08/03/2026
Yesterday, I lost one of my best friends: my Grandma.
I share this here in the hope that you smile as you read through the long list of homemade dishes my family and I were lucky enough to enjoy for many, many years—and that this list prompts some special memories for you, too. I would love to see a list of goodies in the comments.
Here are some of her absolute signatures:
-Fettuccine: We would roll the dough right on the counter and cut it with whatever that machine is.
-Tomato Marinara: Garden tomatoes, of course.
-Chicken Soup: An entire chicken from Baffoni’s Poultry Farm and all the veggies would go right into the pot. By lunchtime, the house smelled amazing.
-Sweet Bread: Reserved for the Easter season only. I’ve yet to taste a better one.
-Christmas Cookies: This was serious business. For weeks, my grandmother would make hundreds and hundreds of cookies: butterballs, biscotti, Charleston chews. I could go on forever.
-Zucchini Parm: The zucchinis came straight from the garden, of course.
-Whiskey and Rum Cakes: She used so much booze you could practically catch a buzz.
-Pickled Peppers: Yup, those peppers came from the garden, too.
-Sausage and Peppers: Made with homemade sausage from a friend, of course.
-Ricotta and Rice Pies: I was never into these, though maybe I just wasn’t old enough to appreciate them yet. 😁
-Wine Biscuits: Made with the homemade wine, of course. My personal favorites—I used to request them thicker and a little undercooked. She always delivered.
I could go on forever, but these were her masterpieces. The best part is that she genuinely loved making them and, more than anything, sharing her creations with others.
It's moments like these when the 222 on my wrist hits even harder—a reminder to Trust the Process.
Rest easy, Gram. ❤️
#222
