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Celebrating small kindnesses and basking in the little things.

Monday, September 16, 2013

What Nourishes Us


      I love food.  Like most people, I see food as being more than just what is put in front of me.  My choices of restaurant, my choices of meal, my clothing choice for the meal, and the atmosphere all are linked together.  For me, food is more than just physical nourishment.  It is about the nourishment of the mind and the soul.  It is an experience.  I made the comment the other day that I wondered when I would start to eat like a grown up.  I keep expecting myself to suddenly love salads or want to eat a well balanced meal at each sitting.  Sadly, that is not the case.  There are some days when I wake up and think, "I really would like a nice big Santa Fe salad."  On other days, I feel like Homemade Chicken noodle soup or pork loin with baby red potatoes and asparagus.  The thing is, all of these are about how I am "feeling" at the moment.  

      Our sense of smell, and our meals are all attached to our memories.  Sometimes, we think of how we felt when we ate a certain food and want to reclaim that feeling so we try to recreate that through a meal.  Other times, we tried a meal because the person who made it for us asked, and because of our affection for them, we push ourselves.  Then, when we no longer have that person with us, we make the food to feel closer to them.  
      This week, think about food.  What is your favorite food/meal?  Why is it your favorite food/meal?  Who made it for you?  How do you feel when you eat it?  These all help us to think about what connects us to each other.  
      For example: As a child, my mother would always make cornbread and beans.  The stove would house a huge pot filled with the beans boiling steeped in onions and a ham bone.  In the oven, cornbread would be baking.  The kitchen smelled so good.  The air was full and warm.  Whenever I smell cornbread baking, I am reminded of my mother making this.  I have asked my mother many times about this meal.  We had it often growing up and I wondered why.  Her response:  "It was cheap.  I could feed the entire family for little money."  She went on to tell me that when my dad lost his job when I was little, this was an affordable meal for a family of seven.  When I look back on this time in my life, I don't see it as cheap.  I remember it as a moment rich in family and tradition.

   Your assignment: Write about a food that is rich in memory for you.  Who is involved?  Why is it special.  A very full paragraph should do it.  Enjoy!!!!

55 comments:

Unknown said...

Every year when my family and I would go to Florida to visit my grandpa, he would make enough food to feed an army. He loved to cook and would spend hours in the kitchen preparing breakfast and dinner for the week we were there. WIth all the food to choose from, his homemade potato salad was my favorite. Once I got old enough, we would wait until we got there to make it so I could help him. We would spend a good two hours making it from scratch and catching up with the past year. Every Thanksgiving I make the potato salad by myself for my family, using the same recipe me and my grandpa used to.

Sean McClain said...

My grandfather fell ill when I was very young, just old enough to be able to pitch decently in my baseball games.

He was tumor ridden, almost unable to breathe, couldn't walk five steps without support from two people (one on each side) and was beginning to finally lose his sense of self.

On the last Christmas, my dad discovered a recipe for potato leek soup (or vichyssoise for you connoisseurs) and made enough for everyone to enjoy their fill. Grandpa Jack took one spoonful of that soup, rolled his eyes back in his head, and let out a moan.

After checking to make sure this wasn't his death rattle making a very untimely appearance, he begged for another bowl. Then another. And eventually became so stuffed with soup he had no room left for anything else (not that he really seemed to mind).

The tradition is, every year on his birthday, my dad works tirelessly to make a large batch of potato leek soup for Grandma and the rest of us. The scent, the taste, even the smooth texture, all evoke memories of my grandpa coming to my pitching practice and sitting in his wheelchair behind the backstop, quietly nodding as I threw strike after strike.

Unknown said...

Since I was little, I could always remember my Sundays during fall like this.
A football game on and my dad watching intently, but stopping every so often to stir his large pot of spaghetti sauce.

This recipe comes from my grandmother, who got it from her mother.

One great thing about being Italian is having the special family sauce.

Whether it's just my father and I on a Sunday, or a family event with everyone gathered around, the taste of the spaghetti sauce is always the same.
No other sauce will ever be quite like it in my opinion.

