This binder is full of recipes passed down from my mother’s side of the family. Most of them were written by my grandmother, and others were added later by my mom. Some of my favorites include pozole, mole poblano, chilaquiles, sopa de albondigas and coctel de camarones. These are all recipes that I grew up either eating at home, or when visiting my abuela in the summer. For me, each meal is associated with memories of time spent with those women in my life - in the kitchen and at the table. They carry the taste and smell of home. Someday I want to provide my kids with the same tether to their heritage as my mom and her mom did.  One of my favorite parts about these is that they are incomplete. Once when I was going through the recipes with my mom, I noticed a lot of them left out any real measurements or detailed instructions. She told me that most of them didn’t; my grandmother didn’t use any and neither did she. Good cooks didn’t need to follow a strict recipe. I realized that even though my mom makes the same meals as my abuela, she has to put her own spin on it. Various recipes written by my grandmother even include additional notes and tips from my mom. Now, when I make them on my own, I take what I learned from each of them and follow what feels right to me. With each generation my family has been passing on their own contribution to every meal.

– A.G.H.

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant