Family Recipes – Juggling Real Food and Real Life

I’ve been thinking a lot about family lately.  The weather has turned colder here in Ohio and I naturally start thinking about things inside the home.  I look forward to trying new recipes and a greater focus on family dinners………at least a couple of days per week.  Many of the fall and winter holidays have food as the focus and this always reminds me of family traditions.

 

I come from a family of wonderful cooks.  Most of my favorite childhood memories revolve around food.  My Aunt Joyce made the best baked macaroni and cheese and my fraternal Grandmother always had pies ready when we came to visit.  My Mother always made my favorite meal for my birthday and my maternal Grandmother made Thanksgiving stuffing so good that my sister and I
wanted to eat it for breakfast the next morning.  It’s not just the women in my family that can cook.  My Grandfather made fudge that was the sweetest I had ever tasted and my Father makes dinner on Sundays that are worth clearing our schedules for.

I only wish I had paid more attention………….I was just so sure when I was a child that I didn’t want to have a family and that I would be a career only woman.  I didn’t need to know how to cook or plan meals.  That is what restaurants are for, right?  Now, 4 children later, I have realized that I love family above all else. I’ve also come to realize the importance of feeding them delicious, nutrient rich meals that I make for them.  Wanting my 4 kids to live long and healthy lives motivates me to learn to be a better cook.

Since I am motivated to make change in my family’s eating, and desire to preserve old family recipes, I decided that I needed to do something about it.  This time, rather than doing a Google search, I turned to my relatives.  I’ve asked Mom and Dad to start writing down recipes for me.  The simple stuff like pot roast and more complex dishes like Dad’s egg rolls.  These are recipes that my children should know and looking to the future (way off in the future please) my grandchildren should know.  I want my family to remember that I prepared meals with love the way so many of my relatives have done for me.

Good food should be passed down from generation to generation and it’s our job as parents to make sure that happens.  Our children are extremely tech savvy, but do they know where their food comes from?  Will they be able to prepare simple meals for themselves or are we leaving them to packaged, processed and fast-food?  Do they have a favorite meal that you make for them?

My Aunt Carol started me on this quest to gather recipes and she probably doesn’t even realize what she started.  She made this beautiful scrapbook for me where she gathered recipe cards of some of our favorite family dishes.  Most of them were written in the handwriting of the owner of the recipe.  I now have the handwriting of my Grandmothers, some of my Aunts and Cousins and………..my Mother forever preserved. It’s a beautiful thing to see.

This week, I encourage you to begin to gather your family recipes.  Have family members write them down or drag out all of those old recipe boxes (you know the ones covered in flour).  These recipe boxes are a great source of Real Food recipes.  Some of them may need to be altered a bit, but most likely are perfect just the way they are.  Don’t forget to share these recipes with your kids and grandkids.  An afternoon of cooking together is a great gift you can give yourself and them.

Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite family food memories are.  I would love to hear them.  If it says “no comments” you are the first to go.  Don’t be afraid.  Just click on the “no comments” and write away.  I can’t wait to hear from you. Make sure you register your email address at the right of this page so you don’t miss an episode. You can also join the conversation on Facebook and join the fun over at Pinterest.