Not only the taste, but the memories and warmth that come with the smell and taste mean so much more than just the sauce itself.

Recently, I have learned how to make this sauce. I hope to have many more memories for generations to come of this sauce

Lauryn Osborne said...

Every September and October my family and I would carve pumpkins. My mom always would bake the pumpkon seeds that we had just scooped out of the pumpkin. She would take all of our seeds inside, put a load of butter and salt on them, and we would all wait outside while they baked. My mom would come out to tell us they were ready and we all ran as fast as we could into the house. We could almsot feel the warmth of the oven as we were running. The smell of pumpkin all throughout the house was my favorite part. I love the season fall now because it makes me remember all of the fun times when I was little. The smell of anything pumpkin is still my favorite.

Dustin Buzzelli said...

A food that is rich in memory for me would be the gyro. The gyro is rich in memory for me, because when i was a kid i always hoped to go to my dad's friends resteraunt. His main food is gyro's and they are great. i always had fun when i went there and now i am working there and i have to make them all the time so they have alot of memory and i am still making memories with them even though i am sick of gyros.

Unknown said...

Ever since my mom's polish side of the family came to America, the family cooked pierogies for Christmas. Our family has used a very similar, but doubtingly the exact same recipe that my ancestors used since they arrived in America. Even though I do not personally like any polish foods, this recipe is very important to me.It is important especially because the recipe has a historic value to my family and where a part of me is from.

hallie314 said...

My family is a family of pizza-eaters. We order it out at least once a week (twice during football season), buy the frozen pizzas from Costco for after school, make it with fresh dough, or even on bagels. It's the one meal my family of six can agree on. For as long as I can remember my family has made the hike out to Independence Ohio for one specific pizza place called Romitos. Eating in for pizza has always been a rarity for our family, but eating at Romitos has been our "thing" as a family ever since my mom discovered it working around there almost fifteen years ago. The pizza is delicious, but I think I love it so much becuase you know it's a family day when we make the effort to drive that far for pizza. Weekends, birthdays, and the even the day after Thanksgiving are just the few days a year we spend together in that tiny pizza shop thirty five minutes away, but so many memories are held in the place and so many laughs in between each bite of pizza.

Riczo 5-6

Unknown said...

My grandma, like most grandmas out there, takes great pride in her home cooked meals. Never settling for the "boxed crap", we always made everything at her house from scratch. She buys flour in 25 pound bags because of the ridiculous amount she can go through in a month. Whether it's bakery or full out meals, her house is always filled with a variety of tasty smells. The one particular meal that stands out in my memory is pancakes. One of the most simplest breakfast foods out there has a million Saturday morning memories behind it for me. Me and my sister would run to her cabinet and flip to the exact recipe in her book of hundreds by heart. We never failed to make a mess while measuring each ingredient precisely, but that was the fun part. We would sneak chocolate chips into the batter and she would pretend she didn't see. She taught me everything I know or could ever need to know about cooking and baking. Just because we aren't the same little girls running around her kitchen anymore doesn't mean that our tradition is over. The only difference now is that it's at our house every now and again.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Pork and Dumplings and Sauerkraut: That is my grandpa's favorite. So whenever he and my grandma have the whole family over for a special celebration (usually New Year's Day), he has my grandma make this dinner. He practically grew up on it and made my dad eat it too. So I have become accustomed to eating the dish, and love it even when the pork gets dried out (which happens often). I actually look forward to these get togethers and I think that is part of why I like the dish. It always reminds me of my grandpa.

Unknown said...

My favorite food would have to be mashed potatoes and gravy. My grandma makes them every Thanksgiving and they are just so good. The smell hits me as soon as I step foot inside my grandparent’s house. Whenever I have mashed potatoes I think of Thanksgiving and all the memories we have had as a family over the past years. Thanksgiving on my mom’s side of the family includes my whole family (brother, mom, and dad, my grandparents, my two aunts and two uncles, and my cousins). We all just have a great time together laughing and just hanging out. I just can’t wait until this Thanksgiving so I can have my favorite food again.

Unknown said...

