My husband’s Italian grandmother passed many years ago on her 103rd birthday. My daughter was very close to her “special grandma” and honored her by getting married on her birthday! Special grandma kept a box filled with recipes she clipped from newspapers and magazines as well as calendars from local stores and recipe books from various food companies. Somehow I inherited that box recently and went through it to see what to keep and what to toss. Special grandma was quite a cook so it was interesting to see what interested her. Recipes for pasta clipped from Ronzoni pasta boxes. Quite a few for pickles. Many many more for all kinds of cakes, pies, and cookies. A calendar from 1962 as well as lots of pamphlets on how to entertain and host the perfect party! Fascinating. The one thing I got a kick out of was Special Grandma’s list of food for a party. 10 pounds of roast beef. 2 pounds of pastrami and other cold cuts. Potato salad, macaroni salad, and cole slaw. Not what I would picture special grandma having for a party. I also found a recipe for spidini (which the paternal side of the family made) and I’m hoping it’s THE RECIPE for the spidini since no one has been able to find one. Searching through that box was a wonderful reminder of special grandma and an insight into what made her tick. If you like to cook and need some recipes, check out the Cook’s Treat section at https://www.caridad.com/meet-me/cooks-treat/.
