On the topic of love, we celebrated Valentine's Day and I am glad that we do. They enjoyed making cards for one another and receiving little gifts here and there all in the spirit of love. I used things from the house to add color and fun to the dinner table, and they got the biggest kick out of it!
The Italian way is something that beats strongly through my family. Coming from the "old neighborhood" Pop has stories that make you crave for the community that once existed from those times. As you begin to lose members of your family you are reminded of what used to be. You miss your loved ones and the traditions, that as a small child, you didn't think a thing of because they were there and they were palpable.
one of their favorite games played on the streets...leap frog
Taylor Street Archives
I can still remember my grandmother's house and how I would sneak a piece of hard candy from her rose colored candy dish while gravy (the red kind) was cooking on the stove. The parties and voices were large as everyone had something very important to say with both their mouths and hands! Though time pushes forward, we find ways to continue some of those traditions in the present. We do it in the name of family.
Italian sausage is made every year before Christmas.
Something I treasure dearly is this cookbook made by my great-aunt. Its pages are filled with old Italian recipes from many members of my family After thumbing through it I came to the personal note she left me on the inside cover over 14 years ago, and an idea came to me.
I decided that I would make it my own personal mission to cook one recipe a week from this book. As a way for me to connect to the past while keeping something alive for my family and hopefully passing a little bit of "Italian" down to the beans. Love, family, and good times! What more do you need!?!
So in the name of good cheer, I am excited to announce the winner of my little giveaway from the GYB party!
Tammy from Casa Mariposa! Thank you to everyone for journeying along and to Vicki for hosting such a magnificent event!
From our family to yours....Salute!!
That sounds like a great thing to do, I'm sure you will find recipes that you remember and love.
ReplyDeleteSalute, right back atcha', girlfriend (my husband's family is Italian) - you and I both know it's better with a glass of wine in your hand! Congrats to your lucky winner...I know she will be as lucky as I was last year to have found you through the Blog Party! LOVE this post - family memories are the BEST! Love to you, my friend - hope it's warming up in your neck of the woods! Happy Sunday, Nicole - XOXOXO
ReplyDeleteHow cool to have a cookbook from your great aunt. I am sure you will have so much fun cooking from it every week. And your dinner table looks fun too. Kids love these cute holidays! We made little valentines too but I regret baking cupcakes because the kids brought home a ton of candy from school. It was just too much sugar. Ugh. Hope you are having a pleasant weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love the little hand sneaking into the colorful jar of candy.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun challenge to cook at least one of the recipes each week. I hope your will share some of your meals and I want pictures of the beans cooking with you.
The table looks lovely Nicole! I think keeping traditions alive is a lovely thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to cook more recipes from my favourite bread book this year.
Hope you had a good weekend!
Sarah x
Oooh - the sausage making looks intriguing - secret men's business! Family cookbooks are real treasures - especially ones with lots of handwritten bits in them. x
ReplyDeleteI have come across your blog and I already love it. That is a wonderful idea to connect to family and the past like that(plus, I think your family will be happy to with all the yummy food) I love Italian food and I will keeping a close eye on your lovely blog for tips and tricks if you share :) have a great Sunday x
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I remember visiting Italy years ago with my aunt (I was raised by my aunt) and her mum and my three cousins, we were treated like royalty being an extended family it was fabulous.
ReplyDeleteSo goos, all these sweeet memories, I remember playing leap frog at school a very long time ago. Nice your children had so much fun on Valentines day. Love all the colours and that hand of the boy to that candy jar.... Great!
ReplyDeletebeautiful post-I always feel strongly too about keeping family traditions alive, even though its just the two of us, it just makes me feel good. and I used to sneak some of my grandmas cookies when she wasn't looking-lol Beautiful post my friend. Love the pretty valentine table you set up
ReplyDeleteThat cookbook is so special! I have a few Greek church cookbooks that have been handed down to me that I love to test out every once in a while.
ReplyDeleteAngela @ Number Fifty-Three
What a lovely post! I used to love to play leap frog! I enjoyed your trip down memory lane and thanks for sharing your family with us! Aloha
ReplyDeleteOh Nicole! You are making such great memories for your children. My mom worked and raised 3 girls and never really had time or money for stuff like that. I really can't remember any childhood traditions that we had.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work! I do hope you are going to share those Italian recipes and photos of the dishes, my mouth is watering already!!! Please oh please!
