Svacina Project

In April of 2018 I got laid off from my job. It was, as layoffs will be, unexpected. I had no savings and no plan and only knew that I desperately wanted to work for myself, trying to make a living from the things that I was most passionate about... Texas Czech food, history, and culture. I started throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall. I created a website for my services to plan family reunions and help people publish family cookbooks. I started a side business baking kolaches. And I entered a recipe in the annual contest called the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown. I figured that if I won, the thousands of dollars in prize money would keep me going for a little while and one of Texas Czechs' beloved regional foods would gain more national attention in the process. I am the very first person to correct someone calling what is actually a klobasnik, a kolach. So I'll admit that in financial desperation I ignored my own principles for the sake of marketing...

On a recent weekend visiting my parents, my son was inspired to bake. Our first opportunity was Sunday morning, so I decided to steer him towards a simple coffee cake using staple ingredients that my parents already had in one of their three pantries.  The recipe below comes from Vickie Klimitchek, the mother of one of my aunts.    Mrs. Klimitchek passed away in 2012 and left quite a few poeple inspired in the kitchen, especially to bake. Her grandson, my cousin Ryan, has proudly mastered her kolaches recipe. And I'm fond of this coffee cake recipe. My parents had it written in their family write-your-own-recipes-down cookbook. It's quick to put together and quick to bake and delicious on a chilly, windy Sunday morning. Some topping stays on top, some sinks down into sticky, sugary, buttery veins of deliciousness. Vickie Klimitchek I remember Mrs. Klimitchek being quick to joke and laugh in her Texas-Czech accent (of those lucky enough to grow up...