Inspire Appreciation for Family Recipes

It's Thanksgiving Day, 1999. I'm at my grandparents' rural Indiana country home. I recently turned four years old and I'm watching my grandmother carve the Thanksgiving turkey. My mother assists her in the kitchen, scooping creamy mashed potatoes onto a plate for me to enjoy. My aunts are pouring glasses of iced tea and water, and everyone is laughing and sharing stories about their busy lives.

Fast forward to 2019. I'm now 24 years old. My grandparents are no longer here with us and our family holidays have changed over the years. Many things have changed, but there's one thing I still have today that connects me to that Thanksgiving holiday 20 years ago.

Family recipes. 

My grandmother carving a turkey in her kitchen
(photo/Kasy Long).

My grandmother was an amazing cook. She could whip up a delicious pie (with her signature pie crust), fried chicken dinner, pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn, cole slaw, and more. She found pleasure in cooking for her family and we found pleasure when we were gathered around the dinner table.

Now, we have her family recipes. I have recipes for my grandmother's pie crust, dinner rolls, peach cobbler, pineapple ice box dessert, divinity fudge, fruit cake, hot milk cake, date pudding, and more. These are the foods our family has loved for generations. By using them today, we're guaranteeing people will still love the food for many years to come.

There's a strong power behind family recipes. Cooking recipes from our heritage can bring a sense of togetherness that can span generations. We keep our family members alive in our memories every time we dice, stir, simmer, and bake the recipes they created in the first place. They want us to use their recipes and share food with the people we love.

I also have my grandmother and great-grandmother's aprons (photo/Kasy Long).

As we pass down cherished family recipes, we're creating an heirloom to our children, grandchildren, and the generations that will come after us. We're building a bridge by which our loved ones will learn about who they are, where they came from, and the foods our family has enjoyed throughout the years.

Whenever I now cook with these precious recipes, I reflect on where they came from--who wrote the recipes on the recipe card, baked the food (with love), and the family members who happily enjoyed the food together at the same table. It's a way for me to feel connected to the family I deeply love.

Family recipe cards (photo/Kasy Long).

So, I encourage you to save your family recipes. Save them and incorporate them into your family meals. Connect with your ancestors a little bit more with each slice of pie, spoonful of mashed potatoes, and dash of salt. Remember that your family gathered around the dinner table to enjoy the same food you're preparing today, and reminisce on the stories shared during those meals. They laughed and celebrated that they were together.

While the food was delicious, it wasn't really about the food. It was about family.

-KJL-