Patchwork: A Recipe Collection

patchwork a recipe collection

Edited by Michaela Keil

New Jersey, 2022

2022, Michaela Keil First harcover edition, May 2022.

Edited by Michaela Keil Art by Michaela Keil Title and section font is Calder, designed by Mariya V. Pigoulevskaya at Adobe Fonts.

Recipe title font is Brandon Grotesque, designed by Hannes von Döhren at Adobe Fonts.

Body text is in Garramond Premiere Pro and is an Adobe Originals Design.

Printed by Mixam.

Hoboken, NJ

To you.

With my deepest appreciations.

Table of Contents 11 Foreword 14 Dinners 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44

American Chop Suey Aunt Carol’s Portobello Caps Aunt Deb’s Chicken Cutlets Baked Salmon with Pecans Beef Stroganoff Chicken Cacciatore Chicken Korma Chicken Vinadloo Creamy Shrimp Scampi Ethan’s Skillet-Roasted Chicken Frank’s Calamari and Red Sauce Janet’s Penne Vodka Meat Sauce Meatloaf Memèré’s Chili Mini Beef Wellingtons Nanna’s Meatballs Nanna’s Sauce Roast Chicken Roast Chicken Gravy Santa Fe Chicken Sherry Chicken Susan’s Sweet and Sour Brisket Tagine Teriyaki Steak Tilapia Zucchini and Black Bean Tacos

46 Soups 48 48 49 50 51 52 53

Ali Household Daal Ethan’s Easy Weeknight Daal Minestrone Soup Mushroom Soup Potato Cauliflower Soup Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Simple Chicken or Turkey Soup

54 Breakfasts 56 57 58 59

Gordon’s Pancakes Gordon’s Waffles Yeasted Pancakes Yeasted Waffles

60 Breads 62 63 64 66 67 68 69

Banana Bread Bretzen Dinner Rolls Pizza Dough Semelle Rolls Sweet Cornbread Zucchini Bread

70 Desserts 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 78 79 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99

Apple Crumble Apple Pie Arielle’s Mint Cake Aunt Janet’s Pie Crust Cindy’s Lemon Blueberry Cake Coconut Cream Pie Chocolate Rum Buttercream Cream Cheese Frosting Fluffy Chocolate Frosting Seven-Minute Frosting Cynthia’s Brown Sugar Starries Devil’s Food (Valentine) Cake Grandma McNair’s Pound Cake Grandma’s Pasticiotti Happy Birthday Cake Helen Julie’s Blueberry Pie Linzer Cookies Martha Washington Cake Michaela’s Hot Fudge Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Peach and Strawberry Cake Mocha Frosting Peach Dumplings with Bourbon Pumpkin Pie Queen’s Chocolate Cake Rainbow Cake Rumballs Snickerdoodles Tiramisu Tracy’s Poppyseed Cake Walnut Crescents

100 Sides, Sauces, and Snacks 102 103 104 105 106 106 107 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117

Apple Chips Applesauce Broccoli Casserole Caesar Salad Candied Almonds Corn Relish Cucumber and Tomato Salad Dill Dip Florence’s BBQ Sauce Marinated Bean Salad Nat’s Granola Refrigerator Dill Pickles Salad Pépère Style Sherry Creamed Mushrooms Spanakopita Sweet Potato Casserole Sweet Potatoes West African Style Tess’ Noodle Kugel

118 Drink s 120 121 122 123 124

Apple Cider Fruit Mead Gordon’s Famous Eggnog Richard’s Margaritas To Kale a Mockingbird

FOreword One of my dad’s favorite stories to tell is about a camping trip he took as a boy.

It was him, a bunch of teenagers, a few chaperones, and ten canoes. They piled into the canoes and embarked on a multi-day journey, stopping to set up camp every night. I couldn’t tell you where the trip was, what he saw, or if he even enjoyed it, because the main detail my father chooses to recall about that trip is the food. Specifically, how he wanted to go home and eat a home cooked meal more than anything else.

He tells us this story as an anecdote about the fallible nature of memory, but what I always took away from it was that a good meal can mean a lot more to us than we think.

When I think of our family, I remember specific idyllic moments. In the style of a Thomas Kinkade painting or Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, I picture the holidays: decorations abound, a dessert table with nine pies and at least ten varieties of cookies, people chatting and singing and laughing, and more food than anyone could reasonably consume. An impossible amount of people sitting in chairs, sharing a meal, somehow fitting around a patchwork of different tables.

It is entirely possible that my underdeveloped brain editorialized these memories and moments, but to me they are what define our family. The chaos of kids running around, people singing with various instruments, conversations in every corner, and food — everywhere.

In many ways it feels the exact same at the holidays as it does at Silver Bay, when everyone goes up to Lake George for a family reunion. Sitting around any of the tables with whoever is next to me, watching the sun dip over the mountains is a beautiful moment. It is only enhanced by the number of wonderful people who surround me.

I have never gone hungry at a table full of family, and with the generosity and love that my family and friends bring, I’m sure I never will.

When I lived in Montreal, my cousin Arielle would invite me over for dinner every so often, and I would take a peaceful walk in the snow, excited at the prospect of her tagine, or a curry, or chicken, whatever she had cooking that night. I would share a table with Arielle, her husband, Hal, and their three children. Some of my biggest life decisions I made in their kitchen. I felt lucky as I watched each of the kids grow, especially when Asha started talking, Damien started running around, and Bela started climbing. I loved being a part of dinner time (which transitioned to bedtime), and even to see Arielle and 11

Hal grow into their own family. It helped that Arielle always had a plate of food warm enough to battle the sub-zero temperatures of Quebec in the winter.

It was during my time in Montreal when I established a new family within my roommates. We would have family dinners every Tuesday evening, taking the time to catch up, hang out, and work together despite our busy schedules. I still have family dinners to this day with the friends around me, because I have learned that family, to me, includes my friends.

Sometime during winter 2020, I went skiing in Pennsylvania and called up my cousin Frankie on a whim to see if I could stop by for a visit. Even with the short notice, he welcomed me in and we talked and hung out for a good few hours. While Frankie made a delicious stuffed meatloaf, I helped prep a salad. I hadn’t had a chance to hang out with him in years, and sharing a meal was exactly what we needed.

I was reminded of his mom, my Aunt Deb, who used to stay with us in Montclair one or two nights a week for most of my adolescent years. She would stop by Calandra’s Italian bakery in Caldwell, NJ, for some bread rolls (my sister’s favorite) before coming to our house. The best nights were when she would make breaded chicken cutlets for us. She would let me help out, teaching me to roll and flour and fry, though I was best at putting out snacks for us to enjoy in the meantime.

It was weeknights like these when my mom would (in her words) “throw togther” food out of a dream. I would go over to friend’s houses and stay for dinner, though on more than one occasion I wished to be home, eating the food that I knew and loved, not unlike my father, wishing to leave his camping trip. *** I once described this project as something about bringing myself together through the stories of me and people and food. The person that I shared this thought with said that “As if food weren’t intimate enough already, you’re adding this element of exploration and identity. It must make it a super beautiful project.” I hope it does.

I remember going to visit my cousin Ethan at his apartment one night during the summer when he moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We were playing cards, and halfway through the game, he started talking about pickles he made. My friend and I tried them, and I haven’t stopped making pickles since.

In the last year, I have cooked, baked, experimented, and shared with whoever would join me at my table. I had friends and family come. Much to the chagrin of some, I would bake for parties. Yes, bake. Because people need food when they’re drinking and chips 12

wouldn’t cut it, so I figured homemade bread would. Every dinner roll I made was eaten.

They were far from perfect (shaping dough doesn’t get easier after a beer or two), but that’s not the point. People ate and were happy and most importantly, they were together.

I have vivid memories of the summer of 2021, when my friend Alyssa and I would sit, eat a goat cheese drizzled with honey, and drink wine for hours on end. We attempted to play cards, but mostly we just talked. You’d be amazed how the problems of the world can be solved over a plate of cheese and crackers.

I made a Thanksgiving meal for my friends in November of 2021, and was on the phone with my mom almost the entire time. At one point we realized that we were cooking the turkey upside-down, and my mom firmly told me through the phone to not attempt to flip it, even if it would be prettier right-side up (I learned that the skin of the turkey only browns if it’s right-side up). I had strong hands helping mine and so we flipped it, but absolutely did not tell her. My mother called us back no less than 15 minutes later to make sure I wasn’t on my way to the hospital with oil burns, knowing that I wouldn’t listen to her, and would flip a half-roasted turkey anyway.

Moments like these remind me that food can bring people together. After all, I got my mom to be an integral part of that Thanksgiving even though she wasn’t there.

After the last two years of separations, boundaries, and bubbles, and even after four years of living in a different country, I have felt connected to everyone through these recipes — friends and family alike. I got to learn just a teeny bit about what makes a particular recipe special. I got to share food with people I love, and experiment in ways that have brought us together (for better or for worse). I got to call some people to ask just exactly how to cook something, and have, invariably, learned more than I thought I would from this project.

This doesn’t mean that this cookbook is a finished work — far from it. There are still family recipes yet to be rediscovered, and experimentation journeys I haven’t yet embarked upon, but I think it captures a little slice of everyone I love, like a patchwork quilt, made up of hundreds of pieces. Those pieces, those meals, and those memories are what make up me.

To everyone who helped, contributed, read, edited, listened to me conceptualize, or tried any of the hundreds of dishes I made this year, thank you. And to everyone else, I can’t wait to share a table with you again.

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Dinners

American Chop Suey American Chop Suey is a quick and easy Keil household favorite. While living in Canada, my roommates loved when I made it because I always had leftovers to share.

Cooking time: 20 minutes Active time: 15 minutes Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Saute meat in a medium frying pan. If using 1 lb ground meat (beef or turkey) ground turkey instead of beef, use a tiny bit of ½ cup chopped onion olive oil over medium heat. Cook meat until lightly ½ cup chopped bell pepper browned, then add onions and peppers while 1 (28 oz) can of tomatoes, or 2 (10 oz) cans sauteing the meat. Drain off any excess fat, and of tomato sauce or 1 (6 oz) can of tomato add tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 20 to 40 paste (basically any canned tomatoes minutes. you can find) 2.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add Basil salt, and cook elbows or other smaller noodles Parsley until al dente. Drain.

Garlic powder 3. After the meat has finished simmering, add Pinch red pepper flakes noodles to the sauce, then mix and serve with a Salt and pepper, to taste sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

2 cups uncooked pasta

16

Aunt Carol’s Portobello Caps Baking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

Olive oil 1-2 cloves garlic 1 lb spinach, chopped 1 medium onion Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tsp rosemary Pinch cilantro 6 large portobello caps Bread crumbs (optional) 2 large tomatoes 1 lb fresh mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Saute spinach with onion and garlic in olive oil.

3. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and a hint of cilantro.

4. Layer mushroom caps with sauteed spinach, bread crumbs, tomato slice (salted), and cheese slice (salt each layer).

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and cheese is slightly browned.

Recipe from Carol Gale

17

Aunt Deb’s Chicken Cutlets For most of my childhood, Aunt Deb would spend one or two nights each week at our house. It was always Wednesday nights when she would go to dance class, my mom would be at a yoga class, and dinner was a last-minute team effor. So it was a really special treat when Aunt Deb would make these chicken cutlets. I loved squeezing some fresh lemon on top, and enjoying them with some Italian Semelle rolls (page 67).

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb chicken cutlets 1 cup flour 3 eggs 1 tbsp water 1 cup Italian bread crumbs Oil

1. Pat chicken dry and set aside.

2. Using three separate bowls, place the flour in the first, the eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water in the second, and breadcrumbs in the third.

3. Roll a piece of chicken in flour. Dip the cutlet in the egg mixture, then roll in the Italian bread crumbs. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

4. Fry in hot oil in a large skillet until golden brown.

Set aside on a plate with a paper towel until ready to serve.

Recipe from Deborah Tirico

18

Baked Salmon with Pecans This super simple fish is delicious and never fails to impress. We’ve served it at a few Christmas dinners, and I’ve made it for date nights and other special occasions. It goes nicely with mashed potatoes.

To make it gluten free, don’t add the breadcrumbs – it works just as well.

Baking time: 10-20 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 tbsp Dijon mustard 3 tbsp butter, melted 5 tsp honey ½ cup fresh bread crumbs ½ cup pecans, finely chopped 3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped 6 (4 oz) fillets salmon Salt and pepper, to taste Lemon wedges, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, butter, and honey. In another bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.

2. Season each salmon fillet with salt and pepper.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush each fillet with the mustard-honey mixture.

Cover the top of each fillet with the bread crumb mixture.

3. Bake for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until salmon just flakes when tested with a fork. Serve garnished with lemon wedges.

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Beef Stroganoff Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 lbs top round roast, or other stew meat, cubed ¼ cup flour 1 tsp oil ½ lbs sliced mushrooms 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cups water 2 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ¼ tsp marjoram 2 tsp dry mustard 1 tsp gravy master ⅓ cup ketchup 1 lb egg noodles ½ cup sour cream

1. Cube meat and shake in a bag with flour to coat all the pieces.

2. In a large frying pan, brown the meat in oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, water, salt, pepper, marjoram, dry mustard, gravy master, and ketchup.