This gave me goosebumps. How amazingly awesome is that cookbook?! I think it's a FANTASTIC idea to do the once a week thing. I've been wanting to cook my way through some of my cookbooks, but they're all store-bought ones. To do it with family recipes would be completely amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet post Nicole. I love how you make everything so fun for your beans. They will treasure these memories always, as you cherish your memories from the past. You'll have to share your new/old Italian recipes you try every week with us so we can try them too.
ReplyDeleteIf you're getting snow as we are, stay warm and snuggled up inside. Have a happy weekend!
Cindy
Traditions are very important and it is an act of love to pass them on. I think it is also important to share and respect the traditions of other cultures. I have picked up some beautiful ideas from friends of different ethnicity. I'm sure cooking the recipes will give you pleasure. Even holding things that once belonged to my dear grandmother give me a sense of comfort.
ReplyDeleteYour Valentine's celebration looks lovely. I am sure they had a lot of fun. It's always important to me to make little celebrations like this for my children too. I'm so excited about your cookbook challenge! This should be really fun. I have a partially-Italian background myself and I know well of what you speak. :)
ReplyDeleteFamily traditions run really deep. I loved your story today. Glad I called by. take care. Jo x
ReplyDeleteMemories from the past they come back to haunt us most are good.
ReplyDeleteMerle.........
How lovely to have this cookery book, I do love old handed-down recipes. I'll look forward to seeing what you make.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful bit of your heritage you have there in that cookbook! Wow! I hope you share some of the recipes as you go along (no need to share any bad ones!;>) It is true- I grew up surrounded by a huge family unit of cousins, aunts and uncles. Because I came along late in my Dad's life (he was 53 and I was his first child) most of the family that I loved has passed over. I look around and realize that I am the last one of my own family unit to lay down memories for the generation I will leave behind someday. Life just keeps moving us along, doesn't it? GREAT post, Nicole.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful entry Nicole! I think it is so important for traditions to be passed down from generation to generation. Such wonderful memories you have! I hope you blog about a few of those recipes!!
ReplyDeleteLiz
I'm so excited! Thank you so much! Your family memories are such treasures. To have a cook book like that is incredible. This is an excellent way to pass these traditions down to your kids. :o)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Tammy! Your idea to cook once a week from your special cookbook is a lovely one Nicole and will surely bring your Italian heritage to life for your family in a very special way. Love all of your valentines touches, I hope that you had a great day. xx
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of your recipe book - would be wonderful if you shared this cooking journey with us. Much love, Elaina xo
ReplyDeleteFamily traditions ensure the the deepest and happiest of memories. What a lovely challenge x
ReplyDeleteLove this post! You obviously have great memories of your childhood and you're continuing that for your beans!!! I like your idea of making a different recipe each week from your cookbook. Maybe you can let your little bean-chefs make a selection, too. Looking forward to hearing about your family's favorites! Enjoy your week!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful valentine's table...so nice to pass family traditions down. When you grow up with memories of kindness, love, special meals, games that others lovingly shared with you. Those memories become so vital in what you choose to do with your family. Such a rich blessing of love from one generation to the next.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartfelt post Nicole ;) You are such a sweetheart and your family obviously adores you. I didn't know you were Italian ... I visited your "home" two summers ago and loved it! I think that cookbook is a great way to preserve the family traditions ... because being Italian is mostly about the food, isn't it? That is a very THICK cookbook too, so you've got your work cut out for you. I hope you share some of your creations here too. Have a great week ... we're all off for "Family Day" our newest statutory holiday here in Canada :D Wendy x
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post about your family's background. Sounds like you grew up among wonderful people. I used to work for a guy who grew up in the old Taylor Street neighborhood - his first job was plucking chickens for the original Dominick of Dominick's Fine Foods, RIP. Have you ever gone to the Italian food festival in Melrose Park, I forget what it's called exactly? I've always wanted to go but never have.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! What a rich childhood you must have had. I'm quite old-fashioned so I love hearing about the old times and ways. And homemade pasta sauce is always the best!
ReplyDeleteps: love the V-day decor!
