ENGL/HIST 3700. Foodways Magazine

FOODWAYS MAGAZINE A COLLECTION OF STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS

ENGL/HIST 3700: REGIONAL FOLKLORE SPRING 2022

COMPILED BY DR. AFSANE REZAEI

[PACEHOLDER TEXT] STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDED SHARED RECIPES AND INDIVIDUAL FOOD TRADITIONS. SHARED RECIPES COULD BE A FAMILY RECIPE OR ONE THEY HAD DEVELOPED WITH FRIENDS OR SHARED WITH OTHER GROUPS THEY WERE PART OF. IT COULD BE AN EVERYDAY RECIPE OR SOMETHING USED FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO INCLUDE THE RECIPE AND EXPLAIN ITS CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE: HOW WAS IT FIRST DEVELOPED? WHAT ARE THE FOODWAYS THAT SURROUND THE RECIPE: WHO MAKES IT, WHEN, WHY, FOR WHOM, AND HOW IS IT CONSUMED? WHY HAS IT REMAINED IN THE GROUP? STUDENTS COULD ALSO REFLECT ON OTHER ASPECTS OF THE FOOD THEY FOUND IMPORTANT IN ITS CONTEXT OF PREPARATION OR CONSUMPTION.

[PACEHOLDER TEXT] INDIVIDUAL FOODWAYS COULD INCLUDE A FOOD ITEM STUDENTS REGULARLY BOUGHT FOR THEMSELVES (FROM THE GROCERY STORE OR THROUGH THE DRIVE-UP WINDOW, FOR EXAMPLE), SOMETHING THEY MADE ON A ROUTINE BASIS OR ON SPECIFIC OCCASIONS, OR AN INDIVIDUAL FOODRELATED RITUAL (E.G. SEPARATING KITKAT LAYERS OR DUNKING YOUR COOKIES IN WATER!) STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO DESCRIBE THE FOOD OR RITUAL AND EXPLAIN ITS CONTEXT & SIGNIFICANCE: WHY DO YOU LIKE OR USE IT? HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS FOOD ROUTINE OR RITUAL? WHAT ARE ITS SYMBOLIC OR FUNCTIONAL ASPECTS?

EIREDATCH (SWEDISH CREPES) emily lindberg breakfast, celebration food

ingredients

growing up, we had a family

2 large eggs

tradition of always waking up

4 tbsp milk

insanely early to make a birthday

2 tbsp flour

breakfast for whoever’s birthday

few drops

it was, so we would have time to

vanilla

eat it all together before

powdered

everyone had to leave for school.

sugar (to

i absolutely loved my family’s

taste)

version of swedish pancakes, procedure

blend eggs, flour, and milk in blender. add vanilla and powdered sugar to taste. pour about 1/4 cup at a time into the middle of a lightly oiled frying pan. tip pan to spread evenly. when set, turn over to lightly brown top side. serve with jam, or sprinkle with powdered

(which are pretty much glorified crepes), and constantly begged my mom to make them for us on the morning of my birthday. my great-great-grandmother used to make them for her kids, because when they were all growing up, they didn’t have very much money. this recipe was her own adaptation of her own mother’s recipe from

or granulated sugar, roll,

sweden, and it was a way for her

and dip in syrup. enjoy!

to stretch flour and eggs a long

tip: this recipe is pretty much just a ratio of one large egg to two tablespoons milk and one tablespoon flour.

way. since the recipe requires blending, it gives the whole mixture a really airy, whipped texture, which stretches it further than it would unblended.

eiredatch became even more of an important tradition to me when i started having sleepovers at my grandma’s. she was pretty much my best friend when i was little, because when my mom had another baby after me, most of the attention went to her, and i sought out my grandma for attention. i would spend the days with her to get out of my mom’s hair, and would almost always end up begging her to let me stay overnight. the reason i did that wasn’t because i loved sleeping at her house - it was because i knew that she would always make me eiredatch in the morning. i loved when she would flip them onto my plate and let me drown them in sugar before rolling them up for me into little tacos and helping me dip them in syrup. when she passed away, i was heartbroken, and it took me a really long time to eat eiredatch again. but now, every time i make and eat them, i’m reminded of how close we were, and it helps me feel even closer to the members of her family that passed the recipe down.

German Pancakes Tags: -Breakfast, Quick/Easy

Ingredients 6 Eggs 1 Cup Flour 1 Cup Milk 1/2 Teaspoon Salt 3/4 or 1 stick butter (depending on preference)

Method 1. Blend eggs, flour, milk, and salt in a blender until it becomes a smooth consistency.

2. Melt butter in a 9x13 size pan.

3. Pour mixture into pan and stir a little to make sure that it's even and without lumps.

4. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

5. Top with maple syrup or any other toppings.

Stewart McKenna

This recipe came from my mom's sister and has become a family favorite in our household over the years. One of my first memories involving German Pancakes, or Dutch Babies as they're also called, is on my birthdays. My mom would always ask the day before my birthday what I wanted for breakfast and I would ask for these every time. Nowadays, it is more commonly one of my sisters who prepare this breakfast but it always reminds me of the times that we spent as a family eating them together. Eating these German Pancakes now has become a nostalgic thing for my family and it is something that brings us together. Now that all of us kids have grown up and moved out of the house, whenever we are together and share this breakfast it reminds us of growing up and brings us very fond memories.

This is also a very useful breakfast dish because it is relatively simple to prepare. It only takes about 25-30 minutes to prepare, including baking, and only requires a few ingredients which makes it a good option when in a hurry or limited by a lack of ingredients. This is a family favorite and is always my first choice for breakfast when eating with my family.

Oatmeal Kimberly Lewin breakfast, everyday food Oatmeal has been my go-to breakfast in the past few months because it is quick, easy, and filling. I have never particularly enjoyed breakfast or eating in the mornings, but with how busy my schedule is this semester, it’s imperative that I have a plan for food throughout the day, and I need breakfast to get me through the morning. I recently rediscovered oatmeal, and it has become one of my favorite meals to start out the day. It’s incredibly versatile; adding fruits, nuts, nut butters, etc. helps keep it new each day, as I can easily become tired of things that I’m eating too often.

I always have peanut butter on hand, and usually bananas, and that is often the two items that are mixed into my morning oatmeal. I often struggle to eat enough protein throughout the

day, so if I add either peanut butter or almond butter, it helps me get my day started on the right foot. Just adding peanut or almond butter makes the oatmeal very thick, so often I will add a splash of milk I have on hand (usually soy or oat). In addition to the carbohydrates from the oats and protein from the nut butter, a dietitian recommended I also get fruit in my first meal of the day. I often slice a banana I have and put it in, but strawberries and blueberries are also some of my favorites.

Depending on the day, I like my oatmeal with different varieties of sweetness. The two main items I use are coconut sugar or honey. In addition to my preference on the day, how sweet the added fruit is also plays part in how much added sugar I add.

There are not necessarily any symbolic attributes to my morning oatmeal, but functionally, it serves as a way to start my day with good nutrition. I’m also not a morning person in the slightest, and often need to hurry out the door to get to work on time. Preparation for oatmeal takes less than five minutes, and it cooks in only two minutes in the microwave, so it’s well suited for needing something that takes little effort and time.

When consuming the oatmeal, my favorite bites are often those that contain fruit, and so I try to evenly distribute the fruit throughout the meal, saving at least one piece for the last bite. If there are nuts instead of fruit, then I often evenly distribute the topping to break up the monotonous texture of the oatmeal itself.

Sometimes oatmeal can feel like a “heavy” meal so early in the morning, but it feels less so if I add fruit to it, and sometimes I pair it with other things to counteract this. It could be that I have a drink of juice or kefir to go with it, or I make less and eat something like yogurt on the side.

Oatmeal has become a part of my daily routine, and the versatility makes it appealing.

Kodiak and Egg Bro Breakfast The Kodiak and egg breakfast is the epitome of good times with your homies. After any good bicep pump or squat PR the Kodiak and Egg Breakfast is always a great “go to” to get those post workout nutrients in. The breakfast is extremely high in protein to replenish the energy needed for those tired muscles, it also has plenty of carbs and healthy fats to keep you healthy and energy filled. The Kodiak and egg breakfast started back in the good ol’ days of 2018 when I was living with my homies. I remember we came back from a good ol’ grind sesh at the ARC and my homie said to me “BRO, I am straight hungry bro, you ready for some BREAKFASSSST!?“ and at that moment the Bro breakfast was conceived in our young bro minds. We used my Kodiak cakes, my homies’ eggs, my other gym Bros’ cheese and Guacamole Salsa our other homie pitched in his peanut butter and jelly. That’s how the breakfast of champions was made. Breakfast born to fuel Gym Bros for eons to come. Crafted with taste equivalent to the size of that beefy chest pump never to be topped. The Kodiak and egg breakfast would inspire many eating competitions between the Bro ‘s and I. The record stands held by yours truly, of 14 large Kodiak cakes and six eggs, a monument to stand forever amongst the peaks of all Gym Bro accomplishments.

Recipe Serves 4 people or 1 hungry bro ● ●

● ● ● ●

●

●

Full or half a bag of Buttermilk Kodiak Cake Mix (Personal Preference) Mix up the Cake Mix with water and start making the pancakes, you can make as many as your stomach will allow, but legend has it Arnold Schwarzenegger himself will descend from Gym Bro Heaven and bestow upon you untold gains if you beat the record of 14.

Scramble 1 to 8 eggs and as they’re cooking in the pan throw in some diced Jalapeno slices, Bacon bits/turkey bits, and avocado slices until you hungry little heart is content When the eggs are just about to a solid texture spread on a hearty amount of shredded cheese of your choosing When the cheese has melted on the eggs be sure to pour on some “Herdez Guacamole Salsa” as the finishing touch on this divine dish.

You may now serve the dish to your hungry gym bro, be sure to provide him with a jar of peanut butter and his choice of jelly though, this way he may spread the PB&J as he sees fit and enjoy what makes him truly happy.

Can’t have pancakes without a gainful beverage to wash it down! Fairlife Chocolate milk will do best here, if you don’t have Fairlife, any form of Whole milk will ensure you don’t miss out on any post workout gains!

Can’t miss out on those gains yourself, sit yourself down with your happy gym bro and stuff your face with pancake protein and talk about lifting heavy things.

FRENCH TOAST BAKE Alison Richter Breakfast food, celebration food Every Christmas, my family eats French Toast Bake. It was introduced to my mom by a friend who is a famous food blogger a couple years ago. Before French Toast Bake was introduced to my family, we would eat Walmart French Toast Sticks but after my mom tasted the French Toast Bake, she knew this would be our new Christmas Breakfast. We have had it every year since then and it is a big hit.

This is a great meal for Christmas morning because it can be prepared a lot beforehand. There is a lot of bread that has to be broken up and often my siblings and I will help my mom break the bread, which has turned into a fun Christmas memory. My mom will typically prepare it a night or two before and then store it in the fridge. On Christmas morning, she will put it in the oven and it will bake while we open our presents. While it is baking, we all help set the table and we eat on our nice Christmas China dishes. We all help clean up after the meal. The only downside to this meal is that the pan is incredibly hard to clean so we all try to get out of cleaning.

Typically, we will eat this meal with a lot of sides and toppings. This is significant because we usually don’t have very fancy breakfasts at my house, but this is the one day of the year we go all out. We usually have some drink options: usually milk, orange juice, apple juice, or all of them. As far as food goes, we typically cook bacon or some sort of sausage. My mom will cook these in the morning as all of us kids are setting the table. Often we will cut up some of

the oranges that we get in our stockings and eat those with the meal as well.

On top of the French Toast Bake, there is a brown sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon streusel. The toppings we add on top of that vary from year to year. Every year we have lots of different kinds of syrup: buttermilk syrup (that my mom home makes) maple syrup, different kinds of berry syrups, and the past couple years we have even had a cinnamon syrup and a coconut cream syrup. In addition to syrups, my siblings will sometimes put powdered sugar on their piece of French Toast, even though in my opinion it is too sweet for more sugar. I enjoy putting strawberries or other berries that we have on my french toast because the tartness of the berries can help balance the sweetness of the French Toast Bake.

I love this recipe because it always reminds me of Christmas and happy times with my family. I love sitting at the table and eating this meal with my family on Christmas morning.

I love smelling the French Toast Bake all morning as it cooks in the oven. It also is a super practical meal for Christmas morning because it can mostly be prepared beforehand. In addition, it is easy to make a lot of, which is great for Christmas morning when we are all hungry after opening our presents and doing other Christmas traditions for a couple hours. It is only a once a year meal though because it is so high in calories and not very healthy for you. But it has become a perfect and tasty Christmas tradition for my family. This is a tradition that I hope will continue for many years and one that I plan to carry on in my own family as well.

The Recipe 8 eggs 2 cups of half and half 1 cup of milk 6 tablespoons of brown sugar 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon 0.5 teaspoons of kosher salt 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 1 lb loaf of french bread Softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons) 4 tablespoons of packed brown sugar 4 tablespoons of white sugar 0.5 teaspoons of cinnamon 0.25 teaspoons of ground nutmeg 2 tablespoons of cold butter

Recipe Instructions 1. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the half and half and the milk. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

2. Use softened butter to butter the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish. Cut the bread into 1 inch chunks and place them in the prepared dish. Whisk the egg mixture one more time and then pour it evenly over the bread. Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss the bread, moving bread on bottom to the top, and making sure all of the pieces on top get dipped in the egg mixture. Spread out evenly, cover the dish, and place in the fridge overnight.

3. To make the topping, place brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine. Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add them to the bowl. Use clean hands to break up the butter and combine the mixture until crumbly. Cover and place in the fridge until the morning.

4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic from the dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. You can stick a knife or skewer in the casserole to make sure the egg mixture is set on the bottom.

5. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares. Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

SALVADOREAN BREAKFAST!!

Merlin Adonay Granados-Hernandez Breakfast

Ingredients: -Refried Beans -Plantains -Eggs -Bell Pepper -onion -tomatoes -Queso Fresco -Sour-cream -Bread

Recipe: Eggs: before you put the eggs in the pan, put oil in a pan with chopped bell pepper, onion and tomatoes.

Let the vegetables cook until the onions are clear and then add the eggs and mixed them up until the eggs are done Plantains: In another pan put oil and fried the plantains until they turn to a brown color that means they are done.

Refried beans: You can put the refried beans in a pot with water and oil, and mix it up until the beans are liquid.

Prepare the Plate: put everything together with sour cream and queso fresco and enjoy it with a cup of coffee

Breakfast are very important in Salvadorean culture because we have a different type of breakfast than other latin America countries and a different breakfast than here in the United States.

I have made a different kind of breakfast. The normal breakfast include eggs, refried beans, and plantains. In my case I add different ingredients that make it more tasty and different from the breakfast that is know as "Salvadorean Breakfast". In my family we mixed a lot of different vegetables to our food so we come up with this recipe.

Side Dishes

Honey Apple Pecan Salad ...... Ashley Morrey Mom's Tomato Soup ............... Matthew Christopherson

Baked Potato Casserole ........... Andrew Hamlin

Swedish Butterhorns ................ Nicole Hurst

Honey Apple Pecan Salad Ashley Morrey Ashley Morrey

Dessert, Cake, Celebration food

INGREDIENTS Salad Dressing

DIRECTIONS Salad Dressing

¼ cup honey

Mix honey and vinegar together then

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

slowly stir in the canola oil whisking

½ cup canola oil

vigorously making an emulsion.

Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Candied pecans Tablespoon of white sugar 1 cup Pecans

Salad 2 heads chopped Romane lettuce

Candied pecans Heat sugar in a pan on the stove till melted app pecans and coat with sugar take off of heat and roughly chop when cooled.

Salad

Two celery sticks diced ½ red onion thinly sliced

Mix salad together in a big bowl drizzle

Peeled and diced apples

dressing on to taste

Candied roughly chopped pecans

FOODWAYS When I was first married I realized that

I was inspired to create my own fall

though I thought I knew how to cook I

salad and salad dressing. This is the

really didn’t. To fix this deficit I began

recipe I created that embraced the fall

watching the Food Network channel to

season and my love of pecans. My

learn cooking techniques and recipes.

husband didn't really like this salad but

The show I found the most fascinating

everyone else who tries it absolutely

was hosted by Alton Brown because he

loves it. I have had friends ask for this

explained the science behind the food.

recipe and my kids ask me to make it

He described what the core of a

all the time. This is the first time I’ve

particular recipe was and how to

written down my recipe. For me, this

expand on it to embrace your culinary

recipe symbolizes personal growth and

creativity.

cooking competency.

Matthew Christopherson

Mom’s Tomato Soup Ready in 4 hours and 20 minutes Serves 4 people

Main Ingredients

onions and basil more time to give the soup flavor.

2. About half an hour before the timer is up, put the soup into a blender or food processor, and puree until it’s smooth.

Then put the soup back in the slow cooker.