One food that stands out in my mind is.....cheese curds. I know it sounds strange but it is ultimately one of my favorite foods.

Every year my mother and I go to one of the local fairs (either Medina or Cuyahoga). We walk around to look at all of the animals, watch a unicyclist, and visit the horses (my mothers favorite animal). We purposely don't eat anything before we leave home so we can stuff our faces with fair food.

About two years ago we came across a bit of a rarity in fair food. Deep fried cheese curds. We ordered a few at first to try them but eventually succumbed to the taste and nearly bought out the stand...

Unknown said...

Every year for Christmas my mom makes homemade per-ogees and they have been in the family tradition for many years. It takes her about 3 hours to make multiple batches of these and they are always delicious. We freeze the extras so when we are craving them we cook them next year. These are special to my family because my grandfather loved them and he has past away. The Howard family can never go wrong with having extra per ogees around the house every year.

Unknown said...

Food is awesome! Since I was little my parent always took to Florida to visit my grandparents, and every time I go down there my grandpa make the most amazing food. He makes these amazing meatball, mad with raw meat and adds in onions and garlic. After he is done with that I help him make the noodles and we put all the other ingredients in a big pot and mixes it until its all done. But no matter what I always make that recipe ones a month for my family.

Unknown said...

Food is awesome! Since I was little my parent always took me to Florida to visit my grandparents, and every time I go down there my grandpa make the most amazing food. He makes these amazing meatball, mad with raw meat and adds in onions and garlic and rolls them in to balls. After he is done with that I help him make the noodles and we put all the other ingredients in a big pot and mixes it until its all done. But no matter what I always make that recipe ones a month for my family.

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

It is a tradition in my family to always have corn beef on st. Patricks day. My whole family comes to my grandpas house and we all watch football and eat together. It's always fun to meet my cousins new girlfriends and boyfriends and get to know them. It means a lot to me to have everyone together.

Unknown said...

One of my favorite foods is my uncle's pulled pork. He makes it almost every time we go to their house, and we will get together with his family and my grandparents. He puts a lot of time into making it because he cooks it overnight. It's one of the best things I've ever had, and the family time that comes with it is even better.

Leighia Szijarto said...

For me food has never been a very strong point in my life. Food has always been something that was necessary rather than a pivotal point. However, if I had to say anything I'd say seafood. When I was younger I went to Joe's Crab Shake with my mom and I ordered crab legs. I had to have been around nine or ten at the time, and when I told the waitress I wanted crab legs she gave me a look of confusion before glancing at my mom and asking her, "Would you like me to have her crab legs cracked for her?" My mom began to laugh openly. After a moment she looked at the waitress and said, "She's been able to crack crab legs since she was four, she isn't a dumb kid." It was a trivial matter but in that moment I felt like my mom was truly proud of me. So now whenever I eat crab legs I remember that and it makes me smile.

Unknown said...

Every year on my birthday my mom makes me the best Chicken Pot Pie for my birthday dinner. She makes so much we eat it for days and the smell of the various scents fill the house. It makes it special to me because I love chicken pot pie and I always look forward to it every year.

Unknown said...

At every major holiday such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter my Grandmother makes vegetable soup. Of course she still makes incredible main dishes such as ham and turkey, but the thing that I look look forward to the most is her astonishing soup. She puts as much love into that dish as humanly possible. At when it is chilly outside like christmas nothing feels better than a giant bowl of granmas soup. For now she plans on keeping her recipe a secrete, but she tells me when the time is right I will be the person she will give it to.

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite meals my mom makes for the family is chicken alfredo. This meal is a family favorite so when my family is all sitting around the table eating together everyone is happy because we all love it. I feel like whatever food is on the table changes the atmosphere around us because some may like it while the others don't. But with the chicken alfredo meal it is a favorite for everyone which makes the dinner a good one everytime.

Unknown said...

