Recipes

In my last column, I wrote about my grandmother’s china cabinet and all her crystal. It truly is an heirloom and one that will forever hold a place in my home and heart.

In the last few months, we have had many family heirlooms as my mom has gone through my grandmother’s house and consolidated things to sell this spring. Heirlooms have been on my mind, and I came across this quote from Stanley Tucci the other day that read, “But perhaps the most precious family recipes … they remind us from whom and where we came.”

So often when we think of heirlooms we think of tangible items, but the truth is that recipes are particularly special because they are so often associated with moments or from a screenshot in time that you’d love to go back to relive for a bit.

I started thinking about various recipes in our family and why they’re special. My husband begins our year with a beautiful prime rib dinner on New Year’s evening. He makes the best garlic mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding. Whenever I think about a cozy New Year’s, I think of this meal. There is my Nana’s coffee cake recipe that is also a staple in our family and used at various events like Easter and Christmas. My mom’s chicken enchiladas will forever be the ultimate comfort meal for me.

That brings me to my next comfort food, which is chili. Everyone’s favorite version of chili is the one that they’re used to having, most often the kind that you grew up with. My husband thought it was so odd that my family would have chili served over pasta. I love all the various toppings and hot sauces and jalapenos on my chili, but he just wants his to be simple.

Nobody makes chocolate chip cookies better than my mom. I have tried and they’re never as good as hers. My husband has absolutely perfected the HC Tavern appetizer called lobster cargot. You take lobster tail and place in an escargot dish with butter, lemon, and garlic and bake it with Havarti cheese on top. This is served on top of a crusty baguette. Whenever I think of a nice night at home, this is what I think of.

I make the best meatballs, and my husband makes the best sauce. The combination of this paired with his homemade pasta is one that I know our kids will grow up remembering. There is no way you can have his homemade pasta and watch him go to the trouble to make it and not taste it as you think about it. On that note, my husband also makes the best lasagna.

There’s nothing better than a nice night on the patio with the Blackstone grill. My husband can rival any hibachi chef in all their glory. I long for the days of the back patio lights on and the smell of whatever he’s making wafting through the yard as the dogs and kids run around playing.

My husband can also smoke any meat like nothing I’ve ever had before. I love finding huge cuts of meat like a brisket and bringing it home to tell him to make it for me.

One of the best foods ever served with brisket is my baked beans. Nobody makes them as good as mine. It’s not arrogant, it’s just the truth. Anyone who has my baked beans loves them.

My homemade salsa is also one of my favorite snacks. It is delicious. I’m a bit of a salsa snob, so I don’t say it lightly when I say how good mine is. Again, maybe arrogant, but if it’s true, it’s true. I would admit if someone else’s was better than mine, but so far it has not happened.

I also love my ham. Everyone else in my family thinks their ham is better, but it isn’t. I love sweet ham with a nice glaze. Ham should be sweet. Period. Also, there is nothing better than smoked turkey. In fact, my husband’s smoked turkey on Thanksgiving. Roasted turkey is one of the most boring meats on the planet. Smoked turkey is incredible.

Another item that pairs well with this food and has been a source of controversy in my family for many years is deviled eggs. My mom and husband have a throwdown over this fairly frequently. Both of their eggs are good – they each think theirs are superior and try to rally the troops to their side. They also both independently try to get me to agree without the presence of the other that their eggs are better. I honestly like both. They are both completely different and I refuse to choose.

On the note of family controversy, my sister and I are very critical of each other’s appetizers. My sister thinks I’m too heavy on the dips and bread, while I think she puts way too much corn in her pinwheels. In fact, you could sink a ship with the amount she puts in, but to each his own. She can set a table like nobody else’s business, so I will give her that.

I also love a warm batch of homemade chicken tortilla soup. It is the same one my mom has made since I was a kid. I follow the same recipe but make it spicier now. When I think of that, I think of being comfortable at home.

The bottom line is, the memory and feelings attached to various recipes is what makes it special. That’s why you can still taste your childhood comfort food when you think about it. These foods can take us back to a place that we long for. It is also nice when you marry someone who enjoys cooking and happens to be amazing at it.

Yes, I know this was obnoxious, but I feel strongly about these things and I’m not wrong.

Now I’m hungry.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.