3. Cover and cook for 1 hour.

4. While cooking, boil egg noodles.

5. Add sour cream right before serving and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.

6. Serve over egg noodles.

Recipe from Doris Gale, adapted by Robin Keil

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From Robin: “This makeshift recipe was assembled after watching Frank Tirico make this for dinner on multiple occassions. There are no measurements because the way he would cook would be with ‘a little bit of this and a little bit of that.’ It works well with broccoli and green salad. Serve with Chianti wine!”

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 to 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs Olive oil Parsley Basil Onion flakes Garlic powder Oregano Salt and pepper, to taste 1 (12 oz) can tomato sauce Leftover red wine (optional) Sliced mushrooms (optional) 1 lb pasta (rigatoni)

1. Sear chicken over medium-high heat in a large frying pan with olive oil, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

2. Sprinkle parsley, basil, onion flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over chicken, then add tomato sauce.

3. Optional: As it is simmering you can throw in a “glug glug” of red wine.

4. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes (up to 1 hour).

5. Optional: Add sliced mushrooms 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

6. While simmering, boil pasta.

7. Serve chicken over pasta.

Recipe from Frank Tirico

21

Chicken Korma When I graduated high school, Cole gave me a card with the usual congratulations. Part of the message said something about posting bail for me, but I will never forget that at the bottom, he wrote “If you’re ever in trouble, call me.” I still have the note to this day, as it made me think about the people we have around us, and the various ways support exists. Someone once told me that Cole was a “go-to guy,” the one who people call on when they’re in trouble. I admire people who can be there in trouble, even though it’s a difficult position to hold, and can be exhausting (I have been, and sometimes still am that person for others).

Knowing that someone is willing to show up for you when you need it most, even if you never see them, is part of what family means to me.

From Cole: “This is a recipe I use often and love. I’ve made it for guests coming over for dinner and on weekend trips with a big group. The recipe says to have the leftovers on bread with mayo and damn if that isn’t almost better than the fresh meal! I try to make too much on purpose for this reason.”

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 1 large onion, peeled 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed ⅓ cup whole milk, plain, or Greek-style yogurt 2 tsp kosher salt 1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 10 pieces, skin removed, or 3 pounds bone-in chicken parts, skin removed ¼ cup ghee or vegetable oil 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 bay leaf 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, snapped in half 3 green cardamom pods, cracked 3 small green chiles, stemmed 22

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Directions: 1. Cut onion in half, trim off the root, and thinly slice one half from root to stem. Set aside. Roughly chop the remaining onion half and purée in a blender, adding as little water as needed to blend until smooth. Pour into a small bowl. Set aside.

2. In the same blender (no need to wash it out), purée ginger, garlic, yogurt and kosher salt, adding as little water as needed to blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Set aside. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, add to bowl with yogurt purée and toss with your hands to coat.

3. In a medium Dutch oven, pot or karahi over medium-high heat, add ghee and reserved sliced onions, and cook, stirring often, until crisp and deeply browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. (The onions will continue to brown after removing from heat, so scoop them out of the pot when they are a shade lighter than the desired final color.) Leaving behind the fat, transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon, and spread them out so they cool down quickly and don’t clump together.

4. Add the onion purée, coriander, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and a big pinch of kosher salt to remaining ghee and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and aromatic, about 10 to 12 minutes.

5. Add chicken, scraping in all the yogurt marinade, and stir to coat in onion paste. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the chicken releases its liquid, about 10 minutes. Partly cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is falling off the bone, the sauce is thick and creamy, and the fat breaks out of the sauce, about 30 to 35 minutes. (You want it to be saucy but thick. Add water a splash as a time, if needed, while cooking.)

6. Add green chiles, ¾ of the reserved frizzled onions and more kosher salt to taste. Gently stir to combine. Cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Top with remaining frizzled onions, and serve with paratha, rice, or as a sandwich by pulling the meat off the bone, dressing in the korma sauce, and placing between mayonnaise-slathered slices of untoasted bread.

Recipe submitted by Cole Aaronson, from NYT Cooking

23

Chicken Vindaloo Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ lb chicken pieces (thighs and breast meat) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup chopped onion 1 tbsp fresh ginger 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp mustard seeds ½ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp cloves ½ tbsp turmeric Cayenne pepper, to taste ½ tbsp paprika 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp white vinegar ½ tsp brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1 cup water

1. Salt and pepper the chicken. In a frying pan, heat the oil and butter, then brown the chicken. Remove the chicken and set aside.

2. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and saute until golden brown. Add the ginger, cumin, mustard seed, cinnamon, cloves, tumeric, cayenne and paprika.

3. Saute for a few minutes, then add the lemon juice, vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and water.

4. Return the chicken to the pan and cover and simmer until it’s tender, about 45 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking.

5. Partially remove the lid during the last 10 minutes so the sauce thickens.

6. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander.

7. Serve with basmati rice.

Recipe from Janet Aaronson

24

Creamy Shrimp Scampi The brilliance of my mother shows in this recipe. When I sat down to ask her about it, she took out two cookbooks, opened them to various different pages, and said “I do this, but not this, use these ingredients, and half of these instructions and then do this in the other book.” It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite recipes of all time.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined 8 tbsp butter (4 tbsp for cooking, 4 tbsp at the end) ⅓ cup finely chopped shallots (1 large shallot or 2 small shallots) ½ tsp red pepper flakes ¼ cup dry white wine Salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup heavy cream ½ lb spinach linguine ½ lb egg (regular) linguine

1. Saute shallots in 4 tbsp butter for about 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook for about 1 minute, tossing gently. Add white wine and cook for another 1 minute. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

2. Add the cream, when the sauce comes to a boil, cook over high heat for about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.

3. Spinach pasta will cook at a different rate than regular pasta, so they may need to be cooked in separate pots. Cook pastas until al dente, then strain and combine in one large pot. Add the remaining 4 tbsp butter and toss.

4. Pour the pasta into a serving bowl, and pour the scampi over the pasta. Toss gently.

Recipe from Robin Keil

25

Ethan’s Skillet-Roasted Chicken From Ethan: “I usually only make 4 thighs so I crush a clove of garlic or two, give a (half or whole) onion a rough chop, and grab some small fingerling potatoes (cut smaller if needed), then throw them in the empty space in the skillet maybe 4 to 5 minutes before its transferred into the oven. Hopefully this isn’t too haphazard for you to use!”

Don’t worry, I translated his instructions into the recipe below.

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs Salt and pepper, to taste 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed Fingerling potatoes, cut smaller if needed ½ onion, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 475° F (245° C).

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.

3. Add garlic, potatoes, and onions in the empty space in the skillet about 5 minutes before transferring skillet to oven.

4. Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes.

Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer.

Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe submitted by Ethan Aaronson, from Bon Appetit

26

Frank’s Calamari and Red Sauce From Robin: “Christmas Eve at the Tirico’s — lots of red wine!”

Cooking time: 1-2 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

3-4 lbs calamari, cleaned 3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed 2 tbsp olive oil ⅓ cup white wine 1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp basil Salt and pepper, to taste 1 lb pasta

1. Calamari should be cut into ½ inch circles, and cleaned before starting.

2. In a large frying pan, heat up olive oil and simmer garlic for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Making sure the oil is hot, quickly fry the calamari and tentacles for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add white wine to glaze the pan while the calamari cooks (wine will boil).

5. Stir around, just scraping the bottom of the pan, then add the can of tomato sauce.

6. Stir in spices, and let simmer on a very low flame for 1 to 2 hours.

7. Serve over pasta.

Recipe from Frank Tirico

27

Janet’s Penne Vodka with Prosciutto Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb penne pasta 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced ⅓ lb prosciutto, sliced 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes 1 tsp dried basil Salt and pepper, to taste 3 tbsp vodka 1 cup heavy cream 2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil, and add garlic and prosciutto. Cook until prosciutto browns.

2. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to directions.

Drain and set aside.

4. Add vodka and cream and heat until thickened.

Pour over pasta. Add cheese and serve.

Recipe from Janet Aaronson

28

Meat Sauce This is my (and my mom’s) go-to meat sauce. It works with or without meat and is delicious over some spaghetti squash or any pasta.

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

4 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped fine 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 (28 oz) cans peeled tomatoes 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp sugar 1 lb lean ground beef 1 tsp thyme 10 fresh mushrooms, diced

1. In a saucepan, heat oil and lightly brown onion, carrot, and garlic. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, pepper, and sugar. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes.

2. While sauce is simmering, brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, drain off excess fat. Add meat and thyme to tomato mixture.

Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes.

3. Serve with 1 lb pasta, cooked al dente.

Recipe from Eat This... It’ll Make You Feel Better by Dom DeLuis

29

Meatloaf Grandma Gale once told me that grandpa (John), wouldn’t eat butter. She used to make cut potatoes, and couldn’t mash them because mashed potatoes have butter in them “and I knew I couldn’t fool him on that one.”

The kids used to have to lure him out of the kitchen when it was time to make turkey stuffing for holidays, because otherwise there would never be any butter in it. Apparently, everyone played along and he was none the wiser.

As to why he didn’t eat butter? “His mother didn’t use butter. They were Italian. She used all olive oil for everything, so they didn’t even butter bread. So he never had to eat butter at home. One day he was at school and they made butter. I don’t remember what grade this is, but at the end they all had to taste it. He had never tasted butter, so he took a big scoop and put it in his mouth and wanted to die. He wanted to spit it out but didn’t want to be rude. He made himself swallow it and said he would never eat butter again.”

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

⅔ cup breadcrumbs 1 cup milk 2 beaten eggs ¼ cup minced onions 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ½ tsp sage 1 ½ lbs chopped meat

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Soak breadcrumbs in milk in a large bowl. Add eggs, onions, salt, pepper, sage, and meat. Mix well with hands.

3. Shape into a loaf, and bake for 1 hour.

Recipe from Doris Gale

30

Note: Use a mix of lamb, veal, and beef for a tastier loaf.

Memèré’s Chili This recipe gets better with age, so let it sit a day, or put a few servings aside in the freezer, and give the flavors time to really develop. Warm it up again on the stove, and serve this with Sweet Cornbread (page 68), and it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb ground meat 1 large onion, chopped 1 chopped green pepper 2-3 cans beans (black, kidney) 1 (28 oz) can tomatoes 1 tsp salt ⅛ tsp paprika ⅛ tsp black pepper 1 clove garlic 1 bay leaf 1-2 tbsp chili powder (heaping)

1. Brown meat in a skillet over medium-high heat.

Drain excess fat.

2. Add onions and peppers, saute for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add beans, tomatoes, salt, paprika, pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and chili powder and simmer for 1 hour.

4. Remove the bay leaf and serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped chives, and corn chips.

Note: Can add other ingredients such as canned corn and more chili powder or cayenne for extra spiciness.

Recipe from Adrienne May Bergeron

31

Mini Beef Wellingtons During the pandemic Christmas Eves (both of them) the Keil family decided to get crafty and to make personal-sized Beef Wellingtons. They were delicious and elevated an otherwise strange holiday season to be something more special.

Baking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 12 oz beef tenderloin cut into 4 pieces, or 4 filet mignons Salt and pepper, to taste 2 tbsp canola oil ¼ cup english mustard or dijon 1 tbsp butter 2 shallots, minced 2 lb cremini mushroom, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced ½ lb prosciutto, thinly sliced, or ham 1 sheet puff pastry 2 eggs, beaten

32

Active time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Before beginning: This can be done over one day or two, depending on time. If doing over two days, pause at step 9. Follow steps 9 to 11, but do not use the puff pastry.

Tightly wrap the proscuitto-wrapped-meat package in cling film. Take out of the refrigerator one hour before wrapping in pastry and baking. Continue as directed.

Directions: 1. Let fillets come to room temperature, then season with salt and pepper on all sides 2. In a medium-sized frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil over high heat. Once the oil has begun to smoke, quickly sear the meat pieces on both sides (45 to 60 seconds per side).

3. Once seared, transfer the meat to a plate or cutting board to rest.

4. Using a basting brush, brush the mustard on all sides of the meat while it’s still warm. Let the meat rest while making the duxelle (mushrooms cooked until dry).

5. To the same pan, add the butter, mushrooms, minced shallot, and minced garlic over mediumhigh heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid evaporates and the mushroom mixture becomes a thick, dry-like paste (25 to 30 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

6. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and let cool completely.

7. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C).

8. To assemble the Wellingtons, lay out a piece of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Place a piece of prosciutto in the center of the pastry.

9. Next, layer about 1 tablespoon of the mushroom mixture on the center of the prosciutto and use the back of a spoon to flatten the paste to about the size of the tenderloin pieces.

10. Place one of the mustard-coated beef fillets on top of the mushroom mixture, then top the piece of beef with another spoonful of the mushroom mixture, making sure to pat it down flat across the top of the meat.