3. Time to prepare the roux. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Then add flour to the butter and stir until the flour clumps. Whisk in heavy cream until thick and smooth.

●

2 15-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

●

1 10-ounce can of tomato sauce

●

¼ cup of finely chopped basil

●

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

●

1 tablespoon of salt

●

1 teaspoon of pepper

Context and Significance

●

1 medium sized diced white onion

●

1 cup of heavy cream

●

4 cups of chicken broth

●

4 cups of shredded parmesan

This soup is something my mom would always make for us growing up. For a long time I actually hated tomato soup, but I fell in love when my mom tried making this for the first time. The parmesan never completely melts, so you get little chewy chunks that have great texture. The broth adds a lot of flavor as well, so it feels more substantial than your average tomato soup.

Roux Ingredients ●

1 cup of heavy cream

●

3 tablespoons of butter

●

¼ cup of flour

Preparation 1. First, put all the main ingredients besides the parmesan into a slow cooker or a crockpot. Cook for either 2 hours on high or 4-8 hours on low. If you have the time, I recommend the latter. It gives the

4. Put the roux and the parmesan into the slow cooker and stir well.

5. Wait another half hour or until the cheese is melted. Then you’re good to serve!

The recipe is actually pretty simple to follow.

Crockpot recipes are great because there’s no rush. 99% of the work just goes into preparation, so you can take as long as you need. Then you just throw it all in and forget about it until dinner time.

This recipe also goes great with toasted baguette cut up in slices. Spread some butter on that baby, dip it in the soup, and you’ll thank me later.

Andrew Hamlin

Recipe: Baked Potato Casserole

7. Melt butter and mix with potatoes, bacon bits, sour cream with chives, and 4 oz. of the

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 30 min Ingredients 6 Russet Potatoes 1 Cube Unsalted Butter 8 oz Sour Cream with Chives 8 oz Sharp Shredded Cheese 4.3 oz pkg Hormel Real Bacon Bits Preparation Steps

1. Thoroughly wash Russet Potatoes 2. Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces, about 1 1/2 inch cubes 3. Place potatoes with the water into the Ninja Foodi pot 4. Assemble pressure lid, making sure the pressure release valve is in the SEAL position.

5. Select PRESSURE and set to high. Set time to 8 minutes. Select Start/ Stop to begin.

6. When pressure cooking is complete, quick release the pressure by moving the pressure release valve to the VENT position. Carefully remove lid when unit has finished releasing pressure

shredded

sharp

cheese

and

ensure

all

ingredients are well combined. Top mixture with remaining cheese.

8. Close the crisping lid. Select AIR CRISP, set temperature to 360*F, and set time to 4 minutes. Select START/ STOP to begin 9. When cooking is complete, serve immediately Context: This recipe was developed by my Mother, Erin. She had created it shortly after purchasing our ninja food. The machine is a sort of swiss army knife; combining a pressure cooker, grill, and air fryer. It is always my mother who makes it. It’s usually consumed for dinner, with a nice steak and a vegetable on the side.

It has become something of an instant classic in our family and even our neighborhood. Every time steak is involved, there has to be the baked potato casserole as a side. This dish has even extended to holidays such as Easter, Christmas, and the Fourth of July. Every time there is a gathering, the neighbors pretty much demand it be made.

Swedish Butterhorns Nicole Hurst celebration food, side dish, bread • 3 T dry yeast & 3 T sugar mixed in ¼ c water • 2 c cold milk • 2 large eggs beaten lightly • ½ t salt • ¼ c oil • ½ c sugar • 1 T cardamom, ground • 5 c flour for dough or less • 1 c flour to roll out dough (about) • ¾ lb. butter (no margarine) Mix cold milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, oil, yeast and beaten eggs. Add the 5 cups of flour gradually, working the dough well.

Turn out dough on floured board and work a few minutes more. Then roll out to about 12” x 24”. Mark sheet with back of knife into 3 equal sections. (Do not cut dough.)

Spread 1/3 of butter over the middle and right hand section. Fold left section over the middle section and fold right hand section on top.

The dough is now rolled out to the original size of 12 by 24 inches. Keep table well floured. Now mark dough into 4 sections and butter the two middle sections with half of the butter left/ Fold the two outside sections over to meet in the middle, then fold half over the other, making four thicknesses.

Now for the 3rd time, roll the dough out to the original size of 12 x 24. Mark in 3 sections as at first. Butter and fold as the first time. Butter is now all used up.

Roll out to original size keeping edges straight. Dough should be about ½ inch thick. Cut with a sharp knife into strips 2/3 inch wide, whatever length you desire (4-6 inches long).

These strips are then twisted 5 to 6 times and placed on baking sheet. Let rise in cool room or the butter will melt and the rolls will not be fluffy or flaky.

Take care to keep dough cool while working with it. The butter should not be spread too close to the edge or it will be forced out during the rolling process. Allow 2-3 hours to rise.

When rolls are raised very light, brush with beaten egg to which a little milk has been added.

Sprinkle with sugar and chopped nuts.

Bake quickly 7-9 minutes at 475 F.*. Makes about 3 dozen. Be certain you use pans with edges or you will have a real mess in your oven. Also, it helps to use parchment paper to line pans. *a handwritten add-in reads “425 (on convect convert) for approx.. 6 minutes” Recipe Notes: The recipe is taken as written from my mother’s copy of her mother’s recipe book, affectionately titled “Good Stuff: No Liver and No Bananas”. It also has the optional addition of walnuts or pecans for topping before baking.

We, however, do not add nuts to the butterhorns and have not in any recent memory. My younger sister has a severe tree nut allergy, and if we add nuts, it puts the recipe squarely within the “this could kill Kenzie” category. From what my mother remembers, my grandmother would often top her rolls with chopped pecans.

The recipe originated from my maternal family, who immigrated from Europe sometime in the 1800’s. The family has records of people from several European countries, including Scandinavian countries, which is where we think the recipe came from. An interesting note about the name; I was doing research into the recipe as every time I’ve attempted to make them, my rolls would turn out exceptionally ugly. I was trying to find what instructions other recipes specify, as our family copy is vague and much of the creation of

the rolls is learned from practice and verbal instruction. To my surprise, the recipes I found for “Swedish Butterhorns” were nothing like my family recipe. As it turns out, the roll recipe we’ve been making for decades were not actually a traditional Swedish Butterhorn, which are more like a cinnamon roll. We were actually making a variation of Cardamom Buns (and yes, I did figure out why mine were so ugly; cook in a cold kitchen to keep the butter from melting and the rolls from falling apart; my mother absolutely laughed at me when we realized what happened).

Cardamom Buns are technically a version of butterhorns (as a variety of pastry), but the formal name didn’t actually fit for our recipe. As a linguistic note, I use the terms Swedish Butterhorns and Cardamom Buns, despite there being language-specific names within many cultures for similar dishes, as we don’t know what specific country our family recipe might have originated from. Our recipe is for Swedish Butterhorns, and we will continue to call them the name we’ve been using for generations. The technicality of the name and type of bread hasn’t changed what we call our rolls, but it has brought up questions of where the recipe and name came from. Unfortunately, my maternal grandmother, whose family is where the recipe came from, passed away over 10 years ago and her siblings, at least the ones who might have known anything about the recipe, are also gone.

We make Swedish Butterhorns for holidays, such as Thanksgiving. Connie (my mother) and I often plan out the holiday dinners and we tend to prefer the butterhorns over other sweet rolls, despite my father’s long-standing preference for orange rolls.

Regardless, we serve Swedish Butterhorns as a dinner side. My mother has been making them for years and she learned from her mother, while I’ve started making them myself, with many frantic video-calls to mom, with varying success. For my mother, the recipe is nostalgic and is a tangible way to stay connected to her own family memories, as well as something that she’s tried to give back to her children.

Main Courses

[List of contributors and recipes]

FAMILY FOODWAYS This lasagna recipe was created by my great grandma many decades ago.

Despite my mo m and grandma remembering that she was not the best co o k, she still wo rked hard to provide meals for her children and eventually grandchildren who spent their childho o d summers in her ho me on Sunset Boulevard in Lo s Angeles, Ca Iifornia.

The recipe was passed do wn to my mom, and lasagna quickly became a staple in my ho useho ld with a few alteratio ns to the recipe. It's syno nymo us with big gatherings and Sunday dinners, where there was eno ugh time fo r my mo m to prepare it and eno ugh people to ensure it wo uldn't go to waste. Traditionally, it's served with salad and any type of bread, which makes fo r a large and filling meal.

Altho ugh there are not many o ccurrences where my entire immediate family is gathered together anymore, this lasagna recipe remains one of my and my siblings' favorite meals. Dinners gro wing up were always messy and chao tic, but there was always a feeling o f lo ve and care in part due to the food in fro nt o f us.

CJ

Main Course, College Food, Comfort Food

Hawaiian Haystacks Quick Easy Hawaiian Haystacks are filled with My parents were in desperate need of a filling fluffy rice and creamy chicken gravy, then topped meal that would not break the bank and tasted

with all your favorite things for the ultimate great. Enter: THE HAWAIIAN HAYSTACK!! A meal so enticing that even a tomato-hatin’, comfort food dinner! chicken nugget-lovin’, mac’n cheese-devourin’ child couldn’t find criticism! Oh, the rich chicken Ever since I was a wee lad I’ve had the appetite flavor! The delectable crunch of chow-mein! of a blue whale. It never helped that my parents The sweet and tart accent of pineapple! And the got me involved in sports as soon as I was big most important piece? The belly-filling rice and enough to kick a ball (which was young because all that accompanied it!

I was a tall kid). I began playing soccer when I was 4 and continued to try more sports each As if this mesmerizing concoction of food year to see what I enjoyed most, and to keep me wasn’t enough to convince you, not only does it from staying in the house and driving my taste amazing, but it feels amazing as well! One parents insane.

hearty portion of this bad boy is enough to

carry an adult on their feet for 3 days, or a Now there was always one problem to that rambunctious growing child for 4 entire hours tactic, however, and that was that I did not have (Praise the Lord)! a sport that I participated in during the

Summer months of the year; which created a Does it taste good? Hell yeah. Does it contain wonderful opportunity for me to once again practically everything you could be allergic to?

drive my parents up the wall with my rampant Hell yeah. Is it cheap? Hell yeah. How many energy. calories? Hell yeah.

Starting in the summer of 2008, I started competing for a nearby swim team. Soccer and

This is a Family-friendly, budget-friendly,

stomach-friendly dish that your forefathers, swim team soon became the predominant fathers, mothers, children, and grandchildren activity of my childhood and kept me in will cherish for all of eternity, a dish for the amazing shape throughout middle school and into high school.

ages, surpassing the greatness of even sliced bread itself.

However, having a child that consumes a daily Now don’t you even worry, I’m not so cruel that average of 6000 calories a day before their I would flaunt my greatest discovery and teenage metabolism kicks in can create a squander it for myself. Here is a fantastic and problem in the money department for loving simple recipe that even your toddler could parents. make with ease!*

*We are not responsible for any injuries caused by the unsupervised chef’s work of your toddlers

Hawaiian Haystacks INGREDIENTS

Toppings

Cream of Chicken Soup with Herbs 2 10.5oz

Shredded Cheese

cans

Pineapple Tidbits

Sour Cream 8oz

Sliced Black Olives

Milk ½ cup

Diced Tomatoes

Shredded or Cubed Chicken 3 cups

Diced Green Onions

Rice Pilaf or White Rice 6 cups thawed

Frozen Green Peas, thawed

Pepper to taste

Crunchy Chow Mein Noodles, found in the Asian isle Shredded Carrots Sliced Pecans / Almonds

PREPARATION STEP 1

Bonus Recipe: Bugs on a Log

In a large skillet whisk together the cream of Peel off a few stalks of celery and clean the chicken soups, sour cream, and milk over stalks and ends. medium heat until heated through and smooth.

Slather inside the divot of

celery with your favorite peanut butter from

You can either add in the chicken and cook until end to end. Top your peanut butter trough with warmed, or warm up the chicken separately (I’d either chocolate chips, or for a healthier recommend separately if you plan on keeping

alternative: raisins, and enjoy!

leftovers).

great cheap, healthy, and protein-rich snack.

STEP 2 Plate your rice and add your chicken on top.

Serve the chicken gravy over the hot rice, and top with any of the suggested toppings you would like! Enjoy!

Makes for a

Mina Weeks Heritage/Fusion Main Course

Instructions 1. Place fries on baking sheet and place in oven at 400 for 25 minutes.

2. In a bowl, mix beef, egg, onion,

bread

crumbs,

Worcestershire, garlic, salt, and pepper until blended.

Divide into 4 patties.

3. Lay

patties

onto

oiled

barbecue grill and cook on high gas heat until medium (3 min each side).

4. Take out 4 slices of spam and grill simultaneously on grill until golden and crisp.

5. Toast buns briefly on grill, then lay on plate. Drizzle Kōrēgusu on each open bun side, then follow with a thin layer of Gochujang aoili on the top bun.

6. Place slice of Swiss cheese on each burger and let melt using

residual

heat

from

turning the grill off.

7. Place burgers onto open bottom spam, cabbage

buns.

Add

sliced Kimchi,

grilled daikon, and

iceberg lettuce.

8. Place last bun on top and serve with fries.

Swiss-Ryūkyūan-Korean "Atrocity" Burger "Schwiizer-Ryūchyū-Hangug-jilsaeg" 4 Servings

Prep/Cook Time: Depends on how well you all stay on task :D

Ingredients 1 lb 15% fat ground beef 1 egg Minced onion Dried bread crumbs Worcestershire 2 cloves minced garlic Salt/Pepper 4 Hamburger buns 4 slices Swiss cheese Iceberg lettuce Cabbage Kimchi 4 slices Spam Gochujang aoili Thin sliced daikon Kōrēgusu Bag of Walmart seasoned fries

Epitome of Fusion This ridiculous fusion of a burger was born from the desire to fuse some of the most polar opposite cultures that one can get their hands on. My mom's side of the family is Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jewish; my dad's side is Swiss, Ryūkyūan, and Korean, and we practice all three of these cultures. Since my older cousins on my dad's side and I live in the US, Korea, and Japan, we only see each other all together once a year at best in person. We wanted to create something that we could eat on our first night together that merged our cultures.

Thus the Schwiizer Ryūchyū Hangug jilsaeg burger was born. We only ever make it when all of us older cousins on my dad's side can meet in the same place.

As such, because of the pandemic, I have no good picture of my own, so I found a photo of something similar.

We developed this "burger" when we were 12-13 years old with the idea that each part of the food needed to tie back to our three cultures (or four if you count American) in some way, regardless of if it tastes good or not. Burgers originated in Hamburg, Germany, though lots of Americans claim it was invented here.

Though we aren't German, Switzerland is a melting pot of French, German, and Italian culture, so we figured it's close enough. Swiss cheese is a clear nod to Switzerland, as well as the tradition of toasting the buns.

Germans never used lettuce on their burgers, instead opting for pickled cabbage, so we figured the lettuce on burger thing came from the US. Daikon is a Japanese radish, but really it exists all over East Asia. Kōrēgusu is a Ryūkyūan/Okinawan hot chilli oil that has spread throughout Japan and is used similar to olive oil blends.

Cabbage Kimchi is a Korean food that is made out of fermented salted cabbage with red chilli ingredients and things like fish oil. Gochujang aioli is perhaps not quite the right word. It's similar to aioli since it incorporates crushed garlic, but it's not aioli, but we don't really know another word for it. Gochujang is basically red pepper chilli paste, so mix that with garlic "aioli" and you get some random Korean fusion sauce. Lastly: spam. Spam has a very notable place in Korean cuisine mostly because of WWII and the Korean War when military meats from the US began to become staples in Korean cuisine due to money issues.

When we first developed it, we weren't really thinking of which flavours would actually pair well together. It was always more of a joking food that we ate. Really, we just picked prominent sauces and meats from Korea and Japan and slapped them on a meat patty and called it a day.

Because of this, the burger is not a master of cuisine. The flavours often feel like they clash, but because of how fond this burger is to us, my cousins and I think it's good in a quirky way. This burger symbolises us coming together despite the distance between us all and despite the pressure from the world to assimilate and abandon our cultures or to choose only one. When we all sit down to eat, we actually created a sort of "blessing the food" fusion prayer even though most of us are more spiritual than religious. It is a combination of the Ryūkyū, Korean, and Swiss German languages. Then, we all have to take the first bite at the same time.

Even the name itself is a combination of languages. "Schwiizer" is Swiss German for Swiss, "Ryūchyū" is Okinawan for Ryūkyūan, and "Hangug" is Korean for Korean. "Jilsaeg" means abomination in Korean.

PUPUSAS:

FRIJOL

CON

QUESO Merlin Adonay Granados-Hernandez Main Course INGREDIENTS:

Refried beans Flour Water Cheese

HAVE ALREADY DONE:

Mixed cheddar cheese with milk in a processor until cheese is at the same consistency as the re fried beans.

