food & family: part II

As you recall, I began telling you the story of how our family cookbook came into existence. It all began with a simple dilemma: wanting to have the recipes that our family has come to love over the years. So my cousin Laura, the same creative genius who threw this shower a few weeks ago, came up with the idea to put together a family cookbook. Side note: if you don't know my grandmother-- she is one of the best cooks ever-- seriously. ever. A lot of the recipes were foods we share together at her house. We talked about this cookbook every time we were together; and finally, two years ago, we decided it was time to stop talking and start doing.

The family began compiling favorite recipes and sending them to my cousin, who soon ended up with over 100 recipes. We like food, obviously. This is where the family cookbook idea turned from a collection of our favorite recipes to a masterpiece.

My cousin Laura works as an art director for an ad agency in

downtown Chicago. She is wildly talented in design, photography and baking. Her plans for this cookbook became something we could only dream about. And she took this project on full force.

Along with my grandma and other family, Laura baked, cooked, tasted, tweaked and photographed each recipe. She spent a couple weeks over the holidays working side by side with our grandma learning the secrets to each recipe, because its usually hard to make anything as good as grandma does. (And we've learned, more often than not, the secret is real butter!) Regardless, she spent hours upon hours ensuring that each recipe in the book was understandable and photographed, so each cook would know what that end product would (hopefully) look like. She also threw in some tips, facts and sections of helpful secrets to achieve success with each recipe.

It became quite the project and we were all so anxious to see the end product. Little did we know the treasure we would end up with. After two years of many hours dedicated to this family project, the day came when we each got our own copy. And what we ended up with was far greater than any cookbook could ever provide.

Yes, it had our favorite recipes but it also included the story of how our family came to be, with pictures and short stories, which so beautifully encompassed who we are as a family. It's so much more than we could have asked for and we are all so thankful for Laura's eye for perfection and detail and her endless desire to make a great family keepsake for all of us to share.

To be honest, I used my cookbook at least once a week, cooking and baking foods that I love. My favorite is when each time I open it to see the faces of those I hold so dear. At least for me, it allows me to keep a bit of home with me wherever I go.

If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out on Blurb. You can even order your own, available in both soft and hard cover. Just click here!

**Right now you can also save 25% through Monday. Just use the code WINTER25 at checkout and you're all set.

Thanks for sharing in my family story and if nothing else, enjoy drooling over these photos!