Food Traditions

Although I don't try new recipes very often these days, I still skim through interesting looking ones in magazines and newspapers. I'm struck by how often the recipe is extolled as "my grandmother's traditional something" or "a favorite that has been passed down in my family for generations." This made me think about the recipes my mother passed on to me, but there wasn't anything that I think a magazine would jump at. My mom was a very good cook, but most of her recipes were basic, the way my Dad liked his food. I still prefer simpler things, and although I'll try fancier cuisine now and then, I'm usually not excited about the result. The best recipe she passed down to me was her lasagne. It is a fairly simple recipe, and now that there are noodles that don't need to be cooked first, it's a great meal with very little fuss. I've passed this family treasure on to my daughters, and I even make mini-lasagnes for my mom, since she's not interested in cooking anymore. I like that it's come full circle. But I don't know if I can claim it as a family recipe. My mom says she got it off the box of lasagne noodles she used way back when she decided to add it to her menu. Oh well. Then, one day when I cleaned out the dish and glasses cabinet, I found antique dessert dishes, long forgotten, that sparked a special memory. My nana made Jello. Not just any Jello, black raspberry Jello, which isn't available any more. Whenever I went to visit her, she would have shimmering, deep red gelatin the color of jewels in those fancy dessert dishes. I felt like a princess.