Curtido and Salsa Curtido: In a container put cabbage, onion, carrot, oregano and vinegar Salsa: put water in a pot with tomatoes and let that boiled. After, blend the same tomatoes, water, onion, garlic and chiles, if you want it a little spicy. At the end you will have to put what you blended into a pot with a little bit of oregano & chicken bouillon, until it boils.

Pupusas are a food from our ancestors the pipiles, that lived in El Salvador. It's a tortilla with other ingredients inside of it accompanied by salsa and curtido. Pupusas can be made by anyone but you will be know as a pupusera or pupusero if you have a restaurant where you sell them.

Pupusas can be eaten alone but they were made to eat with other people in a group setting. Everyone can enjoy some pupusas but please don't ever eat them with a fork and knife, since it's seeing as disrespectful by Salvadoreans.

Pupusas are a symbol of heritage and pride since they were developed by our ancestors and now that some of use live in the United States we tend to have more pride since we are not well-known.

Recipe: Mixed the flour and water together so you can make masa to make tortillas. You begin by molding the masa to a tortilla looking after you do that you need to mixed the refried beans and the cheese you prepared and put it on the tortilla you made. You will need to close that tortilla so after you can create a ball and mold it again into a tortilla, You will have to have a bowl where you can water and oil mixed so you can put some in your hands and the pupusa so it can cook. You will need to put your pupusa in el comal and let it cook until the edges are gold and you get them out of the fire. Put the pupusas in a plate with curtido and salsa and enjoy.

Chicken Pita Sandwich Cameron Cooper Main Course, Everyday food Ingredients • Chicken Breasts – 8 oz • Green Bell Pepper – 1 pepper • Onion – ½ onion • Cucumber – ½ cucumber • Non-fat plain Greek yogurt – 1 small container • Minced Garlic – 3 tsp • Lemon juice – 3 tbsp • Cherry tomato – to taste • Dill – 1 tbsp • Red wine vinegar – 1 tbsp • Olive Oil – 1 tbsp • Thyme – 1 tsp • Store-bought pitas – 2 • Feta cheese Yield – 2 servings Time – 30 minutes Preparation 1. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized cubes 2. Place the chicken cubes in a Ziplock bag with the following ingredients and let it sit in the fridge a. 1 tsp garlic b. 1 tbsp lemon juice c. 1 tbsp red wine vinegar d. 1 tbsp olive oil e. 1 tsp thyme f. Salt and pepper to taste 3. Prepare the sauce a. Grate the cucumber b. Combine the following ingredients into a bowl i. Shredded cucumber ii. Greek yogurt iii. ¼ onion, diced iv. Dill v. 2 tbsp lemon juice vi. Salt and pepper to taste 4. Cook the chicken in a pan

5. Assemble sandwich by spreading the sauce on a warmed pita and add chicken, and as much diced green bell pepper, tomato, and onions as you like 6. Top with feta and enjoy!

Context and Significance This recipe cannot be traced back to one singular recipe. This is a recipe that I have created myself based on various other recipes and other chicken pitas I have eaten. I love food. I am constantly eating at new places and watching videos on how to make new foods. This recipe is just combining my knowledge of similar things and adjusting them for what I need in a meal. Cooking is more than just a chore I need to do every day to survive, it’s entertainment for me, almost a form of art. And, as I always say, life is too short to eat boring food, so this meal packs a lot of flavors for how simple it is to cook.

As a college student my schedule is all over the place. As a result, I need to make food that is easy to make, will fill me up, not cost too much money, and I enjoy eating. This recipe hits all of that for me. It doesn’t take long to make, the longest part of it all is preparing each of the ingredients, plus, and I can make a double batch that can be reheated later for an even quicker meal. Most of the ingredients are things I have sitting around as well, so that also cuts out time because I don’t need to go to the store to get them.

I’m also a very health-conscious person, so high quality, nutritional food is very important to me.

I prioritize eating meals that have clean, low processed ingredients that are high in protein.

This recipe consists of almost strictly whole foods besides the pitas, which I could make myself, but I choose to buy out of convenience, and Greek yogurt which has minimal ingredients and processing.

All in all, this is recipe is everything I need it to be for an everyday meal, plus, it’s delicious.

Tags: main course, celebration food, cooking outdoors Rachel Hanson

Grilled Pizzas

For the pizza dough, you can use any pizza or bread dough recipe. This one I’ve taken (with slight modifications) from sugarspunrun.com

Method 1. Combine 1 cup of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

2. Add olive oil and warm water and stir very well.

Ingredients

3. Gradually add another 1 cup of flour. Add any additional flour as needed and stir until the dough forms a cohesive, elastic ball and begins to pull

2-2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoon) 1 ½ teaspoon sugar ¾ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil ¾ cup warm water

away from the edges. The dough will be slightly sticky but manageable.

4. Drizzle a separate, large clean bowl with olive oil and spread the oil around the sides of the bowl.

5. Lightly dust your hands with flour and form the dough into a round ball, and transfer to the olive oil covered bowl. Roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in oil, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm place.

6. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Begin preheating the oven to 425F. Also begin prepping the grill so it will be

Toppings Diced tomatoes Cheese Pesto sauce Marinara sauce Diced pineapple Ham Olives Anything you want!

ready when the pizza is done with its initial baking.

7. After the rising, gently deflate the dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface and kneed briefly until smooth.

8. Divide the dough into several smaller sections—large enough so that they roll out into personal sized pizzas. Place the rolled-out sections of dough on an oven pan and use a fork to poke holes in the dough. Bake the dough for about 10-13 minutes in the oven.

9. Remove from the oven and put on desired toppings. Place the pizzas on top of the ready grill and cook with the lid closed until the crust is charred, and cheese is melted.

10. Voila! Grilled pizzas are served!

Why Grilled Pizza?

Grilled Pizzas began as an experiment my

My mom was the one to make the pizza

family tried a couple years after moving to

dough, start the grill, and organize the line of

Texas. It developed from several factors, one

kids as we put toppings on top of our cooked

of the first being that we were now living in

crusts. Dad would help out when he was

one of the top grilling states in the country,

home, but he was often gone during dinner at

and we wanted to join in the fun. However,

work or studying. She would arrange the

buying meat to barbecue is expensive, and

pizzas on the grill and help us know when

buying enough meat to feed our family of 7

they were ready to be taken off. All the kids

(at the time—now there’s 10!) is even more

would help prepare the toppings—cut

expensive. We were not rich (living off the

tomatoes, open cans of pineapple and olives,

small income my dad could bring in as he was

put everything in bowls, etc. We were also in

working full time as well as going to school

charge of setting up the camping table and

full-time to finish his Doctorate degree), and

setting it while we watched my mom douse

pizza dough is much more affordable. So we

coal briquettes with lighter fluid. The most

turned to this for our Texas grilling

fun was designing the toppings—creating

experience. Another factor was that our move

animals, smiley faces, our initials, and other

to Texas put us far away from most our

pictures. We used this mostly as a celebratory

extended family who lived in Utah and Idaho.

meal, and we often made it when any of the

We created many traditions during this time

kids had friends over for sleep overs. This

that helped us establish our identity as a

tradition, now that my family has moved

family, grilling pizzas being one of them. We

closer to extended family, lives in Idaho, and

used this tradition to celebrate warm,

has less time together due to busy school

summer nights, and usually ate our pizzas at a

schedules, is not used very often, but is

camping table in our large backyard.

looked back on with lots of positive associations and nostalgia.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Tags:

-Main Course, Food to Share

Ingredients 6 Skinless boneless chicken breasts 12 slices cooked ham (medium/thin slices) 8 oz. sour cream 1 can cream of chicken soup Swiss cheese slices

Method 1. Whip together sour cream and soup and put thin layer in bottom of 9"x13" pan.

2. Wrap chicken in ham slices and put in pan.

3. Pour the rest of the soup mix over chicken.

4. Cover with foil and cook for 50 minutes at 350 degrees.

5. Remove from oven and take off foil. Put cheese slices on each piece of chicken.

6. Cook for 10 more minutes uncovered.

Stewart McKenna

Chicken Cordon Bleu has been one of my favorite foods for a long time. While it's something that my mom made me growing up, I chose to include it as my individual dish because it's more of a personal favorite than a family favorite. The main difference with this recipe as opposed to other Chicken Cordon Bleu recipes is that it is not breaded. I have also tried breaded chicken cordon bleu but I prefer this one. That could be because it's what I grew up eating but it's just the way that I've always preferred it. I think that adding that individual difference is something relatively unique although it's not completely out of the ordinary. It's something that some people find interesting when this recipe is shared with them and for that I reason I included it as my individual dish.

This is a great dish which, similar to my other, is fairly simple to make and doesn't require too many ingredients. However, it does take more prep time and it takes longer to cook as well. This is a meal that I plan to have whereas my other recipe is something that is usually just prepared on the spot without prior preparation.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

main course, comfort food

8 servings

By: Abby Brighton

1 frozen pie crust

This is one of my favorite foods that my mom makes. It's a recipe that comes from one of my aunt's family members, but my mom has changed it up a decent amount to how my family likes it. One of my family members is vegetarian and another one of them

POACHED CHICKEN: 1 chicken

hardly eats any meat, so as funny as it sounds, we usually make our

4 C. broth

chicken pot pie without the chicken. You can also switch up the

2 medium carrots

vegetables you put in it, so we often have different variations of

2 medium onions

the recipe. My mom made this recipe for us for dinner one time

6 ounces small fresh mushrooms,

and it became one of our favorites. We even argue over who has eaten more than everyone else and who gets to eat the leftovers.

halved

It's a meal that we have for dinner as a family pretty often.

2 stalks celery

My mom knows how much I like this recipe, so whenever I go

SAUCE:

home to visit, this is usually one of the meals we eat, and if I'm not home long sometimes she'll even send me back home with one. My

2 C. reserved broth

mom has offered to teach me how to make this recipe multiple

1/4 to 2 T. flour

times, but it's just not the same if I make it. She has the recipe

1/2 C. heavy cream

memorized and can make it off the top of her head, while I read

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

the recipe and am still confused about what I'm supposed to do.

1 teaspoon salt

We're lucky if I'm able to help my mom make it without messing anything up.

1/4 teaspoon pepper OPTIONAL: veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, corn, potatoes, or any others you have on hand

method 1. Cook (boil) poached chicken ingredients all together or separately if you would rather cook chicken in the oven.

2. Add veggies last 10 minutes of cooking tie to prevent the from becoming too soft.

3. Simmer sauce until thickened and add chicken, vegetables from poached chicken and other desired vegetables to your frozen pie crust.

4. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden.

Instructions 1. Make 1 lengthwise cut and 3 crosswise cuts with a serrated knife to create eight uniform baguette

sandwiches for dinner so that we can save them for our

pieces.

2. Evenly Spread 2 tablespoons of blue cheese dressing on

the fact that it was invented by our family. This has caused

the face of each baguette piece.

school lunches. We have a lot of pride with this recipe and

us to cherish this, and we have consistently used this recipe a couple times a month for the last 15 years.

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of feta cheese on the face.

4. Lay 50 grams of cooked chicken breast (preferably baked) on top of the feta cheese.

A tradition we have with this meal separates it from many

5. Slice 2 pears into 12 even pieces. Lay 3 slices on top of each open face sandwich.

6. Chop 1 red onion. Sauté the onions alone in a pan. Distribute the prepared onions evenly on each

of the other meals we eat as a family. Instead of my mom making the entire dinner, we make it a group activity and have everyone make their own Pear Sandwich. This started because there are eight siblings, and we all have

sandwich.

different levels of pickiness and want our own 7. Split 4 slices of swiss cheese in half and lay it on the top.

8. Broil sandwiches on the top rack for 10 minutes or until the swiss cheese is melted and turned golden brown.

9. Chop a little bit of green onions on top. Enjoy!

custom sandwich. Some like it with everything on it while others would not want onions, chicken, or even the pears. It was easier as well since everyone wanted a different number for themselves. Now we make sure that we get together before dinner and enjoy our time

Significance

with each other while we partake in the activity of making

This is an original recipe developed by my mother. My

our own food.

family is a big fan of California Pizza Kitchen, and my mom

loved

their

now

discontinued

Pear

and

I

have

my

own

personal

tradition

with

Pear

Gorgonzola Pizza. Around 15 years ago, she wanted

Sandwiches as well. I like to eat around the thin layer

to be able to quickly create something similar and she

of crust first. The outer edge is always super crispy

created what we call “Pear Sandwiches”. We always

and is usually just the cheese and bread. I am left with the

have a lot of baked chicken available, and so this

topping rich and gooier center which has all the

recipe takes under 20 minutes from start to finish. It can

extensive flavors. This is very similar to what I like

be easily eaten with your hands and is surprisingly not

to do with other sandwiches as I always eat the crust

that messy even though the toppings on Pear

first. It is very satisfying to have a simple process to eating

Sandwiches sit about as thick as the bread itself; the

your food. The middle of a sandwich always tastes better

image above is not an example but is a picture of

as well which makes it feel like a reward. I hope you

something looks similar. We like to make a lot of

enjoy this recipe and can get a sense of the traditions

extra

and what the importance of the meal is for me.

Tostada de Tinga Marilyn Petersen Main Course, Mexican, Fiesta, Summer, Finger Food

This recipe was passed down from my mother's side of the family. It was a simple and delicious meal we shared as a family during hot summer days or when we had a huge family gathering.

My mother was the one to prepare the tinga while my sisters and I shredded the cabbage, cheese, and set the table. My mom usually served this dish with Spanish rice and beans on the side.

Since getting married, this dish has helped me share my culture with my husband's family.

Usually, when we have family over during the summer, I make the tinga because it is a perfect blend between the spicy (from the chipotle peppers) and the cooling cream (from the sour cream). If you did not know this by now, eating some sort of cold dairy food with spicy food will help to reduce the burning sensation in your mouth. Like many Mexican dishes, tostada de tinga is assembled to one's preference. It also does not require the use of utensils when consuming it. It is consumed just like a slice of pizza or a slice of toast.

My husband's family are not fully used to eating spicy Mexican food. But they will devour tostada de tinga. It is actually one of their favorite dishes because they indulge in the perfect ratio of heat to cool. It also makes them feel embraced by the Mexican culture through this shared dish, which is why it has remained in our family.

Ingredients 2- large white onions 3 - garlic cloves 1 - bay leaf 1 - can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 1 - can of tomato sauce salt & pepper to taste 3-4 full chicken breasts 1 tbsp - chicken bullion oil 1 - package of tostadas 1 - can of refried beans (heated) 1 - package of Queso Fresco 1 - tub of sour cream 1/2 of cabbage head Instructions I. In a large pot. add enough water to cover the chicken breasts, chicken breasts, one bay leaf, one full peeled onion, one garlic clove, and the one tablespoon of the chicken bouillon.

2. Let the chicken cook on medium-low heat and cover the pot.

3. While the chicken is cooking, cut the remaining onion into thinly lunar slices, and set aside. Take half of the cabbage head and cut into thinly lunar slices and set aside.

4. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove the chicken from the pot and place in a bowl. Shred the chicken into strands by hands or hand mixer.

CAUTION- the chicken is extremely hot!

5. In a blender. add the can of tomato sauce, the can of chipotle sauce, 1 cup of the chicken broth, the onion from the pot, the bay leaf, salt, pepper, and the remaining two garlic cloves. Blend until a smooth consistency.

6. In a skillet, add enough oil needed to sauté the onion slices. Sauté until the onions are transparent in medium-low heat. Do not burn the onions.

7. Add the blended sauce to the skillet and let it cook for about 10 minutes or until the blend has thicken a little.

8.Add the shredded chicken to the skillet and mix all together.

9. Let the mixture thicken and absorb to the chicken for another 10 minutes on low heat.

10. Take an unbroken tostada, spread a layer of refried beans on one side of the tostada, add the chicken tinga mixture evenly on the tostada, top with shredded cabbage, queso fresco, and lastly a drizzle of sour cream. And enjoy!

BEANS AND WEENIES Emily Pruden main course, celebration/festive food

Ingredients: ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

1 number 10 can baked beans 3 cans stewed tomatoes ¾ cups brown sugar 2tbs mustard 2tbs Worcestershire sauce 3 packs cocktail weenies 1 pack hotdogs

Directions: ❖ Chop hotdogs into half-inch pieces ❖ Combine all ingredients in Dutch Oven ❖ Cook at 275 °F for five hours, or until liquid from tomatoes has been reduced ❖ Remove from oven and serve with toast

My family only eats beans and weenies once or twice a year, always during the Cowboy Rendezvous. According to the website, the Cowboy Rendezvous is “a three-day event rich in the culture of western and agricultural heritage.”

It features musicians and poets from in and out

of state, as well as people selling handmade toys and clothes. My family has attended for many years. Every year, before spending hours listening to cowboy music, or demonstrating our (sadly lacking) lasso abilities, my dad will mix up a pot of beans and weenies so that it’s ready for when we come home.

