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Stuffed Artichokes
Stuffed artichokes were always a part of our holiday meals, a delicious starter to our celebratory feasts. Now, I continue the tradition with my own family of picky eaters, each who absolutely love my stuffed artichokes. Here, I am sharing my recipe, but feel free to make changes to it by adding whatever you think you’d enjoy to the stuffing. Some traditional Italian recipes call for raisins and pine nuts. I prefer savory/salty bites throughout. If you like them, chopped anchovies are a wonderful addition. You can even change up the cooking liquid. My mom once in a while would cook the artichokes in tomato sauce and my goodness they…
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On Mother’s Day, Food=Love
As a mother, we do what we can to make our children happy no matter how we are feeling. I have always believed that preparing food for my family is an act of love. Why do I believe this? Because of my mother. My mom puts all of her heart into the food she makes for us. It wasn’t until I became a mother myself that I learned what a labor of love this could be. As much as I enjoy cooking, there are certain dishes that I just don’t like making. It’s not because they are difficult or time-consuming (e.g. quesadillas). Sometimes you just.don’t.want.to.make.anymore.quesadillas. My mom has some specialties…
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Grandma Sadie’s “S” Cookies
I was about seven years old when my grandparents (on my mother’s side) moved from Brooklyn, NY to Phoenix, AZ to escape the cold weather that pained my grandma’s body. For as long as I can remember, she suffered terribly with rheumatoid arthritis. She never complained, even though her hands were almost curled shut and her joints ached all the time. Every once and a while she would wince in pain and my heart would break for her. Through the pain, she still managed to make us delicious treats because it made her happy to see us enjoy them. She had two dessert recipes that are standouts – cream puffs…
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A One-Ass Kitchen
I don’t know if I can pinpoint the exact moment my passion for cooking was born, but I do know some of my fondest memories are in the kitchen with my mom and grandmothers. My two grandmothers, Sadie and Tessie, each had their own special recipes that were treasured by the respective sides of the families. From a very young age, I was encouraged to help out in the kitchen. One day I was assisting Grandma Sadie with baking her delicious “S” cookies. We would have to squeeze by one another due to the ample sizes of our butts and the less-than ample size of her kitchen. She would shout…