11. Layer with another piece of prosciutto and close the Wellington by folding the puff pastry over the center of the meat.

12. Using your hands, carefully seal the edges of the pastry then transfer seam-side down to a greased, parchment-paper lined baking sheet.

13. Brush the surface with the beaten eggs.

14. Optional: Decorate with additional pastry.

15. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

16. Bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is a dark golden brown and the internal temperature of the beef is 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare.

17. Allow each Wellington to rest at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

33

Nanna’s Meatballs From Robin: “Nanna always had sauce on the stove. Whenever we visited, there was sauce and pasta ready to eat. Their dog — a chihuahua named Chi-chi — always had pasta in his food dish. He was the fattest chihuahua ever!”

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 lbs hamburger meat 6 slices of bread, soaked in water 3 eggs 3 tsp salt 3 tsp pepper 3 tbsp parsley 3 tbsp parmesan cheese 2 cloves garlic, minced Canola oil

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together using your hands, until well blended.

2. Roll into meatballs about 1 ½ inches in diameter — or to preference 3. Fry in canola oil until browned. Add to sauce once fried.

Recipe from Doris Gale, as explained by Teresa Console Gallucci Nesci

34

Nanna’s Cooking time: 3 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb hot (or sweet) Italian sausage 3 (28 oz) cans tomatoes 3 (6 oz) cans tomato paste 3 tsp salt 3 cloves garlic 3 bay leaves 2 tsp onion powder Pinch red pepper flakes ⅛ tsp baking soda

1. Brown sausage in oil in a large stockpot. Add all other ingredients, and stir together. Let simmer for 3 hours.

2. Add baking soda to neutralize acids.

3. Add Nanna’s meatballs.

4. Serve with pasta cooked al dente.

Recipe from Doris Gale, as explained by Teresa Console Gallucci Nesci

35

Roast Chicken Cooking time: 1-2 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 whole chicken Rosemary Thyme Salt Pepper Garlic powder (optional) 1 head of garlic, cut in half 1 lemon, quartered 1 sprig rosemary 1 large onion, quartered (optional, in place of garlic)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a baking pan with raised edges, make a ring of tinfoil to raise the chicken so it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan.

2. Take the insides out of the chicken and set them aside for chicken soup (in a cheesecloth, if possible).

3. Rub the outside of the chicken with rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.

4. Add salt and pepper to the inside cavity then stuff with the head of garlic (or onion), lemon, and sprig of rosemary.

5. Roast it at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes per pound plus an additional 10 to 20 minutes overall (so a 2.5 to 3 lb chicken cooks for 1 to 1 hour and 15 minutes, and a 4 lb chicken will be somewhere around 1 hour 45 minutes) 6. For a larger chicken, roast at 350°F (175°C). For a 4 to 5 lb chicken, cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

7. When you take the chicken out you should have juices in the pan.

Grab the chicken using two large forks and turn it upside down so that any juices that collected inside will dump out into the pan.

Take the garlic and lemon pieces out from the inside and discard.

8. See Roast Chicken Gravy (page 37) for gravy. See Simple Chicken Soup (page 53) for a soup made of the innards and chicken carcass.

9. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes then carve.

36

Roast Chicken Gravy My first Thanksgiving in my own apartment was while I lived in Montreal — and also a year where I couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving. My roommate helped me in the kitchen as we made our own little meal, and with the direction of my mom, we ended up with a beautiful roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1 chicken

Ingredients:

Directions:

Chicken juices Water Flour

1. Take the baking pan with chicken juices and place it over a low flame on top of the stove. Warm it slowly and slowly add a little water to double the gravy in volume. Scrape off any pieces stuck to the bottom. Don’t let it boil.

2. Strain, if you want.

3. Make a roux (water and flour: 2 parts water to 1 part flour).

Make the roux as smooth as possible. Add the roux a little bit at a time to the warm juices and mix it in, using a fork or a whisk if there are any lumps. Add more of the roux until it comes to a color and consistency that you like.

37

From Robin: “This recipe came on the back of a realtor’s direct mail piece. No one knows who the realtor is, but we have enjoyed this recipe for years since receiving the card.”

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 large onion 1 tbsp butter 1 ¼ cups chicken broth 1 cup salsa 1 cup long grain rice ⅛ tsp garlic powder 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb) ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter over medium heat until tender.

2. Add broth and salsa, bring to a boil. Stir in rice and garlic, then place chicken over rice. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Turn chicken, cook 10 to 15 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear.

4. Remove from heat.

5. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Recipe submitted by Robin Keil, from Taste of Home, 2002

38

Sherry Chicken This is a Grandma Gale original recipe. She used to make it with elbow noodles which, when coated with the light gravy from the pan drippings, was delicious. Grandpa, John Gale, loved this meal (and so did Robin).

My mom adopted it and serves it with wild rice. It became my birthday meal for many years, and I still love it to this day.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs Olive oil Onion flakes Garlic powder Paprika Salt and pepper, to taste ¼ cup of cooking sherry, sherry, white wine, or red wine

1. Sear meat in olive oil on high (about 2 to 3 minutes each side).

2. Season with all spices, and add the wine (use less salt if using cooking sherry).

3. Cover and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipe from Doris Gale, adapted by Robin Keil

39

Susan’s Sweet and Sour Brisket Susan is the mother of one of my very good friends, Benji. Benji and I used to walk to school together and I got to see his mom frequently. After a while we used to joke that we were best friends and to this day Susan is in my phone as “Mrs. Frank my BFF.” This recipe is one I remember fondly from Hanukkah parties at their house. It was passed from Aunt Lea, to Sandy, to Susan. And Sandy is the mother of my other good friend, Sarah!

Cooking time: 3-4 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 pkg onion soup mix (Lipton’s is what she called for) ½ cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup ketchup 1 cup brown sugar 1 First Cut Brisket

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Blend onion soup mix, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and brown sugar until well mixed.

3. Susan note: Add more of less of these ingredients depending on how sweet, ketchupy, or sour you like the gravy; Susan always goes for more brown sugar 4. Pour gravy over brisket or vegetables (*see veggie option below). Sprinkle the top of meat with brown sugar.

5. Optional: Add pearl onions or onion slices, potatoes or sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and any other vegetables. Cook with the meat and gravy, all in one dish.

6. Bake for 3 to 4 hours covered with foil.

7. Best when cooked the day before, served sliced and reheated in gravy.

Vegetable Option:

Pearl onions or onion slices Potatoes or sweet potatoes Carrots Parsnips 1 jar Sunset Sweet Jarred Prunes (with pits)

Recipe submitted by Susan Helman

40

Tagine Arielle made this for me for the first time years ago. I was 16, and hopped a train to Montreal by myself to go visit her and Hal. She was pregnant with Asha, and after a wonderful day seeing the city, we went home and she made me this tagine and I’ve loved it ever since. This recipe has become a favorite part of my cooking repertoire.

Cooking time: 2-4 hours

Active time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1-2 tbsp olive oil 1-2 large onions, chopped 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped 1-2 large carrots, chopped 1 cup chicken stock 3 tbsp honey 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 pinch saffron or 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional) Salt and pepper, to taste 1 inch fresh ginger root, chopped 2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes 3 lbs chicken, chopped into large chunks 2 (14 ounce) cans chickpeas ⅔ cup dried apricots or 2 spoonfuls apricot jam

1. Heat up olive oil in a skillet and saute chopped onions, garlic, and carrots for about 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add chicken stock, honey, and tomato paste and mix well.

3. Add saffron or turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne pepper (optional), salt, and pepper.

4. Add finely chopped ginger and tomatoes. Mix well.

5. Pour into a slow cooker or tagine.

6. Add chicken and chickpeas and mix well.

7. Add dried apricots or apricot jam.

8. Mix everything together well.

9. Cook in slow cooker on high for about 3 to 4 hours.

If cooking in a tagine, do as above and cook slowly on the stovetop for about 2 to 3 hours.

10. Serve with couscous, rice, fresh flat bread, or pita bread.

Recipe from Arielle Aaronson

41

Teriyaki Steak (or Chicken) Cooking time: 20 minutes

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 lbs chuck roast cut into thin strips (can use London broil), or chicken cut into cubes ½ cup sugar or less ½ cup soy sauce Thumb-size pieces of fresh ginger, minced, or ½ tsp powdered ginger 2 cloves garlic minced or diced

1. In a large dish mix together sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Soak meat in the marinade for several hours.

2. Skewer and grill approximately 10 minutes.

Recipe from Doris Gale

42

Note: Can also marinate the entire roast (uncut) and grill. Cut and serve once cool.

Tilapia This recipe is less about the fish and more about the marinade, which works fantastic on many grilled recipes. It comes from a recipe for chicken and vegetable kebabs, but is used in the Keil household predominantly for tilapia.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 tbsp dijon mustard 3 tbsp tarragon vinegar 3 tbsp olive oil 1 lb tilapia fillets ½ cup bread crumbs or panko

1. Preheat oven to a high broil.

2. Mix the mustard, vinegar, and oil in a small bowl.

3. Place the fillets into a baking pan. Apply a generous coat of mustard sauce to each fillet. Top with breadcrumbs or panko.

4. Bake under the broiler for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or until tilapia flakes when tested with a fork.

Recipe inspired by Cooking A to Z, 1988

43

Zucchini and Black Bean Tacos from From Addy: “When I got married, my sisters sent recipe cards to everyone invited to my shower, and now I have a box full of wonderful recipes. I did the same for Nat and Jessica. Here are two of my favorites. One is from my friend Erin Robin, and her husband, Richard, who I met in grad school.”

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 tsp olive oil 2 zucchinis, diced small (about 1 lb) 2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced thin ¼ tsp salt 2 garlic cloves, minced ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp ground coriander 1 (6 oz) can or jar of salsa verde (canned tomatillos) 1 (16 oz) can black beans 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas ½ cup finely chopped scallions

1. Preheat a heavy bottomed skillet over mediumhigh heat. Pour in the oil and add the zucchini and jalapenos. Sprinkle with salt and saute for about 7 minutes or until the zucchini is lightly browned.

2. Add the garlic, olives, cumin, and coriander, and saute for 2 minutes more.

3. Drain and rinse the black beans, then add the salsa verde and black beans to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. The salsa should be reduced for a minute or so to keep it from being soupy.

4. Warm the tortillas in a skillet or wrap in a moist paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.

5. Assemble the tacos by adding the filling and topping with scallions or sliced avocados.

Recipe submitted by Addy Gale, from Erin Robin

44

45

soups

Ali Household Daal Cooking time: 35 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 carrot, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 small potato, chopped ½ cup dried red lentils 3 cups water or bouillon 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp turmeric

1. In the bottom of a Dutch oven, sauté onions, carrots, and potato in olive oil for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Add in spices and stir for about a minute.

2. Add lentils and water or bouillon. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or more, until all vegetables are soft. Blend using a hand blender if desired.

3. Serve with naan or rice.

Ethan’s Easy Weeknight Daal Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: 1 ½ cups dried red lentils 4 cups water 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, minced 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander ¼ tsp chili powder ½ tsp garam masala Salt and pepper, to taste

48

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

From Ethan: “If you’re feeling wild, I use the daal as ‘beans’ sometimes to make Indian tacos. Add in some chicken thighs seasoned with garam masala, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some cayenne cooked in a skillet which you then cut up into chunks or strips afterwards. Throw it all in some naan with the dal and some cheese or whatever else you like in tacos.”

Directions: 1. In the bottom of a Dutch oven, saute onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Add in spices, and mix well. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil.

2. Simmer for 15 minutes or until lentils are thoroughly cooked (mushy). Blend using a hand blender if desired.

Minestrone Soup Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

½ pound dried white beans soaked in water overnight (can also use canned cannellini beans) 1 tsp olive oil ⅛ pound salt pork, cut into small cubes (optional) 1 garlic clove, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 leek, diced and washed 1 tsp chopped parsley 1 tsp chopped basil 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, or 3 tomatoes, peeled 3 celery stalks, chopped 2 carrots, sliced 2 potatoes, diced 1 small turnip, peeled and diced ¼ small cabbage, shredded 2 zucchinis, diced 1 ½ quarts water 1 cup elbow macaroni Salt and pepper, to taste 6 tbsp parmesan cheese

1. (Skip if using canned beans.) Drain the beans and boil them in 3 quarts of water for about 1 hour, or until tender. Drain.

2. Place the olive oil in a large kettle and add the salt pork, garlic, onion, leek, parsley, and basil. Brown lightly. Add the tomato paste thinned with a little water and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, celery, carrots, potatoes, turnip, cabbage, zucchini, water, salt, and pepper and cook slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add the drained beans.

4. Add the macaroni and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender.

Season to taste.

5. Serve immediately, sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Note: the number and kinds of vegetables used in making minestrone are optional. They may be varied according to season and preference.

