Family Food Traditions: Dutch Banket Yule Treat

Family Food Traditions: Dutch Banket Yule Treat

My mother’s cousin, Martin Waalkes, recently said, “For Grandma, sugar and butter were spices.” (Referring to my great-grandmother, Sarah Ritzema Waalkes.) It’s true: The Dutch are not known for extraordinarily flavorful food. In fact, I...
Family Food Traditions: Polish Pierogis

Family Food Traditions: Polish Pierogis

A little while ago, my friends and I were gathered around a few bottles of wine as I was explaining how my mother-in-law, who’s lived in the Upper Peninsula for 40 years, had spent an entire day teaching my husband and kids how to make pasties (pass-tees) from...