The Life of a Recipe

Growing up, Kid Mitch always had the best thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter meals. Now all of you are probably saying "That's good for you Kid Mitch, but so what?" Well the cool thing is I had one awesome grandpa who was the king of the gourmet. From fresh bread, all the way to homemade stuffing from a family recipe the meals always left everyone full and satisfied. Now all of you are probably picturing an old man, retired and just trying to pass the endless expanse of time everyday. That's pretty much the exact opposite of who my grandpa was. When he passed away in 2005 he was a man in his early 60's with a black and gray ponytail half way down his back who worked at Superior Ford in the auto body shop as a body mechanic. This guy had tattoos and if you saw him walking down the street and didn't know him you probably would have crossed to the other side of the street just to avoid him. That was my grandpa and to everyone that knew him, they knew that the tough calloused hands that could restore an exterior of a banged up car to a sleek, smooth finish, were also the same hands that could make a meal that would make some of the best 5 star chefs drool with envy.

If it had to do with cooking or baking, he had his hands in it. From baking bread to creating sauce recipes, canning vegetables from his garden to smoking meats, he trained himself in those culinary arts by surrounding himself with the most recent editions of food magazines and a mountain of cookbooks. He created several recipes that remain in use today within my family such as his famous salsa recipe (on the bottom of that recipe it clearly states not to share it with anyone, but I digress) his homemade Italian sausage stuffing recipe, among many others.

His recipes as delectable and live on today and will for many generations to come. The Italian sausage stuffing recipe he created was used to feed several homeless for thanksgiving in 2011. His salsa recipe holds many secrets, including the secret of chunky and smooth texture that so many envy to create but so little have succeeded.

In closing every time you cook a recipe that has been in your family that was created either by a parent, grandparent, or even further back than that. Take some time to pause and reflect on the flavorful and full life those recipes have had and share the memory of the people that made that recipe.