As a child my grandma always made me chocolate, peanut butter cookies and me and my sister were always the ones to receive them first right from the oven. Although it is only a dessert they have to be my favorite only because she would always make them from my sister and I. The recipe has indeed been passed down so those in my family can remember her special cookies, however they never quite taste just like grandmas. But just knowing she was the one to originally make them takes you back to the times of standing on the stool in her kitchen helping in as many ways as possible. Whenever the cookies are made, especially around thanksgiving it makes me miss her but then it also brings back happy memories. That is why chocolate, peanut butter homemade cookies are my absolute favorite.

Unknown said...

One of my favorite foods has to be my dad’s homemade chili. His award winning chili is one of my favorites not only for the taste but what it represents. I know when I am enjoying a nice bowl of chili it is a Sunday afternoon in the fall or winter and football is being played. My favorite season is the fall and my favorite sport is football, so for a dish to represent both of these as well as chili does make it truly special.

Jesse Marinaro said...

A food that is very special to me would be my moms meatloaf she makes about once a month. This meal is special to me because ever since I was a young kid this was one of my favorite meals. I would come home from school every day and ask my mom what is for dinner. If she said meatloaf it would instantly make me happy. This meal has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember and will always be special to me.

Unknown said...

A food that creates a rich memory for me is when me and my family, just my mom, dad, and sister would make pizza potatoes. Its kind of a lasagna type dish with ground beef and pepperoni. This food means something to me because we wouldn't make it very often and when we would we would have dinner as a whole family and sit at the dinner table together. We havn't sat down as a family is so long because my sister is gone at college and my mom works nights till 10 and my dad leaves for work as soon as i get home and doesn't get home till 2 in the morning. It would be so nice to go back to those nights and that's what that foods memory is for me. Just being close as a family and eating togeter

Unknown said...

For me a food that is rich in memory is Japanese food. This is rich in memory for me because ever since I was young my dad would bring my sister and I to browns games and before them he would cook Japanese food. My dad owns a trailer that he built a kitchen onto which connects to a bus that he brings to every game. My dad and his friends park the trailer in Muni lot and have many people visit them every game. When my dad brings my sister and I tailgating he always make the Japanese food. this causes me to make a connection in my memories between Japanese food and the many Sundays I have spent up at Muni lot.

Unknown said...

While growing up my family would always make breakfast together every Saturday. We each would have a job, whether it be cracking the eggs or making toast. Now as I have grown up my family has strayed away from that tradition. Our busy schedules interfere which makes it hard for us to even eat any meals together during the week. I wish I could go back to those times. I shared a bond with my parents and sister. It is one of my fondest memories of growing up.

Unknown said...

Every Christmas Eve, my family and I go to my Grandmas house for our annual dinner and presents. This is one of my favorite parts of the year. Obviously because of spending time with my family, but nothing else compares to my Grandmas food. Every year she makes her dumpling soup. I always love walking into her house and knowing that would be the first thing I smell. Ever since I was little that's the first thing I've known on Christmas. These recent years I've helped her make it, hopefully someday recreating it on my own. This smell will always remind me of my Grandma on Christmas and these are one of the biggest memories I would take with me for years to come. No one can ever make it as good as she does though no matter how hard we try, that's what makes this memory so special, and something to look back and laugh on at the same time.

Nick Morton said...

I am a HUGE fan of anything Italian. Lets be honest, it's the best food. Anyways, my neighbor always makes these meatballs and sauce from a family recipe. So aside from the fact that the meatballs are perfectly seasoned and cooked, her sauce is the most delicious thing ever. I would eat dinner at their house when she made them, and her house would be filled with that scent. It was practically heaven. She has them occasionally for dinner, but she always has them at our neighborhood Christmas party. It's one thing I definitely look for, and she knows that. She even was nice enough to give me the recipe. Anytime we have pasta it's assured I make the sauce and meatballs with it.

Nick Morton said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mitch said...

My favorite meal would have to be thanksgiving dinner. We eat it at my aunts house and as soon as I walk in the door the whole house smells of turkey. The meal consists of turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes and gravy, asparagus, rolls, and cranberry sauce. We always have thanksgiving at my aunts and it is my favorite time of the year
Slyman 5/6

Taylor Vlna said...