Recipe from The New York Times Cookbook, 1990

49

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 lb mixed mushrooms 1 large onion 1 clove garlic 2 tbsp ghee 6 cups stock or bouillon 2 tbsp sherry, or cooking sherry ¼ tsp sage ¼ tsp of tarragon ½ tsp dried parsley Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute onions and garlic in ghee until transparent.

2. Add mushrooms (and more ghee if needed) and cook for 8 minutes.

3. Add stock, sherry, and seasonings, and simmer for 1 hour.

Recipe from Carol Gale

50

Potato Cauliflower Soup From Robin: “Arie and Hal brought this soup to Christmas dinner at the Arruda’s. It was in my mom’s old stockpot! They brought it unsolicited, just knowing there would be at least 30 people at the dinner. It was well appreciated, especially because they looked at the recipe and said ‘This needs bacon!’”

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 tbsp salted butter 2 whole cloves garlic, peeled 3 cups diced onions 1 cup diced celery 2 heads cauliflower, separated into florets 3 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 10 cups chicken stock 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2 cups light cream 1 tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp dry mustard 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce 6 dashes Tabasco sauce Salt and pepper, to taste 3 strips bacon, chopped and fried

1. In a large stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions, celery, cauliflower florets, and potatoes. Saute for 10 minutes.

2. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the cheese, cream, nutmeg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper.

4. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth.

5. Slice 3 pieces of bacon into small pieces, and fry in a frying pan until crisp. Mix bacon bits into soup at the end.

Recipe from Arielle Aaronson

51

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup From Robin: “Anything you have in the kitchen goes great in this. I like to roast some carrots in the pot before the shallots, and sometimes I will add a crisp apple for a little tartness. If you don’t have shallots, onions also work fine.” Pairs well with the Dinner Rolls (page 64).

Cooking time: 2 hours

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 large butternut squash (about 3 lbs) 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling Salt and pepper, to taste ½ cup shallots, chopped (about 1 large shallot) 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced 1 tsp maple syrup ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg 3-4 cups bouillon or broth, as needed 1-2 tbsp butter, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cut the squash in half, lengthwise from the stem to the bottom and drizzle each half with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the half of the squash on the inside. Rub the oil over the inside of the squash and sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

3. Turn the squash face down and roast until tender and completely cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes (don’t worry if the skin or flesh browns — that’s good for flavor).

Set the squash aside until it’s cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

4. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until simmering. Add the chopped shallot and salt. Saute until the shallot has softened and is starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring frequently.

5. Use a large spoon to scoop the butternut squash flesh into the pot. Discard the tough skin. Add the maple syrup, nutmeg and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper to the pot, and pour in vegetable broth.

6. Puree the soup in the pot using a hand blender or working in batches with a regular blender until smooth.

Recipe from Robin Keil

52

Simple Chicken or Turkey Soup From Robin: “There is nothing that speaks more comfort than some chicken or turkey soup on a cold winter’s day. This basic recipe is how my mom makes chicken soup, and possibly how Mémère Birgeron, her mother, did as well.”

Cooking time: 2 hours

Active time: 1 hour

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

Leftover chicken carcass and giblets Water 1-2 onions, cut into quarters 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces 3 pieces celery, with leaves Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Place all the pieces of the chicken you didn’t eat (including the giblets) and the whole carcass in a large stockpot. Cover with water, if possible.

2. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.

4. Place a colander over a large bowl, and pour the soup into the colander. Let cool, then take the carrots out and cut them into nickel-sized pieces and put back into pot, chop celery and put back into pot. Throw large onion pieces away.

5. Carefully remove pieces of chicken from the carcass and put back into the pot. Replace broth and continue to cook for another 30 minutes.

6. Serve with rice.

Recipe from Doris Gale, as explained by Teresa Console Gallucci Nesci

53

breakfasts

Gordon’s Grandpa Keil and his friend Uncle Hal Vedova were teachers. The two of them started a tradition at the end of every school year. On the picnic table, outside on the patio, under the big old maple tree, the two teachers would set up a pancake breakfast for their families and kids for the first day of summer. It never felt like summer until the pancake breakfast happened.

From Gordon: “These pancakes are so full of good, natural, free-range ingredients that are free from artificial preservatives and flavors, that they will lower your cholesterol, make you run faster, and think more clearly. Plus, they taste good.”

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

½ cup whole wheat flour ½ cup ground flax meal 2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 2 eggs, separated 1 ¼ cup milk 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp vanilla extract Add-ins: chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts, bananas.

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside.

2. Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat whites until fluffy.

3. In another bowl, mix yolks, oil, vanilla, and ½ cup milk until well combined. Stir in remaining ¾ cup milk.

4. Add wet mix to dry ingredients. Stir gently.

5. Fold in egg whites, let batter sit 5 minutes.

6. Cook on a griddle at 350° until golden-brown, adding in any chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts, or bananas you may want.

7. Serve with Canadian maple syrup or apple sauce.

Pancake tip: pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles stop popping on the top.

Note: Also good the next day with peanut butter and jelly as a sandwich.

Recipe from Gordon Keil

56

Gordon’s It is on my dad’s side that I remember my upbringing, and how different it was from my friends’. Although it didn’t make up a significant portion of my life, there were a few years when my parents sent me and my brother to Quaker camp with the New York Friends Yearly Meeting in Silver Bay, NY. We mostly sang songs on the guitar from “Rise Up Singing,” and played games, but I felt like I was, in some small regard, raised Quaker. My mother worked hard to teach me and my siblings conscientious objection to violence, and active pacifism. We were raised to be tolerant of other people and their abilities, beliefs, and educations, and we quickly learned to love tie dye. It was a short period of time, but its influence remains.

If it wasn’t for my father’s half of the family, Silver Bay, and all of the beauty of Lake George, would never have been known to us, and in a similar vein, I would never have had the small influence of the Quakers.

Anyway, my mom and dad got a “perfect waffle iron” for their wedding, and, 25 years later, it still makes perfect waffles.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

Same as Gordon’s Pancake recipe except: Only 1 tsp baking powder Use ½ cup oil Use 1 ¼ cup + 2 tbsp milk

1. Same recipe as Gordon’s Pancakes with changes only to ingredient amounts.

2. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to directions.

3. Don’t add in items to the waffles, as they will make it much harder to get the waffle out of the waffle iron.

Recipe from Gordon Keil

57

Yeasted Pancakes During the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, the Keil family procured a pound of yeast. Eventually Gordon got inspired, and found these two recipes for yeasted pancakes and waffles. They are the new favorite for Sunday morning breakfasts.

Rise time: 1 hour

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 cups flour 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 ¼ cups milk ¼ cup water 2 eggs ¼ cup butter, melted 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup flour and yeast, mix well.

2. Heat milk and water together until warm, about 110-115° (42-46° C). Add to flour mixture. Stir until combined. Cover and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour.

3. In a small bowl, beat eggs and add melted butter.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

5. Stir down the yeast mixture after an hour. Add egg and flour mixtures to yeast mixture. Beat until smooth.

6. Bake on a griddle at 350° until golden-brown, adding in any chocolate chips, blueberries, walnuts, or bananas you may want.

Note: Dad’s favorite flour substitute so far was using emmer flour instead of all-purpose flour.

Recipe submitted by Gordon Keil

58

Yeasted Waffles From Gordon: “Growing up, my parents would make waffles now and then, which were always accompanied by cursing and swearing as the waffles became glued to the old waffle iron. Since we have been making our own waffles, thanks to teflon, they always come out perfect. Changing to a yeast-based recipe adds a new dimension to the aroma and taste.

Rise time: 45 minutes

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 tsp sugar ½ cup warm water 2 cups warm milk 2 eggs ½ cup butter, melted 2 ¼ cups flour 1 tsp salt ⅛ tsp baking soda

1. Heat milk and water in a medium bowl to 110-115° F. Dissolve yeast and sugar into warm water. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, until yeast starts to bloom. Beat in eggs and butter.

2. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir into yeast mixture, just until combined.

3. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4. Stir mixture down. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to directions.

59

60

breads

This was a staple in the Keil household when Kathy, Gordon, and Laurie were growing up. Although she was usually quiet, Cynthia did make jokes sometimes (such as the one on the bottom of the page — written into the original recipe).

Baking time: 50 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 bananas 1 egg ⅓ cup shortening (or use 5 tbsp butter, or 3 tbsp butter with 2 tbsp canola oil) ⅔ cup sugar 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt ½ cup raisins or sunflower seeds (optional) ½ cup walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Mash 3 bananas. Slightly beat the egg, then mix into the bananas.

3. In a small bowl, cream together shortening and sugar.

4. Sift in flour, baking soda, and salt.

5. Combine all ingredients and stir in any raisins and/ or sunflower seeds. Add in walnuts, if using.

6. Bake in a loaf pan for 50 minutes.

7. Cynthia note: can reduce the sugar and add wheat germ. She would also use part cornmeal to make up the full two cups of flour.

Recipe from Cynthia Keil

62

Bretzen There was one summer when my family lived in Germany. We were on the edge of the Black Forest, in this tiny little town on the side of a hill. Surrounded by farmlands, we were living a completely different life than the one we left in suburban New Jersey. Our time living there was awesome. Made especially great by the fact that every morning, the bread man would come around and hang a bag of fresh bretzen on your door.

To this day I can’t help but think of our German life when I make these.

Baking time: 8-10 minutes

Proof time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 ⅓ cups warm water (110° F/45° C) 2 tbsp milk ⅓ cup brown sugar 2 tbsp butter, melted 4 cups flour Pretzel salt 2 quarts water ½ cup baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).

2. Warm water to about 110-115° (42-46° C). Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, add yeast mixture, milk, sugar, and melted butter.

Stir to dissolve sugar.

4. In a large bowl, combine flour and yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Mix together, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until a stiff dough has formed (about 5 - 10 minutes), adding more flour if necessary.

5. Roll dough into a long log, and cut into 12 even pieces, and lightly shape into balls. Arrange rolls on a lightly floured surface about 1 inch apart. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let proof for 30 to 40 minutes in a warm place.

6. Meanwhile, lightly oil two baking sheets. And, in a large stockpot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add baking soda slowly to boiling water (if you add it too quickly, it will boil over).

7. Drop two rolls at a time into the boiling baking soda water and boil for no more than 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with tongs or a slotted spoon and let drain above the pot before placing on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt while wet.

8. Repeat with remaining rolls.

9. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, until browned all over, turning pans once while baking.

10. Let rolls cool on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack.

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Dinner Rolls I have, quite truly, been banned from making these rolls. I wish I could say it’s because they’re dangerously delicious (which they are), but truly it’s because I have a tendency to make these at rather inopportune moments. What can I say? They’re a go-to recipe for me. So, when I host parties, and get a little overwhelmed by the preparation, I’ll start making these rolls. The problem is, I have a whole house full of people by the time I need to get them in the oven. My roommate, therefore, banned me from making bread any time during the six-hour window before we host events. I still argue that fresh bread while playing beer pong is a delicious novelty, so I might have to break her rule from time to time for the sake of fun.

Baking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients: 1 cup whole milk ½ cup warm water (110° F/45° C) ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted ¼ cup sugar 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 1 ½ tsp kosher salt 1 egg, room temperature Vegetable oil Sea salt, for sprinkling 1 egg, for egg wash

64

Servings: 12

Directions: 1. Warm water to about 110-115° (42-46° C).

2. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, combine the warm milk, warm water, melted butter, and sugar.

3. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the wet ingredients, stir to combine, and let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy.

4. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, and stir. Beat 1 egg, then add to the bloomed yeast mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and use a knife to stir until the mixture just comes together and forms a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough becomes smooth. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. To test if it’s done, tear off a small piece of dough and stretch into a thin layer. If the dough doesn’t rip, it’s ready. Or, press a finger into the dough to see if it bounces back.

5. Lightly grease a large glass bowl with oil. Add the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

6. Punch down the dough, then turn out onto a floured surface. Knead for a few more minutes, just until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes.

7. Divide the dough into 16 equal balls, roughly the size of tangerines.

8. Knead the balls, gathering the edges of the dough toward the center to make a taut, round ball with a smooth top.

9. Place the rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

10. Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C).

11. Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl. Uncover the rolls and brush with the egg wash. Lightly sprinkle the rolls with sea salt.

12. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the rolls have lightly browned and doubled in size.

Recipe from Tasty, adapted by Michaela Keil

65

Pizza Dough It is worthy of note that breads and doughs are where I began to grow as a cook and a baker on my own. I worked in bakeries throughout college. Mostly, I was the front-of-house barista, but frequently I had to help out in the back. If dinners represent the foundations my mother gave me, and breakfasts are the foundations from my father, then bread is where I began to form my own pillars. Pizzas were my first dough experiments when I was living in Montreal, and though the dough now comfortably sits and stretches with my fingers, it didn’t used to. Learning to work with dough was a lesson that I am still learning. Much like people, each dough has specific needs, but all of them become soft with care, and enough patience.

Baking time: 20 minutes

Proof time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 cup warm water (110° F/45° C) 2 cups flour 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt 2 tsp white sugar Cornmeal

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Warm water to about 110-115° (42-46° C).

