What foods do you enjoy making with your family? Coming from a Colombian family, I have been around many different foods. Some members of my family who lived in Colombia love teaching me and the rest of my family how to make different meals. Ever since I was little, when my family came to visit we would make Empanadas. Before my grandparents moved here from Colombia they would go out with the rest of my family and get Empanadas once a week. When they moved here they learned how to make them and wanted to teach the rest of us. Now since my family all live here we make empanadas together everytime we all come together. My grandma and her sisters would stop me and my cousins from watching tv or from whatever we were doing so we could start to cook by the time my grandpa got back from getting the ingredients. Although it was annoying having to pause what we were doing, we always loved to help make empanadas. First, my grandma and my aunt would get the corn and beef ready. Then, me and my cousins would help my mom make the dough. Once the corn and beef were ready to be placed inside the dough my grandma would put it in and then press the edges of the dough together so there would be no openings. Finally we would place the empanadas in the oven to cook for about 25 minutes. Since the oven is hot, my grandma or my mom is always the one to place them in the oven. Once they were done cooking we would take them out. When we took them out, the house always smelt so good. As a result of cooking together my family became much closer and it was a great way to spend time together. 

– Morgan Mandel

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant