The stories behind the recipes...
They were married for 70 years, so there was no way to do this without including both of them. Any version with just one felt incomplete.
My grandmother’s recipe is her sweet noodle kugel. When I think of her at home, I think of the kitchen. Food was always at the center. Whether we were cooking, going out to eat, or sitting around the table, that is where time was shared.
My grandpa was known for his latkes. Every Hanukkah, he was officially appointed the latke maker. If we used a box mix that year, no one touched them. His latkes were the standard.
Putting these two recipes together felt like the only honest way to do this. They were always together and stayed together until the end. My grandpa passed away six years ago, and my grandma this past September. These illustrations are my way of keeping them always side by side.
Grandma Shirley's
sweet noodle kugel
Grandpa Joe's
Latkes
Gram's
Old fashioned Oatmeal Cake
This is one of those recipes that feels like home. My grandmother made this, my dad made this. It's a very unique cake unlike your typical chocolate cake. My grandmother had Alzheimers and this is one of those ways I am able to still feel connected to her. I am taken back home whenever I make this recipe.
Savta Shifra's
Marble Chiffon Cake
My mother in law's marble chiffon cake, is HER cake. She brings it to every family celebration, and every shabbat meal we have together.
My Husband's friends remember this cake from their childhood. My coworker's love the cake from when I bring the leftovers to work the next day.
(This recipe was gifted for her mother in law's 85th milestone birthday celebration. With matching prints and magnets ordered for all of her children and grandchildren!)
Grandma's
Meatballs & Sausage
My husbands grandmother converted from a large Italian, Catholic family. So our family meal memories are often not the typical Ashkenazi fare. While I seem to be the one to make more of her recipes than my sisters in law, her famous meatballs and sausage is still loved by us all. I make it a few times during the year. It has become a Simchas torah night tradition. The love of a mother coming through her cooking is universal and this recipe is that for our family. The recipe includes the meatballs and sausage as well as her homemade red sauce they are cooked in. It is so delicious!
Naomi's Challah
It is my favorite thing to make. It connects our past, present, and future of the Jewish people. We take a small part off the dough to bless which can access us to the temple in Jerusalem which we will never forget. In today’s generation, we still make it. It is a symbol of shabbat as well, along with lighting of the candles. I make it for every shabbat.