family recipes

A family photo of Diane Richardson and her brother Gary Kirchherr. Later in life, when her brother visited at Christmastime, Richardson would make the lamb curry recipe their mother learned when the family lived in Nigeria.

Arts

Lamb curry shakes up a traditional Christmas dinner. It started with a stay in Nigeria

8:00am December 04, 2022

by Wynne Davis

A choice of toppings lets all of the relatives around the table make this meal their own. And it's OK to substitute chicken or tofu if lamb is not your thing.

As a child, Linda Ishmael would help her grandparents prepare Old Kentucky Ham for the holidays.

Arts

This Kentucky ham recipe needs 24 hours of 'sleep' before it's ready to eat

8:00am December 04, 2022

by Wynne Davis

When Grandpa put on his raincoat, that meant it was time to move the ham off the stove, just one step in Grandma's slow-cook process for a salt-cured country ham.

This recipe started in Arizona. Now, sisters Kirsten Ayles (left), in San Clemente, Calif., and Alexis Wold, in New York City, make it on opposite coasts. Right: A family photo of their grandparents' restaurant, Odd's Sombrero in Wickenburg, Ariz.

Arts

A surprise breakfast ingredient pulls this quick taco meat recipe together

8:00am December 04, 2022

by Wynne Davis

A young woman's family recipes transformed the menu at a restaurant in Arizona where she worked. Decades later, the business is gone but the owners' granddaughter still makes the taco filling today.

Left: Bamboo buns. Right: Kaitlyn Hennacy's grandmother, Yuehua Zhang.

Arts

These bamboo buns came from China with Grandma. First we forage, then we cook

8:00am December 04, 2022

by Wynne Davis

No one picks more bamboo than Grandma Zhang, who "shows her love through cooking." Her work ethic and all of the dishes she makes are an inspiration to her family.

Left: Jordan Harrison with her grandmother, Judy Greene. Right: Freshly made butter mints.

Arts

Zoom and a butter mint recipe bring a mother and daughter together

8:01am November 27, 2022

by Wynne Davis

A long-distance video lesson from Mom also offered a chance to write the recipe down. Cold weather and a marble slab work best to cool this homemade confection, which has helped the family bond.

Arts

Her father's fudge recipe brings back childhood memories of the Midwest

8:00am November 27, 2022

by Wynne Davis

A young Jan Kincaid Clifford wasn't even tall enough to reach the stove. That didn't stop her from stirring the pot. And stirring. And stirring. Her dad's recipe requires patience, but it pays off.

When Ellie King and her husband were married, they had Grandma Phoebe's Famous Fruitcake as their wedding cake.

Arts

Favorite dessert recipes served with a side of savory storytelling

8:00am November 27, 2022

Homemade fudge, a no-alcohol fruitcake, pillowy butter mints and a quirky cookie are some of the things NPR's readers and listeners are nibbling on.

When Ellie King and her husband were married, they had Grandma Phoebe's fruitcake as their wedding cake.

Arts

All jokes aside, this fruitcake is legendary. It was even served at a wedding

8:00am November 27, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Parents, kids, aunts and a cousin gather on Black Friday to make a big batch to mail around the country. It's shared far and wide at Christmastime and was featured on a bike ride across Iowa.

Allison Stines holds a photo of her family while she eats a family-favorite cookie: Martian droppings.

Arts

How a 'Martian droppings' cookie got its out-of-this-world name

8:00am November 27, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Friends, family and co-workers clamor for the quirky, pistachio-flavored pudding cookie treats that come out looking green.

Stu Haley's Grandma Monnette created a Thanksgiving side dish, dressing balls, to avoid using stuffing from inside the turkey.

Arts

When making Thanksgiving dressing, Grandma Monnette had one simple rule

11:24am November 20, 2022

by Wynne Davis

Rather than stuffing the turkey, Rebecca Monnette made dressing balls with a few simple ingredients that safely cook separate from the bird. Her grandson carries on the tradition.