Ausuki

I am part Lithuanian (in case you didn't know).  My grandmother on my moms side carries the Lithuanian heritage.  We call her Nan and she just loves to bake and cook.  She is not as mobile as she once was and cannot cook/bake as much as she would like. She told me it makes her so sad because she enjoys it so much. My sister and I must have gotten our cooking/baking genes from our grandparents who both adore this wonderful hobby.  My mother is not a huge fan of cooking/baking for fun. Everything she makes is yummy, but she would rather do many other things than whip up something in the kitchen. She would joke when were in high school that if she could have given us a pill packed with a complete meal then she would have done that rather than cook. Some people cook/bake because they have to feed the family and that is quite alright. I make many of the meals my mother made us. Pure comfort food especially since it reminds me of her and how I felt when eating the dish way back when.

I love to cook/bake for fun and take on bigger recipes.  My sister is the kind of girl who wouldn't bring chips and a dip, but rather whip up some tacquitos and bring in enough for everyone at work. 

Our Nan really wants to teach us some traditional Lithuanian foods.  Especially a common Lithuanian cookie called Ausuki and sometimes referred to as Kruscuki, which means "little ears".  They are a deep fried cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar.  Mainly they are made around Christmas or Easter.  I do not remember eating these, but Nan says I have. My mother loves them as well, but does not have a ton of interest in learning how.  Based on how my grandmother explained it to me, it is involved.  If you don't like the bake then I can understand why you would not want to learn.  However, my sister and I are excited to learn the process and hopefully carry it on within our families. My grandmothers mother made these and her mother and so on. I do not want the tradition to come to a halting end.

My sister and her fiance just bought a house and are moving in the first week of January.  Once they are settled I will make a trip from Richmond to learn how to make these cookies.  Most likely this will be in February and I will post how the process went.