few days.

Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 5 min Ready in: 50 min

Hall Family Coleslaw courtesy of Jamie Del Balso.