Dissolve yeast in warm water and add sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, olive oil, salt, and yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Mix together, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until a stiff dough has formed (about 5 to 10 minutes). Oil the sides of the bowl, and place dough inside. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.

4. Spread cornmeal out onto a pizza stone or baking sheet.

5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface.

Form dough into a round and using fingers, press outward into a pizza crust shape. Place dough onto cornmeal-topped pizza stone or baking sheet. Add toppings to pizza and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

66

Semelle Rolls When Aunt Deb used to come to stay at our house each Wednesday, she would bring a dozen rolls, fresh from Calandra’s in Caldwell, NJ. They are one of Gigi’s favorite things, and have since become a staple in the Keil household. This recipe is the closest I’ve found to replicating those rolls and preserving those memories.

Baking time: 15-18 minutes

Proof time: 2 hours

Servings: 10

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 packet) 1 ¼ cups warm water (110° F/45° C) 3 ¾ cups flour 2 tsp salt Olive oil Cornmeal

1. Warm water to about 110-115° (42-46° C). Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, and salt, and slowly stir in the yeast mixture. Mix together, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead until a stiff dough has formed (about 8 to 10 minutes). If using a stand mixer with a dough hook, knead in the mixer for about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Oil the sides of the bowl, and place dough inside.

Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).

5. Cut the dough into ten equal pieces and shape into rolls, then cover lightly with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

6. 30 minutes before baking, fill an oven-safe dish with about 1 inch of water and place in the oven.

7. Line a baking sheet with cornmeal, and place the rolls on the sheet. Refill the water dish with more water just before baking.

8. Using a razor or a bread lame, score each roll by cutting a small slit down the center. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

9. Cool on a wire rack.

67

Sweet Cornbread This cornbread has been requested multiple times. It’s simple, it’s light, and perfectly delicious. Make it as a bread, or muffins, and enjoy with butter.

From Chrisaleen, who helped edit this book: “This is Chrisaleen’s — who also happens to be an incredible editor, please hire her — favorite cornbread.”

Baking time: 25 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1 loaf or 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 cup flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal ½ cup white sugar 1 tsp salt 3 ½ tsp baking powder 1 egg 1 cup milk ⅓ cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Spray or lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

4. Alternatively, can bake as muffins in a muffin tin for 15 minutes.

Note: If using whole wheat or other coarse flour, add 2 tbsp more oil to make the muffins less crumbly.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

68

Zucchini Bread I got this recipe from Arielle, who was convinced I didn’t eat enough vegetables. As much as I don’t love zucchini, I do love this bread. Once the chocolate chips go in, you’d never know there was a whole zucchini in it, it’s that good.

Baking time: 50 minutes Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 loaf or 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ cup flour ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp salt 1 egg, lightly beaten ½ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup milk 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup shredded zucchini (one averagesized zucchini) ½ cup chocolate chips (optional) ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. If making muffins, grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, oil, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl; stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Fill prepared loaf pan, or prepared muffin cups ⅔ full.

3. Bake loaf in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. For muffins, bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

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Desserts

Apple Crumble My dear friend Benji, who cooks with me frequently, heard about this project and enthusiastically sent me this recipe. When he texted me, he was so excited (as evidenced by his message to me, to the left), that I couldn’t help but include it.

Baking time: 25-30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

Crumble:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C).

2. In a food processor, blend flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and cinnamon until large crumbs are formed.

Or, using fingertips, rub cubed butter into the flour mixture until large crumbs are formed.

3. Using a fork, break down big chunks of the crumbs and separate them. Store in freezer until ready to use.

4. In a saucepan, cook peeled and sliced apples, sugar and butter over low heat, until softened.

5. Add cinnamon and lemon juice, and keep cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.

6. Line the bottom of a square 8x8 inch pan with parchment, and press half of the crumble into the bottom using a spoon.

7. Spread the apple filling over the crumble, and sprinkle the top with the remaining crumble.

8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

9. Cool completely before cutting.

2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup plus 1 tbsp sugar Pinch salt 6 tbsp butter 1 egg ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Apple Filling:

2 apples, thinly sliced ⅓ cup sugar 2 tbsp butter ¼ tsp ground cinnamon Lemon juice

Recipe submitted by Benji Frank

72

Apple Pie Baking time: 45 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

6-8 apples (granny smith or other hard, tart apples) ½ cup sugar 2 tbsp flour ½ or 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp nutmeg 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C).

2. Core, peel, and chop apples and place into a large bowl. Mix with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, until evenly distributed.

3. Line a pie dish with an unbaked crust, then poke the sides and bottom to ensure no bubbling.

4. Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust.

5. Cut butter into 6 to 8 small pieces and distribute over the top of the apples.

6. Sprinkle lemon juice over the tops of the apples.

7. Cover with a top crust, then seal the edges of the bottom and the top crust together. Cut ventilation holes in the top of the crust.

8. Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

9. Bake for 30 minutes at 425° F (220° C), then drop the temperature to 350° F (175° C) and bake for another 15 minutes.

Recipe from Doris Gale

73

Arielle’s Mint Cake Baking time: 55 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 pkg white cake mix 1 pkg pistachio instant pudding ¼ cup oil ⅓ cup creme de menthe liquor 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream ¾ cup chocolate chips ⅓ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Beat all ingredients together until well combined.

Bake in a coffee cake or bundt pan for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe from Arielle Aaronson

74

Aunt Janet’s Pie Crust Baking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

Double:

1. Sift the flour and salt together. Cut in the shortening using a fork or pastry cutter, adding water as needed until the dough becomes sticky.

2. Mold dough into a ball, then turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a crust.

3. To blind bake the crust, line a pie dish with dough then poke the sides and bottom of the dough with a fork. Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C) and bake the empty shell for 15-16 minutes.

2 cups flour 1 tsp salt ⅔ cup shortening 5-7 tbsp ice water

Single:

1 ½ cups flour ½ tsp salt ½ cup shortening 5-7 tbsp ice water

Pie Variations: Apple Pie:

Lemon Meringue Pie:

Blueberry Pie:

Peach Dumplings with Bourbon:

Recipe on page 73.

Recipe on page 85.

Chocolate Cream Pie:

Fill a blind-baked crust with 2 boxes of chocolate pudding. Top with whipped cream.

Fill a blind-baked crust with 2 boxes of lemon pudding. Top with meringue.

Recipe on page 91.

Pumpkin Pie:

Recipe on page 92.

Recipe from Janet Aaronson

75

Cindy’s Baking time: 50 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Beat butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs.

3. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into egg mixture alternating with milk, beating well after each addition.

4. Fold in blueberries and lemon zest 5. Use a greased bread pan, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Mix a glaze using confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Mix lemon juice into sugar, a little at a time, until it reaches a drizzle consistency.

7. Drizzle glaze over warm bread.

⅓ cup melted butter 1 cup sugar 3 tbsp lemon juice 2 eggs, room temperature 1 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ cup milk 1 cup blueberries 2 tbsp lemon zest

Glaze:

Confectioners’ sugar Lemon juice

Recipe from Cindy Arruda

76

Coconut Cream Pie with Chocolate Crust Chill time: 2 hours

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C).

2. Make crust: In a food processor, combine cookies and salt and process until fine crumbs form. With machine running, slowly add butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in coconut.

3. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate.

4. Bake until crust is set, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pie plate on a wire rack.

5. Raise heat to 350° F (175° C).

6. Make topping: Spread ⅓ cup coconut onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 6-7 minutes, tossing often. Watch carefully!

7. Make filling: In a double boiler, whisk together milk, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until bubbles form at the edge and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

8. Stir in 1 ¼ cup coconut and butter. Pour filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top.

9. Refrigerate until filling is chilled and completely set, about 2 hours (or wrap tightly with plastic and refrigerate, up to 2 days).

10. To serve, whip heavy cream with 2 tsp sugar, until soft peaks form. Top pie with whipped cream and toasted coconut.

30 chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces ¼ tsp coarse salt 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled ⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut

Topping and Filling:

1 ¼ cups plus ⅓ cup sweetened shredded coconut 2 ¾ cups whole milk 4 egg yolks ½ cup sugar ⅓ cup cornstarch ¾ tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp butter ½ tsp coarse salt 1 cup heavy cream 2 tsp sugar (for whipped cream)

Recipe from Janet Aaronson

77

Chocolate Rum Buttercream Cooking time: 10 minutes Active time: 5 minutes Servings: 1 cake

Ingredients:

Directions:

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp dark rum ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp of butter, softened

1. Combine chocolate chips and rum in double boiler, bring water underneath to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally until chocolate melts. Remove from hot water.

2. Using beaters, add butter, 1 tbsp at a time, beating on high after each addition. Place mixture over cold water, and beat until cool and thick enough to spread (frosting will lighten in color).

Cream Cheese Frosting When the pandemic hit in March, 2020, I was a month away from graduation. After being isolated together for two weeks, my roommate, Erica, and I decided to throw a graduation of our own. We got silly string, and made a chocolate box cake with this frosting. It was a delicious end to our undergraduate years together.

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 cake or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, room temperature 1 stick butter, room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, to taste Pinch of salt

1. Beat butter and cream cheese together. Add vanilla.

2. Add sugar, a little at a time, until desired sweetness level.

78

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 1 cake or 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 stick butter, room temperature ⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, plus additional if needed ⅓ cup whole milk, plus additional if needed 2 tsp vanilla extract ¼ tsp salt

1. Place the butter and cocoa powder in a large mixer on low speed until the mixture is soft and well combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Place the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt in the bowl, and beat with the mixer on low speed until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more milk if the frosting is too thick. Add more confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, if the frosting is too thin.

Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

Seven-Minute Frosting Cooking time: 7 minutes

Active time: 7 minutes

Servings: 1 cake

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ cups sugar 2 egg whites 5 tbsp cold water 2 tsp light corn syrup or ¼ tsp cream of tartar 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In the top of a double boiler, combine egg sugar, egg whites, cold water, corn syrup or cream of tartar, and vanilla extract. Using a beater, beat mixture on medium speed until mixed thoroughly. Then beat on low speed for 7 minutes until peaks form, keeping it over the heat.

2. Frost when mixture becomes thick enough to spread.

79

Cynthia’s Brown Sugar Starries Cooking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2-4 dozen

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C).

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Gradually sift in the flour, and mix together.

3. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 hour.

4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and firm, adding flour as needed.

5. Roll into a sheet about ⅓-inch thick.

6. Using a star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookie shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 15 minutes.

8. Cool cookies completely.

9. To make the ornamental frosting, whisk together the egg white, cream of tartar, and vanilla until foamy. Gradually whisk in the confectioners’ sugar until frosting is shiny and smooth.

10. Top cooled cookies with frosting.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter ½ cup brown sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour, sifted

Ornamental Frosting:

1 egg white ⅛ tsp cream of tartar ⅛ tsp vanilla extract 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Recipe from Cynthia Keil

80

Devil’s Food (Valentine) Cake From Robin: “In some old 1950’s magazine, my mom discovered Seven-Minute Frosting. She would make a chocolate cake similar to the recipe below, and would bake it in a heart-shaped tin. She would add a little bit of red dye to the frosting, to make it pink! A delicious cake, heart-shaped pan optional.”

Baking time: 30-35 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 ¼ cups flour ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 ½ tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt ½ cup shortening 1 ¾ cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs, separated 1 ⅓ cups cold water Seven-Minute Frosting, page 79

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Servings: 10-12

Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch cake round cake pans.

Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large mixer, beat ½ cup of the shortening for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of sugar and vanilla; beat until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating on medium speed for 1 minute after each addition.

Alternate adding dry ingredients and water to the mixture, beating on low until just combined.

Thoroughly wash beaters. In a small mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, beating until soft peaks form.

Fold egg white mixture into batter, blending well.

Transfer batter to prepared pans, spreading out evenly.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Remove from pans, and cool thoroughly on wire racks.

Frost with Seven-Minute Frosting, page 79.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, 1981

81

Grandma McNair’s From Addy: “This from Willie’s grandmother who sadly passed away in early 2021.”

Baking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 sticks of butter or margarine, room temperature 1 (1 lb) box confectioners’ sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 6 eggs, room temperature 3 cups flour, sifted ¼ tsp baking powder 1 tsp almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C).

2. Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

3. Sift together flour and baking powder, and add to butter and sugar mixture a little at a time.

4. Bake in a greased and floured angel food cake pan (tube pan) for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool in pan for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe submitted by Addy Gale, from Virginia McNair

82

Grandma’s Pasticiotti Thank you to Arielle for enlightening me to the fact that I can make these tasty treats without having to drive to Connecticut!

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Active time: 1 hour

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

Dough:

1. Cream shortening, add sugar and eggs. Add honey, then dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Dough will be soft.

2. Dust hands with flour and pat a small piece of dough to fill each muffin tin. Clean off excess dough around the edges. Chill.

3. Make filling: Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa together.

Add enough milk to make a paste, then gradually add remaining liquid.

