The Death Cookbook

I've been thinking a lot about the meals that I make for my family- what they ask for repeatedly and what they'll remember me for someday.  

Everyone has those childhood foods that smell like  poetic wafts of comfort and nostalgia.  For me, it's my Dad's spaghetti and meatballs, which he promptly stopped making after he became friends with real Italian people.  So many things bring me back: the smell of a holiday turkey at 8 am, eggs and meat sizzling away for brunch on a snow day.  Blueberry muffins at Christmas.  Roast beef and popovers.  Huge batches of homemade soup.  Entenmann's Rasberry coffee cake.  Port wine cheese and crackers.  Food was such an important part of life growing up.  I come from a family that LOVES to eat (though my mom would probably promise you that she does not love to eat).  My dad is a pretty creative cook and was constantly trying out new ideas.  I'm pretty certain that he never uses a recipe, so most of our meals growing up were of his own creation.  Just like me! 

I started wishing that my dad had written a cookbook and wondered if my kids would feel the same way someday.

So, I asked Bunny and Lila if there are things that I make that they'd like to make for their own families someday.  At first they couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that the day will come that they do not live in the same house as me and may have to cook for themselves.  But then my children seemed to simultaneously remember that someday I'm going to die.  And they might need my recipes after I'm dead if they ever want to eat these things again.  And, by George, a miraculous outpouring of ideas came out of my children's mouths.  By my pending death, they were inspired to write the table of contents for my very own cookbook!

And so, together we formed a concept for "The Death Cookbook."  

I'm never going to publish this cookbook.  As a matter of fact, when I was taking note of everything I'll include in it, I was surprised by how many appetizers and sides my kids love, and how little "actual food" they requested.  

Here's what I'm thinking!  I've built a table of contents and have started to type out all of my recipes.  When all was said and done, I ended up with 50 family loved recipes.  My idea is that I'd like to get a huge drawing tablet and I'd like to take my time and hand write the recipes inside.  Instead of taking photographs, I'd like to illustrate it myself with colored pencil.  

Then, when I'm done (in like, 10 years) I'm going to have it laminated.  

Let's hope that my kids don't end up feuding someday, because I'm not making two of these!

Here's what I'm going to put in it! 

1. Methods of thickening soups, sauces and gravies

2 The universal appetizer tray- to please every pallet

3 Cheesy garlic bread

4 Pie crust

5 Pizza crust

6 Cinnamon bread

7 focaccia bread

8 Tortilla chips

9 Cranberry Sauce

10 Marinade for outdoor grilling

11 Hash browns

12 Taco dip

13 Butternut Squash

14 Scampi sauce for chicken, shrimp or veggies

15 Artichoke dip

16 Mashed potatoes

17 Sweet honey gravy for citrus stuffed chicken

18 Nacho cheese sauce

19 Asian grilled wings

20 A  perfect salad

21 Pasta salad

22 Cabbage soup

23 Butternut squash soup

24 Tomato soup

25 Chicken soup

26 Beef stew

27 Mac and cheese casserole

28 Citrus stuffed chicken

29 chicken parmesan

30 chicken pot pie

31 tomato sauce

32 meatballs

33 pot roast

34 roast beef

35 holiday turkey

36 Quiche 

37 French Toast

38 BBQ ribs

39 Chicken fingers

40 Lemon chicken

41 Apple pie

42 Blueberry pie

43 Caramel

44 Cheesecake

45 Chocolate dipped macaroons

46 Rice crispy treats

47 Kettle Corn

48 Fudge

49 Apple Crisp

50 Peach Cobbler