Family ties

From morning to night, such fun was had yesterday (Sunday, October 5th). Before Jeff and I had dinner together with all of our parents, my mom and I spent the early part of the day with Vince so we could make his family's pasta sauce and meatball recipes. How I love being married to a man with Italian roots. To say Jeff's dad can cook is an understatement, but there is something so special about having family recipes that have been passed through generations and it’s a privilege being able to learn them for myself. It's even better when those recipes involve Italian food, one of my absolute favorites.

The lesson for me was long overdue; we've been talking about making it happen since even before Jeff and I were married. Tricia had her lesson with Vince's mom about two weeks after they were married, so I did get a little grief from her for my delay! I have learned my share of other recipes from Vince though, and I'm sure I'll be passing them down one day too. My mom had asked to come along when I got together with Vince. "Since I'm family now, I should probably learn how to make the family sauce too!" she explained. We had a wonderful time and even though the day may have started with the idea of just having some good times together, it was something I know I will always remember and I will take so much pride in telling our child(ren) about it.










A quick (or not so quick) aside…We so also celebrate Tricia’s Irish heritage (both Jeff and I are about half Irish too) with a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner for St. Patty’s day every year, and it was great learning how to make pigs in a blanket with her a while back. I’ll also be making her pecan pie recipe for years to come (anything that tastes that good has to be really bad for you---and it is, but it is so yummy you can't resist it). Jeff’s nana, Tricia’s mom, gave me her pineapple pie recipe which was the ending to the very first meal we ever had together at their home in Florida. She promised to give me the recipe if Jeff and I were married (we weren’t even engaged at the time), but then gave me the recipe before our stay concluded!

I have also learned so many recipes from my mom and several of those were passed down to her from both her mom and my dad's mom. Even for dinner last night, my mom made a dessert that I will always associate with my grandma. Just mention Cherry Delight to my maternal aunts and cousins and no doubt the vision of grandma Sales’s kitchen or dining room table appears. My nana, my dad’s mom, not only let me drink Cafe Vienna coffee as a kid, she was also responsible for some mighty tasty spaghetti of her own. Even though her recipe may not win any awards with the Italians, it was hers and it was, and still is (thanks to the help of my mom), delicious.

It helps that I love to cook, but being able to share in the recipes, in the history (and yes, in the eating!), brings such a thrill to me. I cannot wait for all that will be passed down to the next generation. I hope I’m in the kitchen someday teaching family recipes passed down from both sides, and maybe some new ones of my own too.

OK, back on track. It seemed only fitting that we'd get to eat the finished product of our work yesterday, so last night we enjoyed dinner together with our parents (and Tom was able to join us too). Jeff and I feel extremely fortunate to have our parents in our lives and the fact that the two sets get along so well with each other is an added bonus.







Our baby is one lucky duck too. Our parents are all so excited to be his or her grandparents and there is so much love circling this little one already. Thanks in advance to our moms and dads for being the best grandparents! May you always feel our baby’s love just as strongly as we hope you feel ours for the four of you. We will be looking forward to all of the stories, traditions, shared meals and the recipes that will continue to be passed along to come.