4. Cook until thick, stirring constantly.

5. Add vanilla and cool.

6. Fill dough-lined tins ¾ of the way with chocolate filling.

7. Place a thin, flat piece of dough on top of each pie and press into place. Chill for 15 minutes.

8. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

9. Brush tops of pasticiottis with a slightly beaten egg, then bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

10. When cool enough to handle, loosen with the tip of a knife. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.

3 eggs 2 cups sugar 1 ¼ cups shortening 2 tbsp honey 2 tsp baking powder 4 cups flour ½ tsp almond extract Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Filling:

1 cup flour 2 cups sugar ½ cup cocoa powder 3 cups milk 1 cup water 1 tsp vanilla extract

Recipe submitted by Arielle Aaronson

83

Happy Birthday Cake My mom used to make this for my birthday (before I changed cakes), and for many years I had one friend who was so obsessed with this cake that she had me make enough to cater her sweet 16.

Baking time: 27-29 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 box plain white cake mix 1 cup whole milk 8 tbsp (1 stick) butter, melted 3 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract Fluffy Chocolate Frosting, page 79

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Generously grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cake mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. Divide batter between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

4. Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 27 to 29 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool. Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen. Allow them to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

5. Frost with Fluffy Chocolate Frosting, page 79.

Recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn

84

Helen Julie’s Blueberry Pie Cooking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

¾ cup sugar 3 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp butter ⅛ tsp salt 4 cups blueberries ¼ cup water 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional) Whipped cream Pie shell, blind baked

1. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add water and 2 cups of blueberries.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil. Should be clear and thick.

2. Remove from heat, stir in butter and lemon juice.

Put 2 cups of uncooked blueberries in a pre-baked pie shell, pour cooked blueberry mixture over it.

Serve with whipped cream.

Recipe from Helen Julie Krawiec

85

Linzer Cookies Cooking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2-4 dozen

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 cups flour ¾ cup almond flour 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter 1 ¼ cups sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup raspberry jam Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.

2. Beat together butter and sugar together on medium-high until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined.

3. Add in dry ingredients and mix, just until incorporated.

4. Divide dough in 2 equal pieces, and cover, patting into a 1-inchthick disk. Chill 2 hours, up to 5 days ahead.

5. Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C).

6. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper until it’s about ⅛ inch thick. The dough may crack, but just patch it with other dough pieces.

7. Using a round cookie cutter 2 ½ inches in diameter, cut out as many circles as possible. For half of the circles, cut out a 1-inch circle from the center, creating a doughnut shape that will become the top of the cookie.

8. If the dough becomes too soft to cut and cleanly remove from the parchment paper, slide it onto a cookie sheet and chill for a few minutes in the freezer or refrigerator. Gather any scraps of dough, combine them and roll them out, chilling as necessary.

9. Transfer dough circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart and bake until the edges are golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

10. To assemble the cookies, spread about a teaspoon of raspberry jam onto the flat sides of the larger circles. Place the cutout circles on top of the raspberry jam and dust with powedered sugar.

Tip: Dough can be made 5 days ahead and refrigerated.

Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead, unfilled, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature. Cookies can be filled the same day.

Recipe submitted by Jessamyn Meneghin, from NYT Cooking

86

Cake Baking time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt ½ tsp allspice ½ tsp nutmeg 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter 2 cups sugar 4 eggs, separated, egg whites beaten 1 cup raisins 1 cup currants ½ cup dried dates 1 container citron 1 container fruit pieces 1 tsp lemon juice 1 cup sour cream ½ cup flour, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 275° F (135° C).

2. Mix baking soda, salt, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon and butter together.

3. Cream the sugar into the butter mixture, then beat in egg yolks one at a time.

4. Stir in raisins, currants, dates, citron, and fruit pieces.

5. Alternate adding in sour cream and lemon juice with flour.

6. Fold in beaten egg whites.

7. Bake in greased and floured angel food pan or bundt pan for 2 hours 30 minutes.

Recipe submitted by Tracy Gale, from Doris Gale

87

Michaela’s Hot Fudge This fudge recipe nearly broke my household apart. I was up at my parent’s house on Lake George with a small group of friends, trying to have a chill sort of weekend during January of 2022. I was talking about this book, and one of my friends brought up my fudge recipe and how it has a secret ingredient. My roommate, and best friend since childhood, Sarah, wanted to know the secret ingredient in this recipe. She must have sat there and guessed 50 different ingredients, but I wouldn’t give it up. Eventually, she let it go.

A month later, when I was printing proofs of this book, I had the loose copy lying out on the table. Sarah looked at the stack of papers and snatched them up before I could stop her. She found the recipe, and her jaw dropped. She had guessed the ingredient and was incredibly hurt that I didn’t tell her. I had to make fudge for her to repair our friendship, and keep our tiny two-bedroom apartment at peace.

The secret ingredient is Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Why? Because, unlike regular cocoa powder, the Dutch process removes the acidity in it. Therefore, adding a little to the fudge makes for a richer, more chocolatey flavor to elevate any bowl of ice cream.

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Active time: 5 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate 8 tbsp Water 1 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 pinch salt Sugar, to taste 1 tbsp butter 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Add the water and unsweetened baking chocolate to a saucepan. Use 2 tbsp of water per 1 oz of baking chocolate. Cook on low heat until chocolate has melted. Stir constantly, as chocolate may burn quickly.

2. Add cocoa powder, and salt. Add sugar to taste. Stir until well mixed.

3. If the sauce begins to get thick, add another 2 tbsp of water.

4. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla.

5. Serve over cold ice cream.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

88

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies From Robin: “Everybody loves Grandma’s cookies!”

Baking time: 9-13 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 48

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 ¼ cups brown sugar ½ cup sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 ¾ cups flour 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 3 cups oats 2 cups chocolate chips 1 cup nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars together until creamy.

3. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla, beat well.

4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

5. Add oats and chocolate chips. Mix well.

6. Shape into small rounded balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Squish down into 1 to 1 ½ inch discs.

7. Bake 9 to 10 minutes for a chewy cookie, or 12 to 13 minutes for a crispy cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet then move to wire rack.

Recipe from Doris Gale

89

Peach and Strawberry Cake From Robin: “This was Aunt Cindy’s favorite birthday cake!”

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 box vanilla cake mix 1 pkg vanilla instant pudding 1 cup milk 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 (15 oz) can sliced peaches in juice 1 cup strawberries, sliced

1. Bake cake according to instructions in 3 pans (8 or 9 inches).

2. Pierce cake with a toothpick and drizzle a little juice from the canned peaches on each layer.

3. Make the frosting by whipping the vanilla instant pudding, milk, and heavy whipping cream together.

4. Assemble: Place one layer of cake on a plate, then spread a thin layer of frosting on top of that layer. Add peach slices and strawberry slices on top of the frosting, then cover with another layer of cake. Repeat with the next layer.

5. After adding the top layer, frost the whole cake with remaining frosting.

Mocha Frosted Angel Food Cake Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1 angel food cake

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 cup milk 1 pkg instant chocolate pudding 1 tbsp instant coffee

1. Whip all ingredients together.

2. Frost a prepared angel food cake.

3. Enjoy!

90

Peach Dumplings with Bourbon Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

Pie crust, page 75.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Roll crust to a large 12x18 rectangle, and divide into six 6-inch squares. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

3. Halve peaches and remove pits.

4. Mix brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the cut side of each peach, smoothing as much as you can into the center where the pit was. Dot the top of each piece with a small piece of cold butter.

5. Center each peach half into the center of the pastry squares, and bring the corners of each square up to meet each other over the center. Pinch the seams together to seal.

6. Arrange dumplings in a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish and chill for 30 minutes.

7. Whisk egg together with water to form a glaze. Brush glaze over exposed tops and sides of each dumpling.

8. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

9. Meanwhile, beat room temperature butter, confectioners’ sugar, and bourbon together until smooth.

10.

Dollop each warm pastry with a heaping spoonful of sauce, and serve pastries while warm.

Filling:

3 large peaches ⅓ cup brown sugar Pinch of salt ¼ tsp ground cinnamon Pinch of ground nutmeg 1 tbsp butter, cold, cut into six pieces 1 egg, for glaze 1 tsp water

Bourbon Hard Sauce:

4 tbsp butter, room temperature ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

Recipe submitted by Ethan Aaronson

91

Baking time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 can (3 cups) pumpkin 2 tbsp cornstarch ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp nutmeg 1 cup milk (or ¾ cup almond milk) 1 cup sugar ½ tsp salt 2 eggs, beaten ⅛ cup molasses 1 ½ tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

2. Sift sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg together.

3. Mix well with pumpkin 4. Add eggs, melted butter, molasses, and milk.

5. Add a dash of lemon juice, if desired.

6. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 350° and bake for another 50 minutes.

Recipe from Carol Gale

92

Queen’s Chocolate Cake From Robin: “I made this cake for many Christmases — it’s rich and beautiful. But once I had children of my own, this was traded in for gingerbread houses and frosted Christmas cookies. Rediscovering it, next Christmas it will resurface!”

Baking time: 20-22 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips 2 tbsp dark rum 3 eggs, separated ¼ tsp cream of tartar ¼ tsp salt ⅔ cup plus 2 tbsp sugar ½ cup butter, softened ⅓ cup ground almonds ¼ tsp almond extract ¾ cup sifted cake flour Chocolate Rum Buttercream frosting, page 78 ⅓ cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Place chocolate chips in a double boiler, bring water underneath to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. Stir in rum.

3. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in small mixing bowl; beat on medium speed until foamy. Add 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp at a time. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. Cover and set aside.

4. Cream butter, gradually add remaining ⅔ cup of sugar, beating well. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating until pale yellow, about 5 minutes. On low speed, add the chocolate mixture, beating until smooth. Add ground almonds and almond extract, mixing until well blended.

5. Fold in egg white mixture, alternating with flour and ending with egg white mixture.

6. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9-inch cake round cake pan.

7. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in 1 ½ inches from the edge comes out clean. Center may be soft, and will be creamy when cool. Cool in pan 10 minutes then remove from pan, cover with a towel, and allow to cool completely.

8. Spread Chocolate Rum Buttercream, page 78, on cake. Arrange almond slices on top.

93

From Robin: “This was Aunt Deb’s and Aunt Janet’s favorite birthday cake!”

Chill time: 12 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 pkg Orange Jell-o 1 pkg Cherry Jell-o 1 pkg Lime Jell-o 1 pkg Lemon Jell-o 3 cups hot water 1 ½ cups cold water 1 cup pineapple juice ½ cup sugar 2 pkgs ladyfingers 2 cups whipping cream

1. Prepare the first 3 packages of Jello separately, using 1 cup hot water and ½ cup cold water for each package. Pour into separate 8x8x2 pans.

Chill for 4 hours.

2. Combine pineapple juice and sugar over heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lemon jello in hot liquid. Add ½ cup cold water and chill until syrupy.

3. Line bottom and sides of a springform pan with ladyfingers.

4. Whip the cream and fold into the syrupy pineapple Jello mixture.

5. Cut the firm orange, cherry and lime Jello into cubes about ½ inch square. Fold into whipped cream mixture, then pour into the ladyfingerlined pan.

6. Let chill for 8 hours in the refrigerator.

94

Rumballs From Robin: “The best part of rumballs is the conversations they prompt. Complete with a ¼ cup of rum, if you let them sit for a week, the conversations become even more spirited!”

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ tbsp corn syrup or honey ¼ cup rum 2 cups crushed vanilla wafers 2 tbsp cocoa powder 1 cup powdered sugar ⅛ tsp salt 1 cup chopped nuts walnuts

1. Combine sweetener and rum into a liquid mixture.

2. Combine crushed wafers, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, salt, and chopped nuts. Add liquid mixture a little bit at a time, just until the mixture holds together.

3. Roll the mixture into balls, then roll in sugar Note: these taste better the longer they sit.

They ripen as they age. A minimum of 12 hours is recommended.

95

Snickerdoodles From Richard: “[Cynthia] was the best mommy I could ever have imagined. She really, really did a wonderful job with those three kids. She always was interested in people and doing good things. She could play the piano more beautifully than anybody I’ve ever known. You know some people pound the piano, well she kind of caressed the keys. She just loved playing the piano, and she was very good at it. Anytime she saw a piano, she would start playing it and whenever she played she always gathered a gang.

“Do you know about our wedding? Well, we knew nothing about Quakers when we designed our own wedding.

We later found that we had a Quaker wedding. On our 25th wedding anniversary, we were up at Silver Bay, at the big Quaker meeting there. Cynthia grabs my hand and says ‘Come with me,’ and drags me up to the front.

There are hundreds of people there, and she explains how we accidentally had a Quaker wedding then says ‘Well now we want to have our real quaker wedding.’ She says ‘Dick, do you remember your oath?’ I remember thinking ‘Oh god, I hope so.’ So she said hers, and I said mine, and we shook hands and kissed, and were officially married.

“That Saturday night we’re at supper and all of a sudden these three kids come walking in with a big cake.

They drove all the way up from Ridgewood to Silver Bay, with a cake, to celebrate our 25th anniversary.”