Convenience is a big part of why we make this dish every year. It takes hardly any time to prepare, and even though it takes a while to cook, we’ll be busy doing other things. And, because we often get home late after these events, it’s nice to have something warm ready to eat that doesn’t require any additional preparation. It’s hard to mess up a meal as simple as beans and weenies. Even if you overcook it, it just gets a little dry, and it still tastes fine.

The other reason we eat beans and weenies after the Cowboy Rendezvous is a little bit silly: it feels like a cowboy meal. Obviously, cowboys didn’t have hot dogs to put in their baked beans, though beans were a staple of onthe-trail cowboy cuisine. Beans and weenies became popular in the 1980’s, when they started being sold in cans, though no one can tell where the food originated. Still, it feels rustic, and my siblings and I liked to pretend we were cowboys eating a nice, warm meal after a long day on the ranch. It might be childish, but it’s one of the big reasons why we eat this meal every year instead of any other quick-and-easy meal. At this point, beans and weenies is as much of a tradition as going to the actual event is.

Mina Weeks Comfort | Heritiage | Main Course

Prosciutto Raclette Sandwich "prosciutto raclette's iiklämmts"

SERVINGS: 2

PREPPING TIME: 5 MIN

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and

1 Baguette (12 in) 8 Slices Prosciutto 2 tsp Dijon Mustard 2 tsp Scallions (sliced) 4 Gherkins (sliced) Raclette

du

Valais

(wheel) Olive Oil Blend Olive Oil, Oregano, Basil,

Rosemary,

Kosher Salt

NOTES

Run stale baguettes under tap water prior to toasting.

Substitute scallions with 1/4 tsp green onion powder in olive oil blend.

COOKING TIME: 5 MIN

toast with a light layer of butter for crispness.

2. Drizzle the olive oil blend onto each open side of the baguette.

3. Spread a light layer of Harabeoji's dijon

mustard (if available) or standard dijon mustard onto the top baguette half.

4. On the bottom half, layer on the prosciutto and gherkins, then sprinkle on the scallions.

Leave gherkins out for Mina; Leave scallions out on sensory days (see notes).

5. Turn on the raclette melter and melt the raclette edge until it's gooey and bubbling.

6. Scrape the cheese onto the open-faced sandwich with a butter knife or icing spatula.

7. Serve immediately.

A Look Into Switzerland

This sandwich has become an important meal for me as I've begun connecting more personally to my familial cultures. My dad's side is Korean, Ryūkyūan, and Swiss. Though much of my family still lives in Korea, Japan, and now the States, most of us have moved away from Switzerland, so we don't indulge in Swiss culture as much anymore.

Because of its location, Switzerland is considered a melting pot between German, French, and Italian cultures. From this fusion, this sandwich was born.

Prosciutto is an Italian ham cured through drying and is cut extremely thin. Dijon mustard originated in France's city of Dijon. Raclette du Valais is an aged cheese that originated in Switzerland, but is based on both German and Swiss cheese ageing styles.

The best raclette cheese hails from the Valais/Wallis region, where my family comes from. Since my Swiss family immigrated directly from a town in the Alps called Planalp, this cheese reminds me of the crisp mountain tops.

To me, this sandwich represents a home I rarely get to see. I eat Asian and Mizrahi Jewish foods every day, but rarely am I surrounded by Swiss foods. Though I don't always have my harabeoji's Dijon mustard on hand, this is one of the few Swiss things he can make well, so it is special to me. With its savoury, rich flavours, I feel comforted and warm every time I make this, and I've begun to specifically make it during times when I feel the need for extra comfort and the taste of the Swiss Alps.

Though I do usually share this food with others, I've modified the "original" way of making it to suit my own personal preferences. I even eat it a certain way once it's made. Because it is a comfort food, it needs to taste and be eaten in a way that comforts my autistic sensory needs. I also am the only person who can handle the cheese properly, which turned this into my sort of specialty recipe.

Since I am the main person who makes this sandwich, I came up with everything on this recipe as a way to satisfy my own needs while still having it be accessible to my large family. It is my own loving representation of a culture I wish to further reconnect with.

Raclette needs to be heated and scraped a certain way. Even before I got my raclette heater, I was the only person who could hold the wheel, heat the cheese over a flame without burning it, and scraping it off without making a mess.

The original recipe that my grandparents brought over from Switzerland doesn't call for an herb blend. I added this myself as a way to add more depth of flavours to the sandwich, but mostly just because I like oregano, rosemary, and olive oil. I also toast my baguettes with butter simply because I like that it makes it crispier and that texture is a nice offset to the cheese that the original recipe didn't do for me.

I hate pickles on sandwiches. Gherkins are a type of small pickle. I leave pickles in the recipe so I don't forget to put them on for others, but I never put them on mine. It is my own individualised ritual so I can enjoy the sandwich without impeding "wrong" flavours.

I like scallions, but some days, I get sensory overload and can't handle the pungency of fresh scallions. To individualise this for myself, I sometimes use dried green onions in the olive oil blend to somewhat keep the flavours without it being too pungent.

My harabeoji makes Dijon mustard by hand, which I usually use if it's available. But since I struggle with the pungency of mustard, I sometimes will purposely use store bought Dijon mustard because it usually ends up being less potent, and I can handle it easier.

Once the sandwich is assembled, I eat the two ends off of it first. I have always disliked how the ends seem to never have as much meat, or the meat to cheese ratio is off. I want my last bites to be the best bites, which certainly cannot be the end bites since they aren't properly ratioed.

Every part of this recipe has been modified for my own personal liking, sensory needs, and comfort, despite the fact that I share the less personalised form of it with other people.

Vinn McBride

Main Course, Celebration

Sukiyaki SERVES: 4-10 GUESTS

PREPPING TIME: 30-45 MIN

COOKING TIME: 3 MIN

Ingredients Broth 2/3 cup dashi stock 1/3 cup mirin 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp sake

Main Ingredients 1 lb thinly sliced beef 4 leeks 1 onion, cut in wedges 4 oz Spinach 4 oz shungiku chrysanthemums (crown daisies) 10 oz chinese cabbage,

Optional Sides Canned water chestnuts Canned bamboo shoots Celery stalks Carrots, cut diagonal 1/8 inch Fresh mushrooms Green onions English cabbage (green cabbage) 1 egg per person

cut 1 1/2 inch square 2 dried shiitake 14-16 oz tofu 10 oz shirataki or bean sprouts

Directions Arrange ingredients on a platter. Heat cast-iron sukiyaki pan or 12-inch skillet to 400 F or medium heat. Add a few pieces of beef to start cooking; add vegetables.

Cover about 1/3 with broth. Add more meat, veggies, broth, water as needed while cooking. Serve with bowl of rice.

Tip: Prep time for the main ingredients takes the longest- Sukiyaki is a dish eaten as a group, so it's best enjoyed when made as a group.

About the Recipes Sukiyaki: A Found Family Tradition This recipe came from my best friend’s Japanese teacher, who got it from her rural host family in Japan. Originally shared with my friend at an event for her school’s Japanese club, the recipe was carefully written down to be certain of authenticity, as it was around 2010 and Japanese culture had seen a booming interest in the United States with the increased availability of anime and manga. Years later, this friend and I became roommates, and I became an extension of their household. Every year for Sunday dinner after the writing symposium “Life, the Universe, and Everything”, which I volunteer at with her family, we eat sukiyaki. This tradition is extremely special to me as for most of my life, it was believed that I was allergic to soy sauce following an incident in my childhood. I had avoided foods that had soy sauce after that, and the first year we made sukiyaki my friend went to all the trouble to make a soy sauce substitute just so that I would be able to eat with the rest of the family.

It was exceptionally kind, and after we learned the next year that I wasn’t actually allergic, there was an extra level of celebration of welcoming me into the ability to eat more varied cuisine.

Curiously, the only main aspect I participate in with regards to the dish is instigating asking for it, eating it and cleaning up. My friend’s oldest brother is the one who does the chopping and cooking, as he spent some time in Kobe and particularly enjoys the work. My friend manages the broth and chopping. Two of her other brothers (there are 5 of them, in total) handle most of the additions of meat, vegetables, and tofu into the hotpot to cook while we’re eating, and the youngest is in charge of adding egg. For my part, I help clean up and make conversation. After a long convention weekend (my friend’s family are heavily involved with running it, and two are committee members), it’s a wonderful moment to simply be able to breathe and relax together. Everyone eats as they want, there’s a wonderful amount of delicious food to go around, and the soft reassurance of tradition helps soothe the strain that lead up to the event. For me, however, the most vital part of the tradition is simply being able to sit in my friends home, a place that’s become a second home for me, and listen to all the voices while the sukiyaki simmers.

[List of contributors and recipes]

Shortbread Cookies Grandma's Cookies Recipe Ingredients 1 square of butter 3 squares of margarine 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 4 1/2 cups flour (maybe a little more) 1 tsp baking powder Instructions -Cream butter and sugar.

-Add flour gradually.

-Put in refrigerator.

-Divide into 4 and make rolls.

-Cut into slices and prick with fork.

-Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. -Cookies should be pale brown.

Tags -Dessert -Holiday Food

This recipe is from my great-great-grandma on my mom’s side. My great-great-grandma's parents immigrated to the United States from Scotland. This recipe is influenced by the culture they left.

During the depression, my great-great-grandma made changes to the previous recipe. The original recipe called for four squares of butter. Because of the hard times that accompanied the Depression, she replaced the four squares of butter with 1 square of butter and 3 squares of margarine because margarine was cheaper. She was very serious about saving and butter was a luxury at the time. My family doesn’t follow this trend today, instead, using four squares of butter, but my grandma always remembers the lessons about frugality and saving that her grandma taught her when making these cookies.

This shortbread cookie recipe has been used by my family at Christmas time every year. My mom always makes it for my family individually and my grandma always makes it for our extended family Christmas party. Whenever we eat these cookies, my grandma always talks the memories she has about her grandma and the funny stories she used to tell. This food always makes me feel connected to my family because it is present at family events. It also shows a glimpse into the past generations aht came before me and the influence that they have left on my family today.

(I included the recipe that was used by my great-great-grandma so the substitution of the margarine for butter is present.)

Elisabeth Dewsnup

Indoor S’mores Cameron Cooper Dessert, comfort food, celebration food Ingredients • Golden Grahams – 4 cups • Marshmallows – 3 ½ cups • Chocolate chips – ¾ cups • Butter – 2 ½ tbsp butter • Corn Syrup – ¼ cup • Vanilla – 1 tsp Yield: 6 Servings Time: 20 minutes Preparation 1. Combine the following ingredients in a large pot a. 2 ½ tbsp butter b. ¾ cups chocolate chips c. ¼ cup corn syrup d. 3 cups marshmallows 2. Put the pot on the stove on medium-low heat until the ingredients have melted and combined 3. Take the pot off the heat then slowly add the following ingredients will mixing until well combined a. 1 tsp vanilla b. ½ cup marshmallows c. 4 cups Golden Grahams 4. Remove the contents of the pot on spread them out on a large piece of wax paper 5. Wait 10 minutes to cool 6. Enjoy!

Context and Significance This recipe was discovered by my mom when I was a kid. She can’t remember exactly when or where she found it, but she believes she saw the recipe on the back of a box of Golden Grahams while I was eating them one day and she decided to give it a try. It was an instant hit for my family.

Ever since then, my family has enjoyed indoor s’mores more times than I could count.

Even though the original recipe was, as far as we can recall, plastered to probably thousands of boxes of Golden Grahams cereal, we have never met anyone else who makes the same recipe.

There are other dessert recipes that are similar such as “Christmas Crack”, which consists of rice chex and an also-sticky-sugary coating, or the famous Rice Krispie Treats which is just Rice Krispie cereal and marshmallows; however, none of these treats are the same as the indoor s’mores we make. Yet somehow, anytime other people eat them, it has some sort of a familiarity to them. Traditionally, my mom is the one who makes them, but I have carried over this delectable treat to my friends here.

This sticky, sugary, delicious mess of a dessert is a comfort and celebration food and not something that is made every day. The preparation is not difficult, but the sweetness of the dish would make it very difficult to eat it frequently, plus, it would not be good for your blood sugar. That being said, my family will usually make them for our family after bigger events throughout the year. They can be found at my house on the smaller holidays such as Valentine’s Day or St. Patrick’s Day or when one of my siblings has a small achievement such as finishing another year of school or winning a championship game. My mom will also make them for people besides our family at our favorite vacation destination, Lake Powell. One of the days on the lake, my mom will make indoor s’mores and we all look forward to it. For some reason, they seem to taste better after a long day on the lake.

This version of the recipe probably isn’t the exact one my mom saw that seemingly unimportant day. It has been slightly tweaked to meet the needs and preferences of my family for whom it is served and who have adopted this recipe as a Cooper family special.

Cake Mix Cookie dessert, party food, comfort food

12 servings

By: Abby Brighton

This recipe is super easy to make which is exactly why I like it. I never spend the time to cook anything because I'm usually really busy and I don't like spending the time waiting for my food, but this recipe is so simple and quick I don't mind making it. All you have to do is throw a couple ingredients together and then bake them. I've been making this recipe for years now because it was one my mom makes. She used to make them every once in a while when I was younger, but I liked them so much I always had to ask her for the recipe and make them for myself. I think I've made them more times in college than I have had them

Ingredients 1 2/3 C. cake mix (1/2 standard mix) 1 egg 1 1/2 T. vegetable oil

previously.

You can also ask any of my friends and they'll tell you that I love anything funfetti flavored. The majority of the time when I make these cookies, they're funfetti flavored, and if not they're probably chocolate with chocolate chips in them. This recipe is fun because you can make

method

whatever flavor you want and mix in whatever you want with it.

I love these cookies so much that I find myself making them randomly.

I'll buy a box of cake mix and whip them up for myself when I want something sweet. This summer, I found myself making them pretty regularly and I'd put them in a bag and eat them for a few days until they ran out. They're also super easy to make and take to parties or family events and are always a crowd pleaser.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed.

Dough will be stiff. Drop by tablespoons onto a cookie sheet sprayed with a non-stick vegetable spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until they begin to brown. Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack. Makes 12 good-sized cookies.

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings Emily Lindberg dessert, comfort food

Ingredients

Method

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls 3 Granny Smith apples

1. Cut apples into thin slices, removing the core.

2. Lightly dust with cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

1 stick butter

3. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray, or lightly butter it.

1/2 cup sugar

4. Open the cans of crescent rolls, and separate the pieces. Take a

1 splash vanilla

piece, put 2 apple slices on top, and roll it up like a little

cinnamon (to taste)

burrito. Put that in the pan, and repeat until either all your

1 can Mountain Dew

apples are gone or all your dough is gone.

5. Melt your stick of butter, mix in sugar and cinnamon, and pour it over the dumplings. Dust lightly with cinnamon. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan until all the dumplings are about halfway submerged in the butter and soda.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

I first got this recipe from my mom, who got it from Pioneer Woman’s blog. Here’s the catch, though - it became my own concoction, when, at a New Year’s party with my extended family, we decided to do a “Chopped” competition. We weren’t allowed to use recipes, so I had to remember the entire recipe, and I ended up making a lot of changes to it. When I moved up to school, I made them when I went home on the weekends, and it really only turned into a shared food tradition this year, when I moved into the apartment I’m currently in.

We had just met the cute boys that lived a couple buildings down from us, and, in our typical sneaky college-girl way of hitting on boys, we decided we should bake for them. I had the genius idea that I should make my apple dumplings, so while they all came over to sit in our living room and watch a movie, I baked in the kitchen. We all gathered around the oven when I pulled them out and scooped them all onto a plate (since we didn’t have enough dishes) and just went to town with all our forks.

It became a kind of tradition: we would make them as a kick off to the semester, or when we were returning back to school after a break, or even just as a treat at the end of a long weekend. But the group always remained the same. The recipe has gotten tweaked a little bit, but as long as you’ve got the butter, sugar, and Mountain Dew in there, they’ll turn out amazing.

Vinn McBride

Dessert, Celebration, Exam Week

Danish Cream Puffs =YIELD: 12 PUFFS

Ingredients

Puffs

PREPPING TIME: 5 MIN

COOKING TIME: 30-35 MIN

Directions

Instructions for puffs:

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet. In a medium

½ cup butter

saucepan combine water, butter, and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all

⅛ teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 eggs

at once, stirring vigorously. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball.

Remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition. (NOTE: Wooden spoon essential for some reason.) Stir until egg is fully incorporated and the batter is very smooth. Drop around 12 heaping spoons of dough onto prepared baking sheet, using second spoon to round them. Bake for 30 to

Cream Chilled glass or metal

35 minutes or until golden and firm. Transfer cream puffs to a wire rack and let cool.

bowl 3 cups whipping

Instructions for cream:

cream

In chilled glass or metal bowl, pour whipping cream and begin to beat.

Approximately 2 cups

Once cream begins showing soft peaks, begin pouring in small lumps of

Powdered sugar

powdered sugar to desired sweetness. Vanilla optional, but vanilla will

Vanilla (optional)

cause separation, so use only if certain to eat quickly.

