My grandmother Rose Shapiro Fisher came to the United States from Russia in the early 1900’s when she was in her teens. She was a wonderful cook. The memory of her cinnamon rolls brings tears to my eyes. Like many women of her generation, she never used a recipe. Over the years I tried to pin her down, but it was futile. She would tell me to use a handful of this and a pinch of that. When I measured the handful and the pinch, she would say that it only worked with those measurements on a humid day - or a dry one - and that I’d never learn to cook if I kept trying to make so many notes.



My mother, on the other hand, copied her favorite recipes from cookbooks and the newspaper, adding notes and revisions to make them her own. For an engagement gift, she spent weeks making me a notebook filled with the cakes and casseroles she knew I’d want to make for my husband. She died only four years after our wedding. Having those recipes, in her own hand, has kept me connected to her over the years in ways that would not otherwise have been possible.



Because I don’t have a written legacy of my grandmother’s recipes, I decided to create one in her memory. The book is blank at this point, but soon to be filled. I’m planning to invite my sister and cousins to help me search the Internet - and our memories’ collective taste buds - to come up with recipes that are close approximations of Grandma Rose’s creations. I’ve decided to wear an apron while I’m sitting at the computer to conjure her spirit. She was never without one! It’s unlikely that my hands will ever be as skilled as hers when it comes time to turn knots of dough into little birds and finding the time to make a chocolate babka, even if I find a suitable recipe, won’t be easy. But I’m up for the challenge.





If your favorite cooks - be they friends or relatives - are available for phone calls and visits, get their recipes now! Otherwise, someday you will wish you had. And if you haven’t compiled a book with your own favorites - those signature dishes you take to the potluck supper or whip up for birthday dinners - it’s time! Your recipes are a way to connect with friends and family for generations to come.

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