Ingredients: Dough:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 ½ cups sugar 2 eggs 2 ½ cups flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt ½ cup wheat germ 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp ground cinnamon Recipe from Cynthia Keil

96

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes Active time: 30 minutes Servings: 2-4 dozen

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and eggs.

3. Into the bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

4. Add in the wheat germ and vanilla extract.

5. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 hour.

6. Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch-sized balls. Roll each ball into the topping mixture of sugar and cinnamon.

7. Place cookies 3 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Tiramisu Chill time: 4 hours

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

Cream:

1. Whip together egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar until very pale yellow and about tripled in volume. A slight ribbon should fall from the beaters (or whisk attachment) when lifted from the bowl. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

2. In a clean bowl, whip cream and remaining ¼ cup sugar until it creates soft-medium peaks. Add mascarpone and continue to whip until it creates a soft, spreadable mixture with medium peaks. Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the sweetened egg yolk mixture until combined.

3. Combine espresso and rum in a shallow bowl and set aside.

4. Using a sifter, dust the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish (an 8x8-inch dish, or a 9-inch round cake pan would also work here) with 1 tbsp cocoa powder.

5. Working one at a time, quickly dip each ladyfinger into the espresso mixture (they will fall apart if left in the liquid too long) and place them rounded side up at the bottom of the baking dish. Repeat, using half the ladyfingers, until you’ve got an even layer, breaking the ladyfingers in half as needed to fill in any obvious gaps. Spread half the mascarpone mixture onto the ladyfingers in one even layer. Repeat with remaining espresso-dipped ladyfingers and mascarpone mixture.

6. Dust top layer with remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder.

Top with shaved or finely grated chocolate, if desired.

7. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (if you can wait 24 hours, all the better) before slicing or scooping to serve.

4 egg yolks ½ cup sugar ¾ cup heavy cream 1 cup mascarpone

Assembly:

1 ¾ cups good espresso or very strong coffee 2 tbsp rum or cognac 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 24 ladyfingers

Recipe submitted by Jessamyn Meneghin, from NYT Cooking

97

Tracy’s From Tracy: “This recipe has basically become the “birthday cake” for my kids since they became teenagers.

It was passed down from my mom from her mom. It’s super moist and really easy to make! You can also dust it with powdered sugar but NOT if you are going to blow out candles. Hahaha. Learned that the hard way!”

Addy added that “This recipe came on the back of a gas bill. Gas companies would give you recipes to encourage you to continue to use your oven. It was my mother’s grandmother who got that gas bill. She tried it,the family liked it, and now we all make the gas bill poppyseed cake.”

Baking time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 ½ tsp baking soda Salt 4 eggs 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk 1 cup oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 (12oz) can of poppy seed filling

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Sift flour into a bowl. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, evaporated milk, oil, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Add the poppyseed slowly.

4. Use an angel food cake pan, no need to grease or flour the pan.

5. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe from Tracy Gale

98

Walnut Crescents From Robin: “Michaela was 3 and I was making these with her for Christmas. She helped roll the hot cookies in the first coating of powdered sugar. I happened to be on the phone with Aunt Janet simultaneously. Sweet Michaela accidentally broke many cookies in the process. After correcting her multiple times, I then said, ‘Okay, you’re fired,’ and sent her away to play. Aunt Janet, hearing this through the phone, responded ‘Did you just fire your three-year-old?’ Oops! The takeaway — it’s hard to coat in sugar and sugarcoat at the same time.”

Baking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 cup butter ¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for rolling the cookies in 1 ½ tsp water 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

3. Roll dough into ½ inch logs. Cut to 1 inch each.

Shape into crescents or roll into ½ inch balls.

4. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 to 15 minutes, just until cooked.

5. While cookies are warm, roll in a bowl of confectioners’ sugar. When cookies are cool, roll in the sugar once again.

99

100

Sides, Sauces, and Snacks

Apple Chips Every fall, I must make at least 5 batches of apple chips, they’re a fun way to eat apples when you inevitably have too many.

Cooking time: 2+ hours Active time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: Apples Brown sugar (optional) Water (optional)

Directions: 1. Wash and slice apples into thin slices with a knife or a mandoline.

2. Optional: In a large tupperware, mix two spoonfuls of brown sugar and cold water until about half full. Place apple slices into the tupperware with sugar water until full.

Let sit in the refrigerator overnight for maximum flavor.

3. Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (about 1.5 apples will fit on each sheet).

4. Lay the apple slices on the parchment until full.

5. Bake at the lowest oven temperature for 2 hours.

6. To test an apple chip, take one off the tray and let it cool for a minute, if it isn’t crisp, they need a little longer.

7. Turn off the oven and let the chips cool in the oven.

8. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

102

Applesauce Cooking time: 1 hour Active time: 15 minutes Servings: 6-8

Ingredients: 4 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped ¾ cup water 1 tbsp white sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Directions: 1. In a saucepan, combine apples, water, sugar and cinnamon. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft (if you prefer thicker applesauce, allow to simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes). Allow to cool, then mash with a fork or potato masher.

2. Note: If you add a little more water and start stirring, you can let the apples puree themselves as they continue to cook.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

103

Broccoli Casserole Baking time: 30-40 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

4 (10 oz) pkgs frozen broccoli 4 eggs, beaten 2 cans cream of mushroom soup 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 4 tsp minced onion Salt and pepper, to taste 6 tbsp (¾ stick) butter, melted 1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Cook broccoli as directed and then place in a large bowl.

Add in eggs, soup, cheddar, onion, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

3. Pour mixture into a buttered 9 in x 13 baking pan.

4. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and crumbled crackers. Top the casserole with the cracker mixture.

5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Recipe from Alma Meneghin

104

From Robin: “Sami, the maître d’ at the Manor, made this at one of my birthday meals. Ben and Michaela watched him intently, memorized the ingredients, and wrote it down the second we got home. They reproduced his caesar salad flawlessly.”

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

Dressing:

1. Using a dinner spoon, mash the anchovies against the sides of a salad bowl. Add a little bit of olive oil, and garlic, then continue to mash against the sides of the bowl, mashing the garlic as well.

2. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Add olive oil where needed to loosen the consistency of the dressing.

3. Put lettuce in the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Top with fresh parmesan and croutons.

3 anchovies in oil Olive oil, to taste 1 clove garlic, minced 1 egg yolk 2 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp dry mustard Dash Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad:

Lettuce Parmesan cheese Croutons

Recipe adapted by Michaela and Ben Keil

105

Candied Almonds Cooking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

½ cup water 1 cup white sugar 1 tbsp ground cinnamon 2 cups whole, unsalted, almonds

1. Combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon in a nonstick frypan, or saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring mixture to a boil and add the almonds.

2. Cook the mixture until all the water evaporates and leaves a wet-sand-like coating on the almonds, stirring constantly, about 15 minutes.

3. Pour the almonds onto a prepared baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Separate almonds using forks. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Recipe submitted by Ben Keil

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

½ tsp salt 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 (14 oz) can black beans 1 (10 oz) can corn 2 tomatoes 1 red onion (half, if it is a big onion)

1. Mix together salt, lime juice, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a small mixing bowl.

2. Drain the black beans and the corn. Add to a large mixing bowl with the chopped purple onion. Pour the sauce over top and mix together.

Recipe submitted by Lorin Arudda

106

Cucumber Salad Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Directions:

4 tomatoes, chopped 4 Persian cucumbers, chopped ½ small white onion, chopped 2 tbsp chopped basil 1 tbsp chopped cilantro ½ tsp dried mint ½ tsp crushed red chili powder (or ancho chile powder) ½ tsp salt 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl. Toss, and serve.

Recipe submitted by Cole Aaronson, from NYT Cooking

Dill Dip Active time: 5 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 cup sour cream 1 cup mayo 1 tbsp dill weed 1 tbsp parsley ½ tsp Beau Monde seasoning, or celery salt

1. Mix, chill, and enjoy with fresh cut veggies!

Recipe submitted by Lorin Arudda

107

Florence’s BBQ Sauce Florence was a very good friend of Robin’s. Although she passed in 2018, Florence spent her life taking care of everyone: family, friends, students, homeless, sheltered, and anyone else who needed a kind ear to listen or a bite eat. She personified generosity in time and spirit.

From Robin: “Florence made the best friend chicken and barbecue ribs I ever had — but she never would give a recipe. Not for lack of wanting, but because she always just ‘Threw it together.’ Here are her thrown together ingredients, you determine the quantities. Rub on some slow cooker ribs, grilled chicken, or pork, and enjoy!”

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Active time: 5 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

Apple cider vinegar Brown sugar Ketchup Ground cinnamon Nutmeg

1. We never learned the secret ratio to Florence’s barbecue sauce, but she lives in memory on this page.

2. The closest approximation I can make, is ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¾-1 cup ketchup, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg.

Bring to a simmer in a small saucepan, just until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

Estimations by Michaela Keil, ingredients by Florence Eddings

108

Marinated Bean Salad Aunt Carol and Aunt DJ are a wonderful pair of people. Granted, I am biased because they’re my godmothers, but they make fun everywhere they go. Each year at Silver Bay, Aunt Carol leads a troupe of musicians from the family and gets us all to sing and play songs over a campfire. At Christmas, the two of them will sing and play their various instruments, bringing music everywhere they go, with Aunt DJ on the trumpet and Aunt Carol on the accordion and the guitar. When they’re not playing music, Aunt Carol and Aunt DJ are great dancers who will swing anyone around a dancefloor with grace.

Part of why I love music is because of my godmothers — they enable and encourage the joy that it brings.

On my 15th birthday, they got me my first guitar, and to this day I rarely go a week without playing it.

Many people in my family love music. Aunt Janet is a beautiful piano player, and my brother got the best of all the genes and can play five instruments now (though who knows, it may be more at this point). Most members of my family play an instrument, and, if not, they are all more than willing to contribute their voices. Nothing brings a smile to my face like my family’s chorus of singers and medley of instruments bringing together a song.

At some point this recipe included kelp. My mom and I stared at Aunt Carol’s handwriting for hours trying to figure out what it was (we couldn’t conceive of it being kelp). Aunt Carol confirmed that it was, in fact, kelp!

Marination time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 can chickpeas 1 can kidney beans 1 can cut string beans 1 onion, chopped ½ cup oil ¼ cup + ⅛ cup vinegar ⅛ tsp marjoram ¼ tsp tarragon ⅛ tsp thyme ½ tsp basil 2 tsp parsley ½ tsp salt

1. Drain chickpeas, kidney beans, and string beans.

Add to a large bowl. Add onions.

2. Make the marinade: Mix together oil, vinegar, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, basil, parsley, and salt.

3. Pour marinade into the onion and bean mixture.

Let marinate for 1 hour.

4. Serve over lettuce.

Recipe from Carol Gale

109

Nat’s Favorite I sent out my email request for a recipe at 8:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night. Nat responded within the hour and was the first to submit a recipe. At this point, I have his granola recipe memorized because I used it as the template for all the other recipes. (Thank you, Nat!) Tangentially, Nat deserves a story of his own. When I was at the ripe young age of 20, I went on exchange to the University of Melbourne, in Australia. My flight had a layover in LA and, unfortunately, my connecting flight to Australia was cancelled, leaving me stranded in LA for a full 24 hours. Then came Nat to the rescue. He had the day off and he showed me around LA, took me to all his favorite spots. I was anxious about starting a new life abroad, and the day off that we had together gave me a moment to relax and feel ready for the next adventure waiting for me. We went to brunch, the flower market, a brewery, a park, and turned a day waiting at the airport into a really memorable day.

Baking time: 20 minutes

Active time: 10 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 cups rolled oats ½ cup oil (coconut or canola) ½ cup sweetener (honey, syrup, molasses, etc.) ½ teaspoon salt

1. Whisk together wet ingredients (oil, sweetener) in a large bowl, then add the dry ingredients and mix.

2. Spread evenly onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

3. Add dried fruit, cool, and store in an airtight container.

Recipe from Nat Gale

110

Refrigerator Dill Pickles Ethan inspired me to start making pickles. I was over at his house one night, and in his kitchen I saw a windowsill full of fresh growing herbs, including dill. He took out a jar of homemade pickles from his fridge that he made using fresh dill, and they were amazing. I’ve been making pickles ever since. This recipe is fantastic because it’s hard to mess up, and you can enjoy them in any way.

It was that same night that Ethan, his friends, my friend Alyssa, and I, played a raucous game of Egyptian Ratscrew. For the rest of the summer I carried around a deck of cards with me, and every time we went to a bar, Alyssa and I would play. Sometimes we would switch it up with Gin Rummy.

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2 jars

Ingredients:

Directions:

Pickling Liquid:

1. Add salt and spices to a 1-qt jar. Add cucumbers sliced, whole (ends trimmed) or spears, packing them in tightly.

Fill the jar to within ½ inch of the top.

2. Add pickling liquid to cover the cucumbers. Put a lid and ring on the jar and shake for a few seconds to distribute the salt and spices evenly.