Assembly: Using a fork, poke holes around the cream puff, leaving a “hinge” section, and gently pull them apart. Fill with whipped cream, and close tops. Other possible fillings: Pudding, chocolate, Bavarian cream.

Tip: Oiling your cookie sheets and tins with butter or Crisco instead of nonstick sprays will keep them from degrading over time, and will make it easier to remove the puffs.

About the Recipes Danish Cream Puffs: Connecting with History Originally a Christmas dish from the Danish side of my family, these cream puffs have become a personal tradition to make for my classmates at college each semester. My great-grandfather on my mother’s side was one of a large number of siblings, and every year at Christmas they would get together for a large and very traditional Danish Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve, with dancing around a tree, singing by the fire, a whole musical program, lots of Danish food, and a passel of desserts that included cream puffs. As members of the family passed, the traditions changed more and more, until most of the Danish aspects had left Christmas entirely.

However, the cream puffs remained. While originally my mother’s aunt was the one who made them, when she passed the work was passed around to everyone. My mother doesn’t enjoy making them very much due to the headache of work involved, so when I was around 17 the responsibility was thumped unceremoniously onto my shoulders. I learned to make cream puffs. The recipe I learned from, since the original is gone, is the one here and which was originally published in Better Homes and Gardens. In 2012 when I went to college (for the first time), when there was a class where we would have a potluck day at the end of the semester, I decided to make cream puffs to take. This started the tradition.

I no longer remember each class, but each semester since I started at the university, I’ve made cream puffs for a class. During the semesters done remotely I even made them for myself to eat during Zoom classes at the end of the semester just to feel like things were normal. The cream puffs are a very precious tradition for me. I never really gained any friends in college, and I never had a cohort. I went through everything very alone, and sharing cream puffs each semester was personally very affirming as it meant that I could at least share something of myself with my classmates. While this something of a shared tradition, honestly it’s much more in the category of personal. There has never been a situation in which I’ve shared them with the same people twice. The only traditional hinge is myself, and I spend a lot of time when I bake the cream puffs and when I mix up the cream thinking about all the people who’ve enjoyed them, the headaches of getting them transported, and the love I feel over the care that’s gone into them over the years. I’m not ready for that tradition to end when I graduate, but just like my family’s Christmas’s in the past, it’ll live on one way or another.

German Chocolate cake Ashley Morrey

Dessert, Cake, Celebration food

INGREDIENTS The Cake:

Coconut-Pecan Filling:

butter and flour cake pans

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups sugar

5 egg yolks

4 large eggs

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons butter

2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

Chocolate Ganache Frosting:

powder

Two 4-ounce bars sweet baking

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

chocolate, such as Baker's German,

1/2 teaspoon salt

chopped

1/2 cup whole buttermilk

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

One 4-ounce bar sweet baking

1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

chocolate, such as Baker's German,

1 cup heavy whipping cream,

melted and cooled Optional garnishes: pecan halves, chocolate curls

DIRECTIONS The Cake

Coconut-Pecan Filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla, beating until combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the butter

mixture,

alternately

with

cream, sugar and egg yolks. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the coconut, pecans and butter, stirring until the butter is melted. Let stand until the mixture reaches room temperature. Yield: 5 cups3.

the

buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Add the melted chocolate, beating until combined. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Spread two-thirds of the Coconut-Pecan Filling evenly in between the cake layers.

Spread Chocolate Ganache Frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Spread the remaining one-third Coconut-Pecan Filling evenly over the top of the cake.

Arrange the pecan halves around top and bottom of cake if desired. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

In a medium saucepan, combine the

Chocolate Ganache Frosting In a medium bowl, combine the chopped chocolate, butter and corn syrup. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate mixture.

Let stand for 1 minute. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Chill for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally,

until

the

frosting

is

spreadable consistency. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

a

FOODWAYS My German Chocolate cake is the most

became an instant hit. My father-in-law,

requested cake in my family. The funny

who has done a fair amount of traveling and

thing is, I didn’t come up with the recipe or

eaten at many high-end restaurants, said it

even find it. My mother-in-law, who

was one of the best he had ever tried. It has

orchestrates family meals, found it and

become a special event staple often

assigned me to make this German Chocolate

requested for birthdays, Christmas and

cake one year for a Christmas party. As you

Easter. I am the only one who is ever asked

can see from the recipe, it is a rather

to make the cake, and to my knowledge, no

complicated cake to make with several steps.

one else has ever tried to make it though

I think she assigned this cake to me because

three other members of my family have the

she knew I could cook and didn’t want to

recipe.

have to make it along with the main course she was already working on. I created the cake for the party we were having, and it

THE Chocolate Chip Cookies Addison Taylor dessert, comfort food

Background For as long as I can remember, chocolate chip cookies have been one of the most, if not THE most, essential staple treat for all members of my family. Though for some strange reason, they never really met our (ridiculously high) dessert standards, and we always viewed them as being...just o.k. To fix this issue, and to fill the void that we felt was always left after eating an inadequate cookie, my family spent years altering, testing, baking, and eating from different recipes until finally, in the dead of night in a tiny kitchen filled with my siblings, cousins, and more extended family, the perfect chocolate chip cookie was created. The perfect balance between soft and crunchy, bitter and sweet, these cookies are cooked perfectly and eaten in the simplest form- with a glass of milk.

I will admit that sometimes we add unnecessary steps to the process by mixing m&ms or Reeses into the dough, then eat them (still) with milk, but also with an additional food of bottled pears. None of us knows exactly why or when we started eating pears with our cookies, but for some reason this tradition just makes sense.

Skipping ahead to today, these cookies are made for almost every family gathering, and for basically any moment we feel we need a treat.

My family (specifically my mom- who then delegates the job to my sister and I) has even been asked to make "THE" chocolate chip cookies for weddings, reunions, and other large events. Of course, everyone has their own variation of a basic chocolate chip cookie

recipe that they think is good, but everyone I know who’s had these specific chocolate chip cookies knows that there is no greater cookie to exist- because they really are the best.

Ingredients

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

1/2 C Soft Butter (we use Canola Harvest) 1/2 C Shortening 1 C Brown Sugar 1/2 C Sugar 2 Eggs 1 tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder 2 tsp. Vanilla 2+3/4 C - 3 C Flour Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) 2. In medium sized bowl, cream together the first 5 ingredients until smooth 3. Mix in remaining ingredients, adding flour until dough is no longer sticky 4. Fold in chocolate chips, or other additions (nuts, coconut, m&m's etc...) to your liking 5. Cover and chill until dough is firm *Dough can be wrapped and frozen for baking at a later time 6. Scoop out slightly-smaller-than-palmsized amounts of dough and place onto a greased cookies sheet 7. Bake for 10-12 minutes (until edges turn a light golden-brown color. DO NOT OVER-BAKE! 8. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 mins before transfering to a cooling rack *Leftover cookies are best stored in sealed containers/zip-lock bags and left at room temperature

Gluten-Free Crepe Cake Kimberly Lewin dessert, celebration food Crepes: Ingredients ● 2 large eggs ● ¾ cup milk ● ½ cup water ● 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour ● ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum (unless flour already has it) ● 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ● 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract ● 3 tablespoons melted butter

My sister and I made our first crepe cake for a baby shower last summer. I had recently learned that I could not eat gluten anymore, and so we decided to learn how to make a crepe cake using gluten free flour. This was the first one we made:

Instructions 1. Blend all ingredients until fully combined and the batter is smooth.

2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.

3. Pour ¼ cup of the batter into the center of a greased pan. Swirl the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook for 30-45 seconds or until browned on the bottom, then flip the crepe over and cook for another 30 seconds, until brown on the other side.

Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Once all batter has been used, cut along edges of crepes to make them circular and all the same size. Set aside and allow to cool.

Filling: Ingredients ● Jam (raspberry, blackberry, etc.) ● Cream cheese (or sweet mixture to contrast fruit layer) Using prepared crepes, spread one filling mixture onto one crepe and place it on a plate, spread the other filling onto the next crepe and place on top of the previous crepe. Repeat alternating fillings until all crepes have been used. Top with fresh fruit, herbs, and/or spices.

Since then, we began making it for other various celebratory occasions, including birthdays and dinner parties. My sister and I always prepare it, and it is served to the whole family or party.

Cutting the cake to serve is always the most intimidating because all the layers can make it challenging to preserve slices. Luckily it still tastes good if it falls apart and loses its structure.

The crepe cake has stayed a part of familial traditions because of its versatility and inclusivity.

There are many various dietary needs in the family, but crepes are something that everyone can eat together.

BANANA BREAD Katie Snow

The Foodways Banana bread is something my Mom would

Snack, Comfort food, Dessert

THE RECIPE 3 RIPE BANANAS

make for myself and my siblings. I would label it

1 CUP SUGAR

as a comfort food because I have a lot of nostalgia

2 CUPS SIFTED FLOUR

and memories associated with it. The recipe

1 STP BAKING POWDER

included is actually one of many banana bread

2 EGGS

recipes my mom uses just depending on what ingredients she has. Banana bread was the best

½ TSP SALT

after school snack, and I would get very excited

½ CUP SHORTENING

when my mom made it. We would also have it as a

1 TSP SODA

desert after dinner.

½ CUP NUTS

Growing up, my mom had banana bread as a dessert rather than a snack. This recipe is actually her

MASH BANANAS AND ADD SUGAR.

grandmother’s banana bread recipe, so it’s been passed

LET STAND FOR 15 MINUTES. ADD

down that way. However, this recipe is not the only one

SHORTENING AND BEAT. ADD

my mom used growing up, as she had several, that’s just

EGGS. BEAT AND ADD DRY

the recipe she gave me to copy down and take with me

INGREDIENTS. ADD NUTS.

to college. Now, I bake banana bread in my apartment,

DISSOLVE SODA IN 1 TABLESPOON

and I eat it as a snack, and sometimes as a meal if it

OF WARM WATER AND ADD. STIR

has been a rough day.

ONLY UNTIL WELL MIXED. BAKE IN GREASED LOAF TIN AT 350 FOR 1 HOUR OR UNTIL DONE.

N ES OF NEWSLETTERS.EWSLETTE RS. PHOTO CREDIT: CUJO19

Chase Price

GINGERBREAD COOKIES This recipe has had a significant impact on my family, simply in the way we learned to expect gingerbread men to taste/feel. I grew up with gingerbread cookies being soft, as that is how my mom makes them. Eating other people’s gingerbread men/human adjacent beings felt weird for a while, as I never expected the gingerbread to be hard.

It felt like our own special tradition for a long time, as the only time I experienced hard gingerbread was when we made gingerbread houses or when I went somewhere else. The cookies also always included a thin white icing, which completed the flavor in my opinion.

I learned later that the recipe is from my mom’s family, and they have made it that way for many years despite it being considered unusual.

My mom is the cook in my house given she graduated culinary school, so she would always make the cookies while everyone wasn’t home.

Sometimes one of the family members would “help” her make the cookies, otherwise she did it alone. They were only made around Christmas, if that wasn’t already clear. She would leave them on the counter on a tray, so people could grab them as they pleased.

My mom was also the person in the neighborhood that would send a ton of cookies to every doorstep. I have memories of helping deliver plates of cookies, often including mostly gingerbread men, to multiple doors.

INGREDIENTS GINGERBREAD DOUGH

1 cup Shortening (don't sub butter) 1 cup Sugar 1 cup Molasses 2 Tbs. Vinegar 1 tsp Vanilla 2 tsp Baking Soda 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon ½ tsp Salt ¼ tsp Cloves 5 cups Flour ⅓ cup Warm Water

ICING

1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar 1 tsp Clear vanilla (regular vanilla is fine but your icing won't be as white) Milk

INSTRUCTIONS - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

- Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or lightly spraying with non-stick cooking spray.

- In a mixing bowl, cream the shortening and sugar.

- Add the molasses, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix well.

- Add the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. Mix well.

- Stir in 3 cups of the flour.

- Add the water; mix well.

- Add the 2 remaining cups of flour.

- Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

- Roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. You can sprinkle the dough with a little flour if it is sticking to your rolling pin.

- Cut out the gingerbread men and place them on prepared baking sheets.

- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

- Make icing by beating a little vanilla and milk into the powdered sugar a little at a time until it's perfectly smooth with a consistency a little thicker than syrup.

- Ice the gingerbread men a while they are still just slightly warm.

- Leave them on your countertop until the icing is set. This will take an hour to two hours.

- Test by lightly touching the icing top. It should not be soft or squishy.

- Store the cookies in an airtight container with wax paper in between the layers.

Prinsesstårta (Swedish Princess Cake) Kirsten Reither · Shared Foodways Dessert, Celebration Food Prinsesstårta is a traditional Swedish cake that was developed in the early-to-mid-1900s, and was supposedly a favorite dessert of a trio of young Swedish princesses at the time. Their caretaker developed the cake and published the recipe, originally called “grön tårta” (green cake), in her cookbook.

My involvement with Prinsesstårta began when I first saw it as a challenge on The Great British Baking Show. Although I found the cake interesting and pretty at the time, I didn’t consider making it until several years later, when Emily Pruden and I decided to host a Scandinavian-themed dinner party in honor of Leif Erikson Day. We compiled a collection of traditional Scandinavian dishes that we could make and serve at this party, and our crowning dessert would be Prinsesstårta. We chose this cake in particular because of its significance in Scandinavian foodways, and because of its visual and culinary splendor. The recipe we ended up using, and the one I’ve listed here, is from a baking blog called “The Spruce Eats.” We didn’t modify it, outside of using way more green food coloring than called for.

I’ve only made Prinsesstårta twice in my life, both times with Emily and our other friend Katie, and both times for a Leif Erikson Day dinner party, once in 2019 and once in 2021. However, these two times had a significant impact on my shared foodways, as well as my personal thoughts about baking.

Both times the three of us made Prinsesstårta, we made significant errors. The first time, it wasn’t cold enough in the kitchen for the cream to whip, so we ended up layering our cake using Cool Whip instead. The second time, we burned our cakes, and after much deliberation about whether or not we could salvage them, we decided to cut our losses and buy new boxes of cake mix. Both times we’ve made Prinsesstårta,

my hands stained green from working the green food dye into the marzipan.

For all our failures when creating this cake, there were also some triumphs. Both times, we ended up with a semi-attractive, mostly put together cake. I learned that I’m pretty good at shaping marzipan roses, so our cake toppers looked elegant both times. And, most importantly, we had an edible, tasty dessert to serve at the end of our dinner party.

By the end of both dinner parties, everyone in attendance was pretty full. Despite this, we still shared the Prinsesstårta. Katie, Emily, and I brought out the cake, and cut slices for everyone at the same time, similar to how a birthday cake is shared. Because of how densely rich and sweet the cake is, we began eating it enthusiastically, but by the time we reached the ends of our slices, we practically had to force ourselves to finish the cake.

Ingredients: For the Pastry Cream Filling: • 2 cups half-and-half • 5 large egg yolks • 3 tablespoons cornstarch • ½ cup granulated sugar • 1 pinch fine salt • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces For the Cake: • 1 box white cake mix • 1 ¼ cups water • ⅓ cup neutral oil (such as canola) • 3 large egg whites For the Simple Syrup: • ½ cup water • ½ cup granulated sugar For the Whipped Cream: • 3 cups heavy cream

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract For the Marzipan: • 1 pound store-bought or homemade marzipan • 3 drops green food coloring For Assembly: • 3 tablespoons raspberry jam • Confectioners’ sugar, for transferring the marzipan Steps to Make It: Make the Pastry Cream 1. Bring the half-and-half to a simmer over medium-high heat.

2. Whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until smooth.

3. Add half of the scalded milk to the bowl containing the eggs, constantly whisking to incorporate.

4. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining milk, whisking over moderate heat.

5. Continue whisking for about 2 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and begins to simmer.

6. Allow the pastry cream to simmer, whisking for an additional 2 minutes.

7. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and cold, unsalted butter.

8. Allow to cool completely.

9. Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours before using.

Make the Cake 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F for shiny metal pans or glass pans, or 375 for dark or nonstick pans. Grease the bottom and sides of 2 9-inch cake pans.

2. Mix the cake mix, water, oil, and egg whites with a mixer for 2 minutes.

3. Pour ⅓ of the batter into one cake pan and ⅔ of the batter into the other.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.

5. Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a rack.

6. When the cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the larger cake into 2 equal halves.

Make the Simple Syrup 1. Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Make the Whipped Cream 1. Whip together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Prepare the Marzipan 1. Knead the green food coloring into the marzipan.

2. Shape it into a disk about 8 inches long.

3. Place the disk between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the disk into a 16-inch circle of even thickness.

Assemble the Cake 1. Lightly brush the simple syrup onto each of the 3 cake layers.