Because I love food so much many different foods could be rich in memory for me but one specific food comes to mind and it's mashed potatoes my grandma on my moms side makes. My mom is one of 7 kids and I'm one of 17 grandkids so it takes a lot for my grandma to feed us. Every Christmas though she peels a ton of potatoes for mashed potatoes. I love this because I get there early with my mom and help her peel and then also help mash them later with an old hand masher. This is a great memory ill always have with my family and ecspecially with my grandma. It's a great tradition.

Marissa Jenkins said...

My moms side of the family is Italian so we make a lot of homemade dishes, like a lot. One thing that we make are pizzelles. They are like a think wafer like cookie that is very light and delicious. I could eat hundreds in a sitting if I wanted to. These cookies hold special meaning because my grandma would always make them for us when we would visit and would give us a box to take home with us. My oldest cousin was in the Army for awhile and my grandma would always send him shipments of them. They are very simple and don’t have much reasoning behind them, but when I think about my grandma showing me how to make them I feel as if I’m at home with my family.

Unknown said...

It is honestly impossible to narrow down all the options of food down to my number one favorite, but there are two items that are tied at the number one spot: perogies, and my uncle’s homemade cookies. My family loves making everything from scratch. My grandmother was probably the best cook I have ever encountered and since she was from Ukraine, perogies were one of her many specialties. My grandmother moved in with my mom, my brothers and I when I was in 6th grade, and every year once that cold winter air came in, my grandmother would start making perogies. I remember walking home from the bus stop, my face practically numb because of Ohio’s wonderful winter wind, and walking through my front door with the warmth from the kitchen practically smacking me in the face. It was the best thing in the world. Thankfully she passed her talent on to my mom, because without those glorious pockets full of potato, I don’t know what I would look forward to every winter. Every winter my family gets together for orthodox Christmas, and of course the most precious entrée may be the homemade perogies, but the best are my uncle’s homemade cookies. Each time we plan a family get together I hound him for those cookies. Literally, before I even say hi to everyone, I ask where the cookies are. Trust me, those chocolate cookies are unforgettable. The best part is that each time he adds a little twist to them too. Every year on January 6th, when I see those beautiful cookies on one table and the homemade perogies on another, I love life (and my family) just a little bit more.
-Lisa Dynia 5/6

Unknown said...

Every thanksgiving my mother and I would always have a debate about "stuffing". Stuffing and cranberry sauce is my favorite thanksgiving food and my family does a very good job at making it from scratch. But it would always come down to the family debate about what the actual name for the side dish is. My family strictly goes by the name "dressing", which I do not believe in because dressing goes on salad and I'm always the weird one of the bunch because I call it stuffing which in my vocabulary is the correct term. This side dish is important because it brings up a family bond that I am only able to share on holidays like thanksgiving and sometime even Christmas, it makes me appreciate moments like that a little more every year we grow stronger and older as a family. It also shows how much stronger the arguments get each year.

Andy Hoza said...

in my family we never really had like a "family recipe" because we just don't i guess. My mom and dad usually cook together as a team and they enjoy cooking and making all types of food from asian stir fry to lasagna to steak and asparagus on the grill. In the summer when my sister was home it was a mandatory thing in my house for everyone to be at home for dinner at a certain time because we are all so busy and it is nice to all sit together and talk about our weeks and take time to be together.

Unknown said...

A meal that is special for me would be my mothers home cooked pierogies. She would make them on special occasions and everyone in my family would help. She prepares a full out meal which is great and that does not happen very often. When I know she is making my favorite dinner i instantly know that it will be a good day.

Erin Janecko said...

When I was younger my father and I always had a very special bond. It was always said that I was my father's child and my sister, Emily, was my mom's child. Before any holidays or family parties my dad always made lasagna to bring. I would always climb up on my kitchen counter and help him lay the noodles in each level and sprinkle the cheese on at the end. My dad and I made a plan that once I was an adult I was going to make lasagna for him and my mom every Sunday and bring it over to the house after church. Sadly though, this can't happen.. but lasagna will always remind me of my dad and all the time we spent together making it.

Unknown said...