3. Refrigerate for 7 days, shaking the jar for a few seconds every day.

4. Pickles will last approximately 6 months in the refrigerator unopened.

1 ½ cup water, boiled 1 cup white vinegar

Add to Each 1-Quart Jar: 1 tbsp kosher salt 2 tbsp dill seeds ¼ tsp celery seed 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 bay leaf 2 garlic cloves, minced 3-6 Kirby cucumbers (or regular cucumbers) Optional spices to add: fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, parsley, and any others you may like.

Recipe from Michaela Keil

111

Salad Pépère Style From Robin: “So heart un-healthy, but so delicious. Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Birgeron was never complete without Pépère’s salad!”

Active time: 5 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 cup sour cream 1 or 2 oz cream 1 tsp salt 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped ½ Spanish onion, chopped

1. Mix sour cream, cream, and salt to a soft stage.

2. Using the mixture, dress the onions and lettuce.

Recipe submitted by Carol Gale, from Leo Bergeron

112

Sherry Creamed Mushrooms From Aunt Janet: “This pairs really well as a side with steak.”

Cooking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ lbs medium sized fresh mushrooms ¼ cup (½ stick) butter 3 large scallions cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup) 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp dry sherry 1 tbsp flour ½ cup heavy cream Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Remove stems from mushrooms; cut stems into quarters; leave caps whole.

2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.

Add mushrooms, scallions, and garlic and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently until mushrooms are tender.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir sherry into flour to blend, then stir in cream until smooth.

4. Pour mixture into skillet and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and stir in salt and pepper.

Simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Recipe from Janet Aaronson

113

Spanakopita Baking time: 45 minutes

Active time: 1 hour

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 lbs spinach 1 large onion, chopped 3 tbsp butter 2 cups crumbled feta cheese 2 tbsp flour or bread crumbs 2 tsp basil 5 eggs 1 lb (2 cups) cottage cheese Salt and pepper, to taste 1 lb filo dough 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1. Clean, stem, and chop the spinach. In a large pot, steam the spinach for 5 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, saute the onion in 3 tbsp of butter, until translucent.

3. To make the filling, combine the steamed spinach, cooked onions, feta, flour or breadcrumbs, basil, eggs, cottage cheese, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.

4. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

5. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place one filo leaf in the pan, then brush with melted butter. Keep adding pastry leaves, brushing each with butter, for 8 to 12 layers. Spread on half of the filling. Add another 8 to 12 layers of pastry, brushing each with butter, then add the remaining filling. Top with as many pastry layers as possible, brushing each with butter.

6. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden.

Recipe from Kathryn Meneghin

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Sweet Potato Casserole Baking time: 30 minutes

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 lbs sweet potatoes 3 tbsp butter ¼ cup brown sugar Pinch of salt Milk (optional) 1 pkg marshmallows

1. Wash the potatoes and cut off the ends.

2. Boil potatoes in a large pot and cover with a lid for about 30 minutes. When you stick a fork into the potatoes, they should be tender.

3. Drain the potatoes and peel while they’re warm.

4. Put potatoes, butter, brown sugar, and salt into a mixer and beat until well mashed. Add milk if the potato mixture is not moist enough.

5. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

6. Place potato mixture into a casserole dish and put the marshmallows on top right before cooking.

7. Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Watch that the marshmallows don’t burn.

Recipe submitted by Lorin Arruda

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Sweet Potatoes West African Style Baking time: 1 hour

Active time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 lbs sweet potatoes 1 tsp oil ⅓ cup finely chopped onion 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 ½ tsp ground cumin 1 ½ tsp ground coriander ⅛ tsp ground red pepper ¾ cup water ¾ cup tomato sauce ¼ cup peanut butter 1 tsp sugar ¼ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Prick potatoes with a fork, and bake for 1 hour until tender. Cool slightly.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cook onion, ginger, and garlic for 3 minutes.

Add cumin, coriander, and pepper and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add water, tomato sauce, peanut butter, and sugar and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes, until thick.

5. Cut cooled potatoes lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, the other side. Spoon about ¼ cup of the sauce into each potato.

Recipe from Kathryn Meneghin

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Tess’ Noodle Kugel Baking time: 1 hour

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

Directions:

Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).

2. Cook noodles. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Beat eggs, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and butter together in a large bowl. Stir in noodles, and place mixture in prepared pan.

3. Mix topping ingredients together and spread over top of the noodle kugel. Bake for 1 hour.

1 lb of medium or fine egg noodles 3 eggs 1 lb cream cheese 1 cup sour cream 1 cup sugar ¼ cup butter or margarine

Topping:

1 ½ cups coarsely crushed Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies ½ stick butter or margarine, melted ½ cup sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp brown sugar

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drinks

Apple Cider Cooking time: 4 hours

Active time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

12 red apples, cored and cubed 2 green apples, cored and cubed ½ orange, sliced 3 cinnamon sticks 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled 2 tsp whole cloves 1 pinch kosher salt 8 cups water ½ cup brown sugar

1. Place the apples, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cloves, and salt in a large slow cooker or stock pot. Pour water over the apples.

2. Cover and cook (on high in slow cooker, over low flame in stock pot) for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours.

3. Remove the solids from the cider, pressing the pulp to extract as much liquid as possible.

4. Whisk in the brown sugar until dissolved.

5. Serve hot, or store in the refrigerator to serve later.

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Fruit Mead One winter when I lived in Montreal, Arielle went down to Aunt Janet and Uncle Rande’s house with the kids. Hal called me up, and I went over and we ate take-out Indian food, and hung out. At one point Hal grabbed a ceramic bottle, and asked me if I wanted some mead. I had never tried it before, and so, with some hesitancy (and expecting a glass of something strong like whiskey), I took a sip. It was delightful.

My next experience with mead came one night in the summer of 2020 when I was getting my hair bleached with my friends on their deck, and we were trying to read tarot cards. It was refreshingly fruity for a hot summer night, and complemented the chaos of our evening perfectly.

Now, fruit mead is one of my favorite projects to undertake — I always have a batch going. Yes, it takes a good few months, but the satisfaction of a cold glass of something you brewed yourself is absolutely worth it. Plus, it makes any celebration more fun, because you really won’t know what to expect until you open it.

Active time: 1 hour

Ferment time: 7 weeks

Servings: 10 (16 oz) bottles

Ingredients:

Directions:

3 lbs honey 24 oz pure fruit juice 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast

1. Using a warm water bath, warm the honey in its container until it is pourable. Add the warm honey to a sanitized 1-gallon carboy.

2. Add ½ tsp yeast onto the warm honey to act as a yeast nutrient.

Add juices, shake a little bit to combine and cool down. Add the rest of the yeast. Shake to aerate. Add an airlock and put it in a visible place (watch that it doesnt bubble over).

3. Check after 1 week. Give it a swirl every now and then. Then put it in a cool, dry place.

4. Let it sit for 6 more weeks, then bottle, using sanitized equipment, into 10 (16 oz) air-tight, flip-top bottles.

5. Let sit in bottles for 3 months or longer before enjoying.

Warning: This can be very boozy!

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Gordon’s Famous From Gordon: “Back in high school, Billy Bloodgood, who became a CIA-trained chef, and a gunsmith, would make this eggnog recipe that he learned in Montana. It generally became a Christmas tradition in our own house, and we have made it every year since then. Billy sadly left us much too soon, but we remember him with an eggnog toast.”

Active time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 dozen eggs 1 quart milk 1 pint heavy whipping cream 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp salt ½ cup Applejack or bourbon ½ cup rum (optional)

1. Separate egg whites and yolks into two large mixing bowls 2. Mix sugar, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl with the egg yolks.

3. Beat egg whites until fluffy.

4. Whip cream in a separate bowl.

5. Fold all ingredients together gently in a large bowl.

6. Add Applejack or bourbon and/or rum and stir in gently.

Recipe from Gordon Keil

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Note: eggnog is best made ahead of time — it always tastes better 24 to 48 hours later.

Richard’s Margaritas Richard is a friend of Addy. He and his wife, Erin Robin, gave Addy recipes for her wedding. These margaritas are meant to go perfectly with the Zucchini and Black Bean Tacos from Erin.

Active time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

Directions:

2 oz tequila 1 oz triple sec ½ oz lime juice Salt

1. Put all ingredients in a shaker, and shake together. Salt the rim of a glass and fill with ice. Pour margarita from the shaker into the glass with ice.

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To Kale a Mockingbird I included this recipe because a dear friend of mine, Vikingur, was a world-class bartender, literally. He competed in a bartending competition called World Class, and was a top 8 finalist in the Bacardi Legacy global cocktail competition. This recipe was created for the bar he owned in Reykjavik, called Jungle. It’s a treat to get one of his recipes first hand!

Active time: 20 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

Directions:

1 ½ cup tequila ⅓ cup kale 1.5 oz Kale infused tequila 1.5 oz freshly juiced pineapple (or pineapple juice) 0.75 oz fresh lime juice 0.5 oz simple syrup (1:1) Pinch of salt

1. To make the kale-infused tequila, add 1 ½ cup of tequila with ⅓ cup (50g) of kale into a blender.

Blend on high, then strain through a fine mesh strainer (the finer the better).

2. To make freshly juiced pineapple, cut a pineapple into small cubes. Put into a blender on high. Strain through a fine mesh strainer (or use a juicer). Can be substituted for pineapple juice from a can.

3. To make simple syrup, combine equal parts sugar and boiling water. Stir, or cook over the stove until sugar is dissolved.

4. Add 1.5 oz kale infused tequila, 1.5 pineapple juice, ¾ oz lime juice, and ½ oz of simple syrup, a pinch of salt, and ice, to a cocktail shaker. Shake well for about 6 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass and serve over ice.

Recipe from Vikingur Thorsteinsson

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Afterthoughts & Acknowledgements I started this project six months ago, in October of 2021. Since then, I have spent hundreds of hours editing recipes, designing pages, drawing images, and just thinking, thinking, thinking about why I was doing this.

I wanted to use this project to explore myself, to see how people have touched my life. It turns out, there are a lot more people who have touched my life than I know what to do with. There were so many people that I wanted to include, and so many stories and parts of my life that shaped who I am today that, at times, the task of making this book seemed too daunting. Capturing all of those people and influences is impossible, but attempting the task let me realize just how far and wide roots can spread. It opened up thoughts and conversations I didn’t expect.

In some ways, I used this project as an archive, memorializing this moment in my life.

My friends and I have talked at length about how much change we’ve experienced in the last five years, in the last two years, and even in the last nine months. Five years ago I didn’t think it would be possible for me to love again, but I’ve since realized that love isn’t purely romantic, and I’ve remembered how to love the people around me. I even got the chance to fall in love. Four years ago I wasn’t a writer, then I wrote the article that changed my life. Three years ago I was convinced I would never go to school again, unsure if I would make it through my undergrad at McGill, yet I am currently in a Master’s program at The New School. Two years ago I felt alone, lost, and scared, in a world where jobs didn’t exist and a pandemic was beginning that we knew nothing about. A year ago, I still panicked over certain triggers. Six months ago, I didn’t know I could make a cookbook.

Through every change there has been growth, goodness, learning, and work Lots and lots of work. But that’s what makes this, my twenty-fourth year of life, feel so momentous. I am at a peak of my own being, my own growth, my own happiness, and yet I know I am only at the starting line.

However, this wasn’t an individual project. I would not be the person I am today without the people who were with me along the way. Realizing how many lives have affected mine, and continually reasserting this fact through this project, has made me even more aware of the love that people can give, and the patience, care, and space that 127

they deserve for their own growth.

All of this to say, I can’t stop now, and I won’t.

To all the people who donated on Kickstarter, or purchased a book, thank you.

To every person who submitted a recipe, family or friend, I am so appreciative of the time you took, and the patience you had for this project.

To everyone who joined me at my table. You all were so integral because you tasted nearly half of this book, even when the soup recipe didn’t yet have salt, and the bread was maybe a little over proofed.

To Devin, whose own family cookbook project is what inspired this one, and who laughs with me through every mistake.

To Charlotte and Erica, who are the reason I write today, and who have edited and read every piece of writing I have ever produced, including this one.

To my closest friends, thank you for having the hard conversations, for being in this moment with me, for supporting me, and for becoming family. You are so loved.

My greatest thank-you goes to my parents. They helped me sort through an archive of recipes and are the reason I ever knew what good food was. Thank you especially for adding so many notes and stories to complement these recipes.

I am a patchwork of every person who touched my life, for better or for worse.

And this cookbook is representative of their multitudes. Some cook, some don’t, some are forthright and eager with their love, and others are part of my life in a quieter way. You are all part of this whether or not you realize it.

And, if you’re reading this now, use this book as an open door to me. I have a family of over 70 people, and a community of friends beyond that, and, while I can’t open every door myself, I will try, because you are worth it.

This is an unfinished project and, as such, it will only expand as I keep learning, discovering, tweaking, and adding to my own collection. Thank you for being here. I hope these recipes bring you the love that they have brought me.

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