Nicole, your table is positively beautiful and it is obvious that you all put a lot of love into decorating it! It is wonderful that you have those wonderful memories of the Italian traditions. I may have told you before that my sweet son-in-law's great grandparents immigrated from Italy to New York in the very early 1900's, along with their two children, my son-in-law's grandfather and his Aunt Marie(we called her Aunt Mae). I have learned so much about the culture, which centers around food--a lot of food and love in abundance with lots of hugs and kisses to go around. When Jimmy was well, he was always in the kitchen and anyone who entered their door was fed until they could eat no more. Their children love playing all sorts of games together, including board games, which many families do not do now a days. I love this post and I am so glad you shared! Be safe and happy, my sweet and beautiful friend!
ReplyDeleteThat cook book must be a veritable treasure trove. There's nothing like family recipes passed down from generation to generation. Have a splendid week Nicole!
ReplyDeleteRowena @ rolala loves
What a great post, Nicole--I really enjoyed reading about your family's traditions, and how lovely to have that cookbook with all the recipes in it. I love the picture of the sausage making--that's a lot of sausage!
ReplyDeleteJust love seeing your hearts hanging from the ceiling. Reminded me of when I was a little girl. also love that you are working on keeping traditions alive! I think that is a very important role for a mother. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, and it was great fun going on this birding tour. Something to do if you ever get a chance!
ReplyDeleteLove, love love this! My favorite cookbooks are ones put together by different organizations in our community. Some of those cooks gave been gone for years, but their memory lives on through the recipes they chose to submit. Btw do you have a good pizza sauce recipe?
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful idea, a real living piece of family history, such a beautiful thing to be able to do for your beans! Enjoy your mission! Cate, xxx
ReplyDeleteHand me down recipes are the best!! You're so lucky to have your great-aunt's cookbook and what a great idea it is to cook a recipe from it every week. You will show us what you cook up, won't you?!!
ReplyDeleteOh I am super excited to see lovely recipes you cook Nicole! That sounds like such a super plan. Hazel x
ReplyDeleteAww that is very sweet.... one recipe a week from her book.
ReplyDeleteThat picture of leap frog, brought back my childhood memories.
That was such a wonderful post Nicole! Love, family, and good times...the most important things!! Thanks for sharing, and I hope you share some recipes!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful memories. I agree that our generation does a very poor job of maintaining that sense of community that our grandparents' generation was so good at! I love your idea, though, of cooking recipes from your family cook book - what a cool project.
ReplyDeletegreat idea to share Valentines Day with the whole family. Loved hearing about your childhood memories. I bet your grandmothers cook book would be filled with very yummy recipes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post, Nicole. My family heritage (and my husband's) is also Italian :) I love the old ways and miss the sense of community that comes from living in a small town or from living near family. I am blessed to have one brother 20 minutes away, another (and his large family) just 45 minutes away, and my sister (a missionary) just one mile away 4 months of the year. (The rest of the time she's in Uganda!). But we live in a big, sterile suburb, and it can be difficult. Being part of a wonderful church family helps. Thanks again for sharing so beautifully, Diana
ReplyDeleteI love all the decorations hanging over your dining table and the idea of cooking a recipe a week from your great-aunts cookbook. I have so many wonderful cookbooks that I rarely crack open. I think it is great that you made it your mission to make use of a bit of family cooking history.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! Your Valentine's table looks so warm and inviting. "Love, family, and good times" -- you are so right, my friend.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I missed this post, Nicole - it really tugs at my heart! I love your story about family dinners and those wonderful traditions we all took for granted when we were young and thought they would last forever. Now you are creating your own wonderful family traditions with your sweet beans. How nice that you have your Great Aunt's own personal cookbook and what a great idea to cook from it every week. There is nothing better than lovin' from the oven! :) Hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteI love your decoration -- they are clear in the second picture. Really creative. I also enjoyed reading about your longing for the past -- same happens to me, especially that I am away from my family. I think that generation of big family gathering, fun, laughter, everyone wants to talk -- all are going away throughout the world -- we all have just one or two kids and we all are very busy with lives. That laid-down life no longer exists.
ReplyDeleteWhat's this GYB party? Can we all participate?
It's so lovely to have family traditions and to be able to enjoy and pass them on to your kids. Your great aunt's recipe book sounds like a treasure
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