Ever since I can remember, nothing makes my taste buds go as wild as a bowl of macaroni and cheese. It does not matter if it is homemade, out of a box, or a package... it has always been my favorite food. I have at least a bowl every week, and sometimes even more. I love the taste and the memories I have tied to sitting at a table with my family and friends eating a bowl of macaroni and cheese throughout the years. Whether it was because I stayed up late at a sleepover making it with my best friends and laughing because we almost caught the stove on fire, or because I tipped the bowl over and spilled it on the carpet (along with a glass of iced tea), I will always tie macaroni and cheese to a fun and happy time in my life.

Unknown said...

A food rich in memory for me would have to be mashed potatoes. For as long as I can remember my grandma's mashed potatoes have been my favorite food. She makes them for my whole family every Thanksgiving and makes them for my birthday, knowing how much I love them. I help her make them sometimes and I can always associate eating them with good memories. No food will ever compare to my grandma's mashed potatoes.

Unknown said...

I love food and it’s one of the biggest things in my life. A meal that I love would have to be my great grandma’s pierogies. She was born in Poland, so that is all she ate. She is now 89 and every year for Christmas Eve she makes them. I don’t know how she does it but she makes it better than anyone I know. They are very good and the taste is unbelievable. This food is very important to me because it’s not just something I love to eat, my grandma makes them and I enjoy that. She’s been doing this every since I was born and it’s my favorite part of Christmas Eve. This will always be my favorite meal and my favorite time of the year.

Unknown said...

I love food and it’s one of the biggest things in my life. A meal that I love would have to be my great grandma’s pierogies. She was born in Poland, so that is all she ate. She is now 89 and every year for Christmas Eve she makes them. I don’t know how she does it but she makes it better than anyone I know. They are very good and the taste is unbelievable. This food is very important to me because it’s not just something I love to eat, my grandma makes them and I enjoy that. She’s been doing this every since I was born and it’s my favorite part of Christmas Eve. This will always be my favorite meal and my favorite time of the year.

Unknown said...

My favorite food has always been chocolate. Any chocolate dessert or candy could keep me very satisfied. However, it hasn’t been until recently that I have started making it myself. Truffle, chocolate bars, you name it. At one point, my friend Eman was in a bit of a dilemma: he had nothing to give to his friend for her 21st birthday. All I could do was smile and say, “There’s nothing to worry about, I can help”. He came over about 20 minutes later, and we got to business. About four pounds of chocolate melted at once, separated by type and color, and the sweet aroma filled the air. We finished our work about an hour and a half later, ending up with five chocolate bars, four hazelnut truffles, and twelve cupcake shaped chocolates with sprinkles. In addition to that, some of the chocolates didn’t come out right in the beginning, so we decided to “taste test”. I couldn’t remember a time when “Big Brother” and I had so much fun. To me, chocolate is more than just a sweet treat; it is a way to get closer to your friends.

sami said...

My mother makes chicken and rice for or family. As long as I can remember this was a special meal she made. It is a rare meal, but when we do have it the house is filled with aroma's that make your mouth water. This meal is something that I will cook for my family in the future, because as a child it was something I really enjoyed to eat. It brings our family to the dinner table which is not very common, since everyone is always out doing other things or we just don't have time. This dish takes an hour or so to bake in the oven, which always frustrated me as a child because i was always anxious to eat it. Now the meal reminds me of how much it means to have a family dinner, because they don't last forever and family is the largest part of my life.

Unknown said...

My favorite thing that my family makes is homemade pizza. It reminds me of my childhood and the smell of it cooking in the oven is so comforting to me. My family has made it for as long as I can remember, and it makes me think of making pizzas from scratch with all of my cousins when we were younger, and it's something that i hope my family will always do.
-Cali Brandt

Unknown said...

