Making an Heirloom: The Family Cookbook

Creating a compilation of family recipes is a cherished keepsake for all generations.

It was my junior year in college when my mom asked me to submit a recipe for a family cookbook that she was compiling. My cooking experience was rather limited, yet I mustered all my strength to think of the most show-stopping product made in my hot-plate-cooktop-furnished apartment dormitory. Spoiler alert: my contribution was not worth sharing.

Almost 20 years have passed since the assemblage of those family recipes which date back to my great-great-grandmother. Some recipes are copies of hand-written versions my mom accumulated over the years from family members who left us long ago. A real treasure.