2. Spread 1 ½ tablespoons of raspberry jam onto each half of the larger cake.

3. Divide the pastry cream into thirds, folding ⅓ into the whipped cream.

4. Spread the remaining ⅔ on top of the raspberry jam of the 2 cake halves.

5. Stack the 2 pastry-covered halves, then top with the remaining cake.

6. Frost the sides of the cake with whipped cream in a 1-inch layer.

7. Spoon the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake. Smooth the whipped cream into a dome.

8. Drape the green marzipan over the cake.

9. Smooth down the sides of the marzipan and cut off any excess.

10. Top with a pink marzipan rose.

Grandpa Cookies Hailey White

WHOLE-WHEAT OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES Also Known As "Grandpa Cookies" Whole-wheat oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, also known as “Grandpa Cookies” in my family, have become a beloved and enduring tradition. The recipe began as a Sunday afternoon tradition in my mother’s family when she was a young child. They found the original recipe in a cookbook entitled “Make a Treat With Wheat”.

Through the years, these cookies were a common staple in the Nielson family diet and were eventually passed down to my generation, the grandchildren. That was when the name “Grandpa Cookies” became commonly used.

It is not noted on the original recipe, but grinding their own wheat flour has always been an important part of the process. Freshly-ground wheat is considered healthier and more economical than other wheat or flour alternatives, which was important in the early days of this recipe because my grandparents were trying to feed such a large, young family.

Grinding the wheat also helps to keep emergency food storage fresh, as it facilitates continuously rotating the wheat being stored and used. In a larger, socio-cultural context, since Utah is known for emergency preparedness, it makes sense that it would help in the utilization of food-storage wheat in my Utahn family.

Over the years, the recipe has changed. Some of the changes have been to make the recipe easier for lazier family members to make. (Like sifting the flour or combining ingredients in separate bowls. None of us do those things anymore.) Most of the changes have been made by Grandpa Nielson himself. He is an extraordinary man who got his Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry, and he loves experimenting with the chemistry of his cookies.

However, Grandpa makes changes so often that we cannot keep up or document them. The recipe found in this magazine is the original recipe that has survived for decades in our family and will continue to be enjoyed in some form or another for decades to come.

THE RECIPE Ingredients 1 Cup shortening 1 Cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 2 cups sifted whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla 10 Tablespoons milk 2 cups quick oatmeal 1 cup chocolate chips

Instructions Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Then beat in 2 eggs. Sift wheat flour, baking soda, and salt together 3 times. Add flour and milk alternately to the shortening mixture. Fold in oatmeal and chocolate chips. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN LEFSE TAYLOR GROTH | HERITAGE FESTIVE FOOD

In Norway, Lefse is the general term used to describe various types of the traditional Norwegian flatbread. However, for my family and many other Norwegian-Americans Lefse refers to one specific type, Tynnlefse (potato Lefse). This dish is generally eaten during the holidays either as a snack or at dinner.

Traditionally the potato lefse is rolled up with butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Norwegian-Americans do stick to the traditional toppings, but they have also put their own spin on it introducing different toppings such as lingonberry jelly, different meats, cheeses, sauces, etc.

Typically, my family prefers the traditional way of eating Lefse, but occasionally will eat it with other toppings. For example, when we have it at Thanksgiving my grandfather likes to eat his lefse with turkey and cranberry sauce.

Both of my paternal grandparent’s families immigrated from Norway to the farms in North Dakota.

My grandmother’s family brought with them this Lefse recipe that has been handed down for generations.

There haven’t been any changes to the original recipe except the cooking method. On the farm it was cooked on the top of an old cast iron stove compared to the round griddle that my grandmother and I use to make Lefse. The turning stick that we use was a part of the blinds at the farm that my great-grandfather shaped so that one end was a flat blunt point.

Generally, the women in the family are the ones who make the dough, roll it out and flip it. However, my grandparents are the exception. As they have gotten older, they decided to split the duties between the two of them, so there was less work for one person. My grandma would make the dough and roll it out, while my grandpa would cook and flip the lefse.

When I was younger my grandparents would fly out to Utah for Christmas and either bring with them a fresh batch of lefse or they would make it at our house.

As they got older, they stopped bringing a fresh batch with them and started to teach me how to make it, so that it would stay a tradition in the family. Now that I’ve had a couple years of Lefse making under my belt my grandparents have all together stopped making it and I am the only one on my paternal side of the family that knows how to make Lefse. I intend to carry on the tradition to keep a part of my Norwegian-American heritage alive.

❖ Ingredients: o 8 cups peeled red potatoes o 2/3 cup Crisco o 1 cup heavy whipping cream o 4 tsp salt o 2 tsp sugar o 4 cups flour ❖ Specific tools for making Lefse: o Round griddle o Baker’s mat- preferably one with markings o Bowl of extra flour o Rolling pin with deep grooves in it o Cover the rolling pin with an old sock o Long thin turning stick (usually they are wooden) o Cooling racks o Large towels ❖ Making the dough: o 8 Cups of red potatoes (mashed) o Peel the skin off o Boil them o Add 2/3 cup of Crisco and 1 cup of heavy whipping cream o Add both to the same bowl and microwave them together until the Crisco is melted ▪ Mash the potatoes thoroughly o Add 4 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of sugar to the potatoes while you mash them o Let the potatoes cool and add 4 cups of flour ▪ *Do NOT add the flour until the batter is cool and you are ready to roll out the Lefse.

❖ Rolling out the dough: o Heat the round griddle to 400-425 degrees Fahrenheit o Add 4 cups of flour to the potatoes and mix thoroughly. o You do not want ANY potato lumps in the batter o You will want an extra bowl of flour for rolling out dough o Spread flour on to your baker’s mat o Take a golf ball size ball of dough and put it on the mat. o Start rolling. Don’t press hard on the rolling pin and work from the center towards the edges. o Turn over with flour once o Take out any potato lumps and watch for wet spots o Roll out the dough as thin as possible. Until you can see the markings on the mat o Place your turning stick on the edge of rolled out lefse. Gently and slowly slide it under the lefse until it pokes out on the other side. o Carefully lift it off the mat and place it on the griddle ❖ Cooking: o It does not need to be on the griddle for long o Watch for the bubbles o Flip with the turning stick when bubbles happen and/or when the bottom is slightly golden. ❖ Drying: o Have a cooling rack with a dish towel spread out on it o When lefse is done take it off the griddle and lay it down on the cooling rack.

▪ *Best technique is to lay one side of it down and then slide the turning stick out* o Cover with another dish towel ▪ *Always keep the hot ones covered* o Stagger/spread out the lefsa that comes off the griddle

o When you’re done spread out another dishtowel and lay out the lefse and cover it till cold. o *Do NOT stack or freeze the lefse when it is warm* ❖ Freezing: o Fold the Lefse in quarters o Stack 6-8 and wrap in plastic wrap and foil o Place in a freezer bag

Shared Recipe: Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Cookies Dessert, Snack, Comfort Food – Kyla Dahle

Recipe: Cream Together: 2 Cups Shortening 2 Cups White Sugar 1 Cup Brown Sugar

4 Eggs 4 Tsp Vanilla

Add: 4 Cups Flour 2 ½ tsp Salt 2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Vanilla ½ Cup Chocolate Chips

Blend Well. Roll by hand into balls.

Cook 9-10 Minutes at 350°.

Essential Note: When taking the cookies out of the oven you must hold them about a foot above the stove (or whatever surface you are going to let them sit to cool) and drop them. Do this one or two times so that the cookies are completely flattened.

This makes them taste better.

Context and Significance: My aunt (who doesn’t know where she got it) gave this recipe to my mom when she was 12 years old, and she has been making these cookies ever since. My mom took the initiative to change parts of the recipe from the original

version. My mom’s version is the one shown here. She switched the order in which you put the ingredients into the mixing bowl. When I asked her why she made the switch she simply said, “It’s just better that way.” She also introduced the idea to drop the cookies right after taking them out of the oven. My aunt will sometimes make the cookies to bring to our annual camping trip in the High Uintas over Labor Day. Yet dropping the cookies changes the taste and texture of the cookies so much from the original recipe that when my aunt makes the cookies, I actually don’t like them at all.

The only other person in the family who makes the cookies is my mom (and now me).

Growing up, she would often make them to bring to the annual family Christmas party. We make these cookies for the party because it’s practically expected that they will be there. It’s really not the “Wright Family Christmas Party” without them. Perhaps another reason they are a staple for the family Christmas party (and why they continue to be) is because LITERALLY EVERYONE likes them. The adults, teenagers, and little kids all eat them, and they all eat a lot of them.

The cookies are rarely eaten with milk.

They are simply and quickly taken off the plate and devoured. They are so popular that if you wasted any time trying to eat them with milk or ice-cream, they would be gone before you knew it. Because of this problem, the recipe is often doubled when we make them for the family Christmas party. The most relevant thing to describe about the way they are eaten, then, is to say they are eaten in great quantity.

Because I grew up eating these cookies, I grew up believing it was normal to put cinnamon in chocolate chip cookies. Whenever I would share them with my friends, however, the first thing they would say after taking a bite is something along the lines of, “It tastes like half chocolate chip cookie and half snickerdoodle.” I thought this comparison was absurd. However, I think the uniqueness of the cookie is at least one reason that it has stayed a delicious trademark in my family’s foodways.

BLUEBERRY SAUSAGE CAKE

Rissa Hill

CAKE RECIPE 2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup butter 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 8oz sour cream 1 lbs pork sausage, cooked and drained 1 cup blueberries 1/2 cup chopped pecans

SAUCE RECIPE 1/2 cup sugar 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1/2 cup water 2 cups blueberries

INSTRUCTIONS In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and the sugars until combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after adding each one. Add dry ingredients and sour cream, beating until combined. Fold in the sausage and berries.

Pour batter into a 9*13 pan sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle nuts on top. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

While baking, combine all sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and constantly stir for 2 more minutes.

Add in 1/2 tsp of lemon juice to taste.

Cut the cake into square slices, and add sauce to each piece as it's dished up.

Serve hot with fresh fruits on the side (oranges, apples, and/or pears.

My grandpa was the first in our family to make and introduce me to blueberry sausage cake. He made this recipe in the dutch oven every time he went camping, which was often. My parents and immediate family aren't avid campers, but we want to keep this food tradition alive, so we cook our cake in the oven. It reminds us of (somewhat) fond memories camping with our grandparents, and gathering for a warm meal, one of our favorite traditions.

Now when we make this cake, my family will double the recipe every time to make sure we have a lot to go around that we can share with our neighbors.

One of the biggest things that brings us together, as a family, is cooking. We are constantly in the kitchen cooking meals and treats together. Cooking connects us to each other, and to the friends we share our meals with. Blueberry sausage cake is our way of making something unique, that our friends will still feel comfortable enough with to try for the first time.

COLLEGE FOODS. QUICK MEALS SNACKS PARTY FOODS

Cafe Rio Queso Copycat Recipe Ingredients -16 oz Queso Blanco Velveeta, cut into cubes -1/2 cup Rotel original or hot (with habanero) OR 1/2 cup pico -1/4 cup green chili sauce- mild, medium or hot -1/3 cup red enchilada sauce- regular or hot -2 tablespoons Coke, Diet Coke, or Dr Pepper to thin if needed -1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine -3 stems green onion, chopped both green and white portions Instructions -Place cubed cheese in a 2 quart pan on stove top.

-Add the Rotel or pico, green chile sauce, and red enchilada sauce. Stir ingredients together over medium heat until the cheese is melted.

-Add the chopped green onion and cilantro to the mixture in the pan. Mix with a large spatula or spoon.

-Add the soda to the queso and stir to thin.

-Serve while warm with tortilla chips.

Mental Health Saving Queso This recipe was found by me and my mom last year. I started making it for myself as a comfort dish when I moved up to college.

It's a warm dish that reminded me of home. I would, and I still do, make a pot of queso and eat it while I watch tv to relax or take a break from school, or what was stressing me out. I make it often, even though it’s not healthy. It’s very easy to make, you simply melt the cheese and mix in all of the ingredients. It also lasts a long time so I can eat it multiple times a week which makes it an even better college food!

To customize this recipe for myself, I usually blend up the Rotel, to prevent chunkiness, that I dislike. Also, if I’m feeling lazy, or don’t want to buy all of the ingredients, I leave out the green onion and cilantro. Also adding guacamole on the side, or putting some guacamole in the queso brings a unique flavor that I love!

Sometimes I will eat this as a side dish, with something else such as tacos or a quesadilla, or I will just eat the queso (I know, terrible).

Although this is primarily used as an individual dish by me, my family will also eat this at events such as football games or at family parties because it is easily shareable and it’s tasty!

Tags -Appetizer -Comfort Food -Dip

Elisabeth Dewsnup

Chase Price

Leftover Macaroni & Guacamole Salsa Quesadilla I created this dish on a whim one night a year or two ago when I was desperate for the taste of something different. My dad’s side of the family aren’t known for their cooking ability, nor for their consistency of having a decent amount of food available in the fridge at all times. They were no strangers to cooking macaroni and cheese multiple times a week when I was a kid. It didn’t take long after moving full time into his house for me to start going insane over the lack of food options.

One night, we had leftover macaroni and cheese and a few other random ingredients strewn about in the fridge. I had previously been making quesadillas a lot too so I could have at least a little variation in my meals, but obviously that still wasn’t great nor healthy. I was getting tired of all the cheese, and cheese, and more cheese.

I decided on a whim that I would combine macaroni and quesadillas, for there wasn’tzz enough macaroni to have by itself. That would get rid of the leftover macaroni and cheese that my parents wanted gone(and my brothers wouldn’t help with leftovers) as well as providing a way to be able to include something else that isn’t mainly just cheese. I put some guacamole salsa that I found in the fridge on it, as it seemed like it would mix well, and I’ve eaten it a lot ever since.

I eventually made the modification of adding some actual cheese, as the leftover macaroni and cheese in my opinion doesn’t taste like anything. I have struggles tasting in general, so I wanted to add a bit more so it felt like more than just mush.

Nowadays I only eat it when, surprise, there is leftover macaroni and cheese that needs to be eaten. I don’t eat the leftover macaroni and cheese by itself anymore, as I always replace it with my recipe.

At the time of writing this, I am the only person that has eaten this recipe. My family has noticed me making it, but has not tried it themselves. I’ve received only comments.

Given that this is a recipe I made up on a whim, I’ve been inclined to test other combinations but many haven’t worked as well as what I currently have. I once tried putting basic chunky salsa on instead and it did not clash very well with what I have. Herdez guacamole salsa is what I currently use, and I consider myself very lucky to have used that on my first go as the flavor and texture is perfect.

INGREDIENTS 1 tortilla Leftover Macaroni Fair Amount of Guacamole Salsa(I use Herdez which is store-bought) ~1 cup Shredded Cheese(optional, usually cheddar cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS - Lay out your tortilla on a plate - Spread your leftover macaroni(not reheated yet) onto your tortilla similar to as you would spread meat onto a taco normally.

- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the macaroni, to help with the bland cheese flavor of reheated macaroni and cheese. If your macaroni still has its strong cheese flavor, feel free to skip this step.

- Place into the microwave and reheat for about 1 minute or until the entire dish is hot.

- Spread your salsa along the top of the dish now that it is warm. Put as much salsa as you personally want on it, just don’t put too little or too much onto the dish as it will lose quality.

Don’t drown it.

- Fold up the dish and eat it.

COWBOY CAVIAR TAYLOR GROTH | PARTY FOOD

The first time I remember having Cowboy Caviar was at our family lake cabin in Minnesota. My aunt had it ready to go for my cousins and I to eat after we were done with waterskiing. Every year since then we have always had the dish to snack on while we play on the lake. Generally, we like to eat it with the “Tostito Scoop” chips but have also eaten it with crackers or by itself.

I like that this recipe is healthy, cheap, and easy to make. Being a college student that is important when it comes to cooking. It’s also quick to make and keeps well for a week in the fridge, which means during a particularly busy week I’m still able to eat something healthy.

Cowboy caviar is also a huge hit whenever I make it for parties with my friends. It’s an easy dish to make big enough to share. Most people hadn’t heard of Cowboy Caviar before I introduce it to them at gatherings and after they usually ask me for the recipe.

❖ Ingredients o 3 Roma Tomates- seeds removed and dice o 2 Avocados- diced o 1/3 cup Red Onion – diced o 15 oz Black Beans- rinsed and drained o 15 oz Black Eyed Peas – rinsed and drained o 15 oz Garbanzo Beans – rinsed and drained o 1 ½ cup Sweet Corn o 1 Bell Pepper- color doesn’t matter, diced o 1 Jalapeno pepper- seeds removed and diced into very small pieces o 1/3 cup Cilantro- finely chopped ❖ Dressing o 1/3 cup Olive Oil o 2 tablespoons Lime Juice o 2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar o 1 teaspoon Sugar

o ½ teaspoon Salt o ½ teaspoon Pepper o ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder o Tortilla chips or Crackers for serving ❖ Instructions o Combine Tomatoes, Avocado, Onion, Black Beans, Black Eyed Peas, Garbanzo Beans, Corn, Bell Pepper, Jalapeno Pepper, and Cilantro into a large bowl. o In a separate bowl mix together Olive Oil, Lime Juice, Red Wine Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder o Pour the dressing over the other ingredients and stir/toss well before serving ❖ Serve with Tortilla Chips or Crackers o Keep refrigerated if not serving immediately. Toss/stir well before serving.