One food that is full of memories for me would have to be baby back ribs. Whenever my dad cooks ribs, it is always a special meal and everyone makes sure they are home to eat and they save their appetite. I can remember when I was younger waiting for them to cook all day long, starving myself all day so I could eat as many as possible. Then after smelling them tenderizing in the oven, my dad would take them to the grill and finish them up. I would always dip my fingers in the barbecue sauce as he poured it on the ribs on the grill. We usually eat ribs only on special occasions or perfect cookout weather days on Sundays and we still hold the same traditions today as I starve myself from the time I have breakfast until dinner.
Cody Taylor 3rd period

Unknown said...

The food that brings memories to mind is spaghetti. Most of my childhood my family went to my grandma's and just visited and enjoyed each others company. Each night me and my brother would have spaghetti and we would talk about all sorts of movies or news. Me and my brother would only pay attention to some of the topics but each time we went we enjoyed ourselves. These days we haven't been able to but i still have some of those memories when I have spaghetti sometimes.

Unknown said...

I absolutely love pasta with red sauce. It is probably just the Italian in me, but I can never get enough of carbs with warm, smooth tomato sauce. When I was a baby, rather than being fed baby food in a jar from the grocery store, I was fed my Nonna's homemade tomato sauce straight from the jar. The pasta is just a bonus with the sauce. Pizza with red sauce is great too. In fact I'll bite into a cold, juicy tomato on a hot summer day as I would bite into an apple. Sweet tomatoes and sweet sauce is not my favorite though. I like the kind that has the tang to it. Red sauce reminds me of family gatherings every Sunday with my family on my dad's side. I'm rarely at a Sunday dinner anymore so whether I'm out to eat or just at home enjoying a plate of pasta and sauce, I can always reminisce on the Sundays I spent growing up with all my cousins while digesting a homemade Italian meal from our Nonna.

Anonymous said...

i really dont have any story or family history or whatever with any food. but my favorite food is french toast. i loved it since i was a little boil. my favorite french toast was the one my grandma used to make me all the time when i was younger, she was the first persont o teach me her ways on making the perfect french toast. so it was always one of the boldest memories i have with my grandmother. now that my grandma doesnt remember much because of her alztimers, my father makes it for me. the same way my grandmother made hers. even though she cant make me french toast anymore i will always remember the times we have shared weather it was me eating or learning how to make it. its the little things in life that counts i believe.

Unknown said...

Every christmas my family, being slovak, makes pierogies for dinner. I personally love sauerkraut and mashed potato stuffed but some of my family is weird and eats them filled with plum. I think that they're disgusting but they devour them. My grandma and i always help boil them in gigantic vats to accommodate our huge family. It is without a doubt one of my favorite parts of the holiday.

Unknown said...

Every Sunday my mom makes a big dinner for us, the whole family. Every single Sunday it's something different. It's a great memory because it's something that we do and have been doing as a family now for awhile and it's always nice just to be with them and enjoy the meal. That's what makes it great no matter what the food is but the family time.

Unknown said...

Food that contains a lot of memories would have to be turkey. Every thanksgiving on both my moms side and dads side of the family we will have Turkey. And each turkey is different and the memories from each side of the family are different as well. On my moms side we would always go down to my aunts and eat dinner there while watching thanksgiving football and that turkey is always the driest food I've ever had. On my dads side the turkey usually has more flavor, but instead of watching TV we usually sit at the table and just catch up on things that we've missed since we've seen each other

Unknown said...

When I was younger, my favorite food was mashed potatoes. Whenever my dad would make them, I would stand next to him and help him put in the milk and butter. It was my favorite because I loved making them with him and they tasted so good. This food is still my favorite because it reminds me of when we would make them together and shared our favorite side dish together.

Unknown said...

My family is straight off the boat from Slovakia, so my grandmother really knows how to make delicious Slovak food. Every Christmas day, she makes homemade pierogis, delicious kielbasa, and sauerkraut made from scratch. Each time I walk into my grandma's home, lit up with Christmas trees, lights all over the walls, and fake snow glittering the shelves, added to the smell of the food, I feel at home. I get this overwhelming feeling of warmth, comfort, and corny enough, love. Also the fact that my grandma made everything from scratch for her family to feast on makes it all the more special, and I value these meals more and more as she gets older. Eating the food after smelling it is also an excellent bonus as well!