Idiot-Proof Soft-Pretzels Nicole Hurst Bread, comfort food, snack, college food • 1 c water • 4 T melted butter • 2 ¼ t active yeast • 2 t salt • 2 T brown sugar • 3 c all-purpose flour (not bread flour!)

• 1 large egg • Sugar and cinnamon (whatever ratio you like; I prefer more cinnamon) 1. Preheat oven to 450F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Stir together water, butter, and yeast in a bowl until yeast is mostly dissolved. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt and brown sugar and stir to combine.

3. Add flour and mix until combined. Touch the dough, if it is still really sticky and is clinging to the mixing bowl, add an additional ¼ cup flour at a time until dough balls up and no longer sticks to bowl. Continue kneading the dough for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and use a knife or bench scraper to cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Stretch each piece into even ropes, about 18-20” long.

5. Form ropes into pretzel shapes on baking sheets. Or form ropes into whatever shape you’d like.

6. Whisk egg in small bowl and brush tops of each pretzel until they are coated.

7. Sprinkle with desired seasonings and bake for 6 minutes. Change heat to broil, and carefully broil pretzels to brown tops for 2-4 minutes. Be careful as the tops of pretzels can burn very quickly.

8. Remove and serve immediately. Pretzels are best eaten the first day.

Recipe Notes: I only use one baking sheet and use a sil-pat (reusable silicon sheet pan liner) over parchment paper. I always start by warming the water to about body temperature (if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast) and then dissolve the brown sugar in the water before adding my yeast.

I let the yeast “wake up” in the sugar water for before adding the remainder of the ingredients.

I make this as my default, “I’m stressed and can’t figure out why” baking project. Sometimes you can’t solve the problems, so I find ignoring them and working with yeast to be best. Like many people, I find bread to be the perfect comfort food and the process of creating yeast bread is particularly soothing. While the toppings for the pretzels can technically vary, I tend to make mine cinnamon-sugar.

The ritual originated midway through high school, when the overwhelming number of things I was involved in resulted with late-night anxiety. I found that baking something could turn off my brain and get me to un-focus long enough to sleep. I didn’t actually start making this specific recipe until college, but the idiot-proof recipe has become my go-to when its midnight-thirty and I have dumb-brain energy that won’t let me sleep. I found the recipe by chance, when I was mindlessly browsing through social media (no, I will not specify what social media).

My roommate was the one who gave it the name “idiot-proof” even though I’m pretty sure she couldn’t (or perhaps wouldn’t) make these pretzels. The recipe is functional in the sense that I make the recipe with a purpose, with the ritual of baking serving as the tradition. If I am being completely honest, I don’t particularly enjoy the eating of baked goods. I might only eat one pretzel when it is fresh out of the oven, but other than that I won’t touch the final result of the baking process.

When I late-night bake, I don’t use a mixer or other kitchen equipment meant to simplify the process. I mix my ingredients my hand and then knead my dough, oftentimes while listening to podcasts as a way to track the time. I’ve been baking long enough to be able to identify when the dough has been kneaded enough by feel, and really only use formal timekeeping for the baking.

Depending on the inciting incident, I might also be reviewing material for exams or going over a to-do list while waiting for the dough to form.

Once the pretzels (or other assorted baked good) are done, I’m eat them straight from the pan, often burning my fingers with my impatience.

After that, I typically leave the remainder on the counter, where my roommates recognize them as free to eat. These pretzels are typically gone by morning.

My Mix Alison Richter Snack food, comfort food

The Recipe 1 cup of Old Fashioned Oats ½ cup of peanut butter ⅓ cup of honey ⅓ cup of shredded coconut A handful of chocolate chips

Recipe Directions In a large bowl, combine the oats, peanut butter, and honey. Once that is mixed, stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Use a spoon to scoop and then roll into balls.

When I was in high school, I had a really serious track coach. He was very intelligent and loved to understand the science behind everything. Not only did he coach us on running, but he coached us on what to eat to be able to perform better. Several times throughout high school, I would go on what we called “track diet”. It consisted of little to no carbs and no sugar. On this diet, I would mainly just eat protein and vegetables. Every night at dinner it was agonizing to watch my whole family eat rolls, pasta, or rice as I sat there with my veggies. It was even more agonizing when they would bring out the desserts which ranged from something as simple as oreos or ice cream to cakes or cookies that my mom had baked. In addition to this diet being hard due to the restrictions of my food, I also didn’t feel as full because veggies and protein aren’t very filling.

So I was always hungry but with nothing to eat and would be sad whenever I watched my family eat foods that I longed to eat.

So I decided that I had to find a solution. I got on Pinterest in search of a tasty recipe that would fill me up and be within the bounds of the diet. And then I found what has now become “my mix”. The recipe was originally a protein ball recipe but I modified it to be more of a mix because I didn’t want to take the time to roll it into balls. Also, I sometimes struggled to get the consistency to where I could roll it into balls; I always made it too sticky. So I would mix it all together in a bowl and then eat it with a spoon.

When I first started making this, I was really good at following the recipe and even memorized it. I would measure everything out with measuring cups but as I have become more comfortable with it, I guesstimate the amount of ingredients I add. When I make my mix, I take the container of oats and dump a reasonable amount in the bowl. It depends on how hungry I

am but usually I will fill a little less than half of the bowl. Then, I take the peanut butter and scoop a couple scoops into the bowl. I’ll dump some honey in but I have found that if you add too much honey, it is too sweet. I like to add more peanut butter and less honey so the consistency is still right but it isn't as sweet.

After I add the honey, I add whatever I feel like that day. Most days I will add some coconut and chocolate chips, but occasionally I will add nuts or dried bananas. This is a fun food to make since I like playing with the consistency of it and because it always turns out a little different.

Sometimes I get the consistency way wrong, so I end up having to keep adding ingredients to make the right consistency, which usually results in me making way more mix than I intended to.

This food is super practical for my purposes because the oats provide long term, slow burning energy that can sustain me throughout the day. It is more filling than most of the other things I eat on my diet. The peanut butter provides some protein and fats and honey has a lot of recovery benefits. In addition, it is super tasty so I enjoy eating it and can have it as a dessert. Even when I am not on my diet, I will make this because of the practicality of the snack. This snack has become a bonding food between me and my siblings, because as they have started running, I have been able to introduce them to this food that helped me make it through the hard diet during my track season. To me, it has become a symbol of hope because it helped me through a hard time in my life when I couldn’t eat most of the food that I loved. Now, I continue to eat it because of the delicious nature of the snack.

CHEESY FRIED EGGS I'm a college student who is trying to cook for themselves, which is often a daunting task. I consistently struggle getting enough protein in my diet, a fact highlighted by my friends who frequent the gym more often that me.

Usually, I'm pretty good at feeding myself breakfast. One particular morning, I came down with a cold and skipped out on breakfast. My friend came over and noticed my plight. It's not uncommon for us to make meals together, and help each other to remember to eat.

On this particular day, they came over and offered to make me breakfast in my poor condition. I mentioned I wanted eggs, and they gladly jumped on the suggestion.

They spent the next 10 minutes narrating the steps of how to make a special egg, the 'best way to fry an egg', as I sat at the kitchen table watching her.

Ever since that day, I've always followed their instructions to make eggs, both to eat the most delicious fried egg, but also to remind me of the experience of my friend caring for me. It reminds me of the effort they put in to make my day better, and the time we spend together keeping each other healthy.

I often get tired of foods easily, and have to move on to something else. Eggs are something that I can always eat, and they are a good source of protein, the food group that I struggle with the most.

This recipe isn't anything to call home about. It's simply cheese and eggs. It could have come from anywhere, but the background it sprung from really means a lot to me and to my daily routine as I try to eat healthy food in a fun way.

Rissa Hill

INGREDIENTS 2 eggs 1/3 cup of cheese 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning 1/4 tsp of garlic salt

DIRECTIONS place a medium sized pan over medium heat spread a thin layer of butter over the pan crack the eggs into the pan season the eggs cook until solid on the first side and flip layer the cheese over the cooked side of the egg once cooked, flip again so the cheese is on the pan press the egg into the pan to break the yolk once the egg can move freely without the cheese sticking, remove the egg from the pan serve hot

MINI PIZZAS Hailey White

My personal pizza recipe These mini pizzas started as a quick, easy meal that my mom used to make when I was young.

They quickly became a personal tradition when I moved out on my own and suddenly needed to find quick, easy ways to feed myself.

This meal is nice because it doesn’t require much planning, has a quick preparation time, and is relatively inexpensive. I make myself mini pizzas at least once each week when I am busy and stressed towards the end of each semester.

These pizzas are perfect on nights when I didn’t think or plan before dinner time, but I still want to eat a warm dinner.

Instructions My way of making mini pizzas starts by preheating the oven. Next, I grab an english muffin to be the base. Then, slice it open and toast it in the oven for 5 minutes. I usually set the oven to a temperature around 375 degrees. The time and temperature can change depending on how hungry and impatient I am that day.

The toasting step is important because it helps keep the sauce from soaking in too much and making the English muffins soggy in the middle. After initial toasting is done, I add pizza sauce, mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese, and whatever other toppings I happen to have in my fridge.

The fully assembled mini pizzas go back into the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Then, take them out and enjoy!

Andrew Hamlin Recipe: BBQ Pork Mac n Cheese: Dorm Edition.

7. Add the microwaved pulled pork (make sure

Prep Time: 5 Min Cook Time: 10 Min

to heat the pulled pork in the microwave first).

Ingredients:

8. Add bbq sauce to your heart’s content, but I

1 box of Kraft Mac n Cheese

prefer to have a balanced cheese to bbq sauce

1 bottle of kraft bbq sauce

ratio.

1 container of microwavable pulled pork

9. Serve

1 tbsp of butter

Context

1 cup of milk

There are three main reasons why I make this

1.5 cups of shredded cheese

dish on a regular basis: it’s cheap, it’s easy to

Preparation Steps 1. Thoroughly follow the steps on the box of Kraft Mac n Cheese. These are the steps: 2. Boil macaroni noodles for five minutes or until soft.

3. Drain water out of the pot (into a colander).

4. Put one tbsp of butter into macaroni and stir until butter is melted.

5. Add cheese mix from box and stir powder until cheese is melted.

6. As soon as you’re done following the steps on the Kraft Mac n Cheese box, add the shredded cheese into the pot. The idea here is the cheesier the better.

make and most importantly, it’s pretty tasty. I primarily based it off of the bbq pork mac n cheese from the restaurant Noodles and Company. It’s my favorite dish from there, but I obviously can’t afford to go out to dinner all of the time.

So I decided to make this a cheaper alternative that could also be saved for leftovers. In turn, leftovers make it so I can save even more money. Taste and economic savviness are the two keys here.

But most importantly, it has left me with some of the best college memories I will ever have.

EVERYDAY EATING HABITS & PERSONAL FOOD RITUALS

[List of contributors and food traditions]

COLLEGE VEGGIE MEAL Katie Snow

Main Course, Exam Week Food, College Food

The Foodways

THE RECIPE 2 CHOPPED MEDIUM POTATOES

This recipe is a little more vague than the family one because I’ve never used measurements with it

1 ½ CUPS OF FROZEN BROCCOLI ½ OF A SMALLER ONION

before. I always just cook whatever I have in whatever

CHOPPED

amounts that I want, so I cook this a lot because it’s so

2 T OLIVE OIL

easy, and I can work on homework or watch Youtube

PREFERRED MEAT

videos while the food simmers. It’s basically a good

PREFERRED SEASONING

recipe to use if you have leftover vegetables or meat that you don’t want to go bad.

GET OUT A BIG PAN AND POUR OLIVE

I actually came up with this recipe one day when I had potatoes close to going bad, frozen broccoli, and chicken that needed to be eaten. I called my Mom to see what seasonings might be good with those in a pan, and she said to just use olive oil and garlic so I just threw together whatever amounts looked good and it turned

OIL TO THINLY COVER THE BOTTOM OF YOUR PAN. ADD CHOPPED POTATOES AND ONION. TURN THE STOVE ON TO SIMMER AND OCCASIONALLY TURN THE SIDES OF THE POTATOES SO THEY GET COOKED. WHEN POTATOES START TO

out great. Now, it's a staple in my diet because I can use

LOOK MORE TRANSLUCENT THAN

whatever meats and vegetables I have left in my fridge.

WHITE, ADD BROCCOLI. AT THIS TIME, I USUALLY START TO COOK THE MEAT IN A SEPARATE PAN, BUT YOU CAN DO EVERYTHING IN ONE BIG PAN, THE POTATOES JUST TAKE THE LONGEST TO COOK. WHEN BROCCOLI STARTS TO BROWN, ADD DESIRED SEASONINGS TO TASTE, AND STIR. WHEN MEAT IS PROPERLY COOKED, AND POTATOES LOOK FULLY TRANSLUCENT, YOU ARE DONE.

OPTIONAL MEAT: CHICKEN, BEEF, TOFU, STEAK, EVEN FROZEN SAUSAGE OPTIONAL SEASONING: SALT, ONION Photo Credit: Nathan Dumlao

POWDER, GARLIC, THYME, ROSEMARY BASICALLY, WHATEVER YOU HAVE.

Matthew Christopherson

Matt’s Peanut Butter Waffle Ready in 30 minutes (5 if you don’t have to go to the store) Serves 1 Person

Main Ingredients ●

Peanut butter to taste

●

2 Eggo Waffles

Preparation 6. First, go to the grocery store. You’re likely making this in the middle of the night, so drive to Winco in your pajamas. They’re open 24/7 and most people won’t judge you.

7. Go to the back of the store to the frozen foods section. You have to get the Eggo homestyle waffles. Any other waffles will not suffice.

8. Time for peanut butter. Jif is a good option if you got paid recently. It’s a little pricier than the store brand, but most of the time it’s worth it. If you just paid rent, then you might have to suck it up and get the cheap store brand peanut butter.

9. This is the hardest part. Are you gonna get crunchy or smooth? Smooth is how you made it when you were a kid, so it’s got that nostalgia factor. But you also heard somewhere that crunchy is better for you. You’re not sure if that’s true or

not. Choose wisely, but you’ll probably end up regretting your decision either way.

10. Go to self checkout to avoid the humiliation of buying peanut butter and frozen waffles in the middle of the night.

11. Go home and unplug the Keurig. There’s only one outlet in your kitchen because it was built before your grandma was born.

Plug in the toaster, pop two waffles in, and wait.

12. Have an existential crisis.

13. Pop! There’s the waffles! Take them out and place them on a paper towel so that you have less dishes to wash.

14. Spread the peanut butter on one side of each waffle. Make sure to cover every square. If a square is left bare, you ruined it.

15. Smush the waffles together and enjoy! It goes great with a cup of milk.

Context and Significance I’ve been making Matt’s Peanut Butter Waffle since I was a child. The peanut butter waffle has been a cornerstone of my life, and has been with me through thick and thin. I like it because it’s the easiest and cheapest thing I can make. When I was a kid, it was legitimately one of my favorite foods, so I’m not kidding when I say it’s very nostalgic. It takes me back to being a little kid with no cares in the world. No thoughts, just peanut butter and waffles.

Matt’s Peanut Butter Waffle is great for many occasions. Finals week, late nights, crying sessions, or just whenever you need a quick snack.

Tuna Adventures Tuna fish and I have a long-standing history of adventures together, we’ve been through things that your stomach wouldn’t even want to imagine. Ever since I started my weight lifting journey I’ve had a close and intimate relationship with tuna. How did this come about you ask, well it’s a long story that started eons ago in a year some call 2014.

Sophomore year of high school was an interesting time for most. Some get their first kiss, some see their first rated R movie, me, I started my gym bro journey. There are a lot of things to go along with starting this journey, sore muscles, body dysmorphia, but most importantly nutrition. Why is nutrition so important, you ask? Simply put, if there is no new material added to the body to make muscles out of, in this case food, they cannot grow. Every food is made up of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat. For our weightlifting purposes we are specifically interested in protein due to its muscle building properties.

Protein must be pretty great, you must be thinking, well it is, but it can also be the most difficult of the three to get in adequate amounts for our muscle building purposes. What does all of this have to do with tuna fish you ask, everything! Tunafish is one of the most lean foods you can find! One can of Albacore White Tuna is incredibly cheap, has 48 g of protein, no carbs and hardly any fat. It would seem the prospective Gym bros daydream, and it was for me. As someone who wanted to avoid eating excess carbs and fat at all costs and get all the protein he could, at a cheap price Albacore White Tuna was a godsend. It was the obvious choice for getting the ultimate gym gains, and any thoughts of discomfort or disgust had to be irrelevant. Good taste and self-respect had to be placed on the altar of sacrifice for a Greek God aesthetic physique. I thought of it as a poor man’s protein powder if you will, albeit at the cost of your tastebuds and anyone ever wanting to be near you ever again due to the smell.

For our first adventure, tuna fish and I, start out on a simple and tame one, nothing out of the ordinary, tuna fish sandwiches with lots of mayo to drown out the taste. The sandwiches taste good, especially with pickles! Everything seemed fine, except, there was one glaring problem. I was eating tuna in the first place due to its high protein, low carb and low fat content. Mayonnaise however, Is pure unashamed fat, and not even the healthy kind. Clearly innovation had to be made. After some thought, the idea came to me, a replacement, a high protein, low fat item I could supplement for the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt.

To the dismay of my roommates, I embarked on this new tuna fish journey. By simply replacing mayonnaise with Greek yogurt I had successfully increased the protein content of my meal with no detrimental effects, other than one, it was incredibly disgusting and very hard to eat! The Greek yogurt seemed to do nothing in moistening the dry tuna fish, the meal remained dry distasteful and chewing seemed to take decades. Was there no other solution to my plight? Was I doomed to live out the rest of my “gains journey” taking two hours to eat one single can of tuna and some yogurt due to endless chewing? Was there no balm in Gilead for my sore and tired jaw? Suddenly, An idea struck me like a Bolt of lightning! The more I thought about the endless chewing, the clearer the solution seemed to be! I turned slowly around and gazed longingly at our “Ninja Blender.”

I had made many smoothies before in my life, but this was a task I’m not even sure the most experienced smoothie maker could handle! I knew what I had to do but I wasn’t sure if I had the strength to do it. I got out my gallon of precious whole milk and poured it ever so delicately into the Ninja, followed by 2 cups of the infamous Greek yogurt. I took a deep breath, eyes darting back and forth to make sure no one was about to see this heinous act. Hands trembling, I pried open the can of White Albacore Tuna Fish. Feelings of doubt rushed through my mind, was I really about to do this? Is it really worth it? What have I become? All of these debilitating thoughts came to a screeching halt however, when with the last ounce of my will for life I bellowed with a cry “WHAT WOULD ARNOLD DO?!” *kerPLUNK* The tuna was in, and my resolution was never stronger. I hit blend on the Ninja. It was done. All I needed to do now was drink it, how hard could it be. It wouldn’t be dry anymore because of the milk and I didn’t even need to chew! What could be better than that? All that protein, one easy little drink.

With remorse that I’m sure only the likes of Job can relate, I think back upon this moment and recall the taste. The taste of a thousand rotten seagull poops and with the consistency of sandy water I recoiled my mouth from the lip of the cup at a speed unknown to man, and in utter awe and amazement I stared at my creation. I had done it. I couldn’t believe it. I had successfully created the worst thing ever conceptualized by man, and it was sitting in my blender.

I finished it. Of course I did, I had to, because as the patricians say “the gain train don’t stop for nobody!” When it comes to long term solutions to my tuna consumption issue however, I was at a standstill, there was no way I could subject my quivering body to another round in the ring with that monstrous concoction. I needed a more permanent solution.

This leads me to where we are today and my daily tuna habits. What is this permanent solution?

How have I survived the mental onslaught of eating tuna everyday? What in the world do I mix it with to make its taste bearable, yet not detract from its nutritional value? The answer, nothing, I don’t mix it with anything, I have trained myself to just eat it right out of the can, no mayo, no yogurt, no smoothie. I just pop open a can, pull out a fork and dig in! Of course, I need some water to wash it down quickly. In order to bypass the endless chewing and desert-like dryness every bite must be accompanied by a hearty gulp of water. In this simple way I have been able to conquer my tuna fish demon. Don’t get me wrong however, even now I definitely don’t enjoy it, I still have to force myself to swallow every bite, but at this point it’s become a daily habit that I don’t even think about.

White Albacore Tuna Fish to me has somewhat of a symbolic significance. To me it symbolizes conquering the weak will, the self that craves laxity, the self that can’t get up in the morning to go pump some iron, the self that can’t eat something healthy because it tastes bad. In a way, White Albacore Tuna has come to be a part of who I am, not only in a physical sense, due to the nutrients literally forming my muscles, but also in a metaphorical sense, I am someone who craves to overcome the weakness within me. It’s why I go to the gym, it’s why I eat healthy, it’s the reason I live!

Nacho Salad Addison Taylor

exam week food, college food, snack

Significance Amid my busy high-school days, I was always looking for something quick and easy to make during lunch, or to eat as an afternoon snack before sports practices and club meetings.

Nachos were always my go to food, so I’m sure you can imagine my horror at coming home on one long, stressful day and seeing that the only tortilla chips we had were the broken pieces left at the bottom of the bag. Still, I needed to eat, and literally all I wanted was nachos. After some experimenting with the other leftover items in the house, the nacho salad was created!

At the time, my family thought my “nacho salad” was a sad, pointless meal- but I was so proud to have come up with something that still tasted like nachos with only using the foods that we normally wouldn’t have eaten. Now that I live alone (as a broke college student), it really helps on the practicality side of things- in making sure that none of my food goes to waste. Plus, it only takes a minute to make, tastes good, and is eaten with a fork (meaning it’s not messy like normal nachos)! Eating nacho salad has become a kind of comfort food for me as well because of its warmth, simplicity, and the fact that it reminds me of all the times I pushed through stressful days at school and could finally come home and feel at peace. Even just the name reminds me of home, since my sister takes all credit for coming up with the “salad” aspect; after teasing me

about doing (and eating) whatever I could to avoid actual vegetables. I DO eat vegetables now, so, she was wrong, but the name has too much influence over the meal to change it at this point.

Nacho "Salad" -Crushed Tortilla Chips -Preferred Cheese (I use the pre-shredded cheddar kind) -Whatever else you want to add (ex. leftover rice, beans, vegetables, or seasonings) 1. Put all desired ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl 2. Microwave until cheese is melted (at this point I like to mix it all together, so it’s less layered and more of a salad-style, but it doesn’t look very appetizing).

Tags: breakfast food, lunch food, dinner food, foodways rituals Rachel Hanson

Cereal & Toast Wait...what??

Picture this: a freshly poured bowl of your

Dipping toast in cereal is a foodways tradition I

favorite cereal, covered in cold, crisp milk. The

have had for a long time. It began with a habit of

cereal is just at the right balance between

dipping toast into oatmeal (a more normalized

crunchy and soggy, and the milk has taken on a

practice). I’ve always loved eating toast with

little of the cereal’s flavoring. You look over from

oatmeal, but never knew exactly why. I eventually

your delicious bowl of cereal to see a fresh,

figured out that what I loved was letting sections

perfectly buttered piece of toast. It’s still warm

of the bread get soaked in the milk, and then

from the toaster and the butter has almost all

nibbling each of those sections off.

melted and soaked into the bread. Now picture this: you pick up your piece of toast, and dip it

Then my family went through a breakfast cereal

into your cereal. The warm, soft bread gets

phase, and I began to miss the taste of my milk-

soaked with the cold milk, and it’s the perfect

soaked toast. I then had the awesome realization:

combination of sweet milk and salty butter.

cereal has milk too! From that point on, whenever

Mmmmm, now that’s good.

I ate a bowl of cereal, I made toast to dip into the milk. Not only did this add to the deliciousness of the meal, but it also helped get rid of the problem of having left over milk once all the cereal was eaten! I converted a couple of my siblings to the

Ingredients Favorite cereal (I suggest Colossal Berry Crunch) Milk (cold is better) 2-4 pieces of bread (depending on your preference for deliciousness) Butter

Method 1. Put toast in toaster 2. Pour cereal in bowl 3. Pour milk in bowl 4. Remove toast immediately after done toasting, and cover in your preferred amount of butter 5. Dip in cereal and enjoy!

practice, and used it as a way to establish my identity and individuality when other siblings, parents or my husband laughed at.

The Waffle Debate Marilyn Petersen Breakfast, Brunch, Finger Food Who decides to allow certain foods to be eaten by hand or utensils?

Growing up in a Mexican household, it was acceptable to eat certain foods with our hands instead of utensils. It was only natural to rely on our God-given hands. From birth till death, our natural built-in forks have helped us to eat certain foods.

Whether I choose to eat homemade waffles or frozen Eggos, the method of consumption remains the same- my hands. Depending upon the variety of waffles that I am consuming, various steps are required. If I am to indulge in a soft homemade waffle, the fluffiness is not structurally sound and may require a foldable method to ensure that the waffle does not droop and spill syrup onto my lap. It is of no coincidence that this delicious treat appears to be eaten like a taco which is very common in my culture. If I am on the move, I may opt for frozen variety such as Eggos. These smaller crunchier kinds of waffles I believe are to be consumed as though they were a tostada de tinga or a slice of pepperoni pizza.

To those who scoff at the manner of eating waffles by hand, I would ask if you have enjoyed ribs lately and the messiness that they bring? I am no messy Melissa; I can keep my syrup under control. And so what if a little bit of syrup touches the fingers, is life not meant to be enjoyed? Just as the person who molds the mash potato volcano, this too requires a touch of artistry and precision. Every geometric crater found on the surface of a waffle must contain the proper amount of Mrs. Butterworth syrup to truly call it divine. I create a sense of intellectual game when consuming the waffle. The rules are simple- do not let the syrup drip.

I wish my waffle eating methods had a more noble origin, but I believe my methods simply come from really not wanting to wash more dishes. How many inventions do you think this world has missed out on? That could have been invented during the time in which people are washing additional plates and utensils. Not to mention the amount of extra water wasted in attempting to peel away the thickening syrup off the plate and utensils before scrubbing away. I was not about to waste the Scrub Daddy sponge on a fork I could have avoided using. In a way, I was saving California from the drought and promoting Utahns from meeting the same fate

as Californians. It is the efficiency that drives my madness.

This method allows me to eat a beloved breakfast item while on the move. We have an entire world to see with no time to waste simply stationary at the breakfast table. It is true, I could capitulate to societal norms and eat using utensils, or I can stand my ground, embrace our differences, and take on the abnormalities in life with waffles in hand. I do not wish to be dramatic for this a simple argument over a mere waffle, but if this is my hill to die on, may the world raise a waffle in my honor.

Waffles are known to be associated with Belgium and it is a well-known fact that the Belgians do have hands. Therefore, this was by design. All silliness aside, for ecological reasons I have always felt that it was wasteful to dirty plates and silverware when it was simply unnecessary. To this, I invite others to live life to the fullest and enjoy a waffle eaten with just their hands.

Individual Foodways: Egg Toast Breakfast, Everyday Food – Kyla Dahle

Food and Ritual: There are very few simple ingredients one needs to make egg toast.

1 Slice of Bread 1 Egg Cooking Spray Enough butter to cover the bread Salt and Pepper The bread should ideally be whole wheat. This is the healthiest choice and, in my opinion, actually tastes the best.

The egg must be cooked in a tiny frying pan as shown here: To begin, you get out a piece of bread and set it in the toaster, but don’t start the toaster just yet. The idea is to get the timing down so that when the egg is ready to flip, the toast pops up.

Grab the tiny frying pan and hold it in the air while evenly spraying it with the cooking spray.

If you spray the pan while it’s sitting on the burner some of the spray will inevitably get onto the burner and then smell awful once it heats up. After the pan has been sprayed, crack an egg into it and use the side of the eggshell to break the yolk (I do not like the yolk whole). Stab it

about 2 or 3 times and then throw the eggshell away. Then turn on the burner to be in-between medium and high. Once the burner is turned on, go back and turn on the toaster.

Now that the egg has begun frying it’s time for the salt and pepper. I use the salt and pepper that you have to grind. I twist the grinders 180 degrees clockwise and then counterclockwise to get the right amount of salt and pepper. Then you wait for the egg to cook. Once the egg looks ready to flip, pick up the little frying pan and swirl it around in a circular motion. If the egg easily moves around in the pan, then it’s ready to flip. If it doesn’t, it either needs more time or it’s sticking to the pan (which shouldn’t happen if you did your spraying right!). The next step is to flip the egg with a flick of the wrist. This takes practice but using a spatula is messy and ruins the look and can ruin the pan if the spatula is metal. Once the egg is flipped over, the toast will pop up. Grab the toast and butter it while the other side of the egg is cooking. Once you are done buttering, swirl the egg again in circular motions in the pan. I like to flip the egg a couple more times to make sure it looks good on both sides. Then hold the buttered toast in one hand and the pan in the other and flip the egg straight onto the toast. I oftentimes don’t even use a plate, but just eat it right from my hand.

Context and Significance: My dad is actually the one that introduced me to this, but I have systemized it and made it completely my own. I can make it in about 3 minutes flat. It’s very useful because it has nutritional value and is very fast. As time has gone on, the routine has built up to where it is now, since I eat egg toast virtually every day. I practically always prepare and eat it alone since no one else is up as early as I am. This has allowed me to constantly be experimenting with it. (And no one has been there to see my failed attempts at flipping the egg.) Symbolically, it represents my meager attempts to be a responsible and independent adult who can cook for herself.

PEPPERMINT TEA Emily Pruden drink, comfort food, home remedy

Ingredients: ❖ Peppermint tea bag ❖ One cup water ❖ Mug

Directions: ❖ Bring water to a boil (or 200 °F, if you want to be really exact) ❖ Pour water into mug and submerge tea bag ❖ Steep for 3-5 minutes ❖ Sweeten or add milk, if desired

This assignment made me realize that I don’t have very many foodways that are only mine. I assume I’ll get more as I grow up and move out (at the time of publication, I am a high school senior who still lives at home). For now, though peppermint tea is the only food I can say only I make.

I started drinking tea for a number of reasons. My grandmother always had tea in her pantry, and I loved making myself a cup before bed, so drinking tea at home makes me feel connected to her. The other reasons are much less sensible. For one, the aesthetic of tea is very nice. It cozy and safe, and teacups are very cute.

I also got a little too obsessed with a British

fiction podcast, and the characters were always drinking tea, so I bought some to feel fancy like them. (Yes, admitting this is very embarrassing.)

I chose to write about peppermint tea specifically because it’s my favorite type of tea.

Because I’m a member of the LDS Church, I can’t drink actual tea, only herbal tea. This is probably a good thing, because herbal tea is a lot more forgiving in terms of steeping time and water temperature, and I don’t have a long enough attention span to make sure I get either of those right most of the time. Herbal tea is also very relaxing to drink, so I usually drink it after work or when I’m not feeling very well.

I’ve tried lots of kinds of herbal tea, but peppermint tea is definitely my favorite.

Currently, I buy my tea at Walmart, but in my time-honored tradition of becoming overly invested in my interests, I’d like to try drying my own herbal teas at some point.

Non-Dairy Ice Cream Kirsten Reither · Individual Foodways Snack, Dessert, Comfort Food

Image from the Ben & Jerry’s website Like the majority of the population, I have a strong love of ice cream. Unfortunately, I am also cursed with lactose intolerance. Because of this, I have found a steadfast friend in Ben & Jerry’s dairy-free ice cream. It’s easy to identify these relative to standard dairy Ben & Jerry’s because of the green lids marked with “NON DAIRY,” as well as the “Non-Dairy” mark on the front of the pint. On rare occasions, I’ll eat an entire 1000calorie pint in one sitting, with only minimal regret afterwards. More regularly, I’ll consume a more appropriate “serving size” of about onethird of a pint.

Compared to dairy ice cream, I would say that non-dairy ice cream tastes slightly less sweet, with a little bit of an almond-y flavor if made with almond milk. I’ve also seen non-dairy ice creams made with sunflower seed butter, coconut milk, oat milk, and cashew milk. In my opinion, the flavors of cashew milk and sunflower butter are masked better than those of almond and coconut milks, but my sample size has been relatively limited, so it’s hard to tell.

One trick of non-dairy ice cream that I’ve learned is to microwave the entire pint for about ten to twenty seconds prior to scooping or eating it. This

is because the plant milks freeze a little harder than dairy milk, so a little time in the microwave makes it much easier to scoop. Plus, the ice cream around the edges gets extra melty, which somehow makes it taste even better. I learned this from a different brand of non-dairy ice cream, Halo Top, which has a disclaimer on the pint about how non-dairy ice creams freeze harder than dairy ice cream, so they recommend microwaving the ice cream for a few seconds to thaw it slightly. Halo Top used to be my go-to non-dairy ice cream, but the brand focuses primarily on healthier, low fat, low calorie, and low sugar ice creams, and those just don’t taste as good to me.

This foodway more applies to my private, at home life than it does to my social, away from home life. This is mainly because if I’m eating ice cream in public or out in town, I’ve purchased it at an ice cream store or restaurant, and the majority of these have limited, if not nonexistent, dairy-free options. Personally, I’d love to see ice cream stores and restaurants release better non-dairy options for lactose intolerant people. For now, I make do with grocery-store pints of dairy-free ice cream.

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