Cooking Up a Memory

Harley flipped through pages of the large recipe book while Harper panned through the wide selection of aprons that their grandma had. It was Spring Break from school, and Mom and Dad had brought the twins to their grandparents for the entire week. 

The days had flown by chock-full of fun arts and crafts, outings to the zoo, learning new card games, and now they were going to bake something. 

Harley had it down between three recipes in the battered old cookbook filled with family recipes and turned to Harper. “Okay, I think we should choose between brownies, snickerdoodle cookies, or something called a zuckerkuchen.” He struggled to pronounce the last recipe. 

“A ‘sucker punchin’?” Harper repeated questionably.

“Zuckerkuchen,” Grandma came into the kitchen and pronounced it with a hint of accent, “it is like a sugary cake.”

“Is it any good? It sounds…odd.” Harley squinted as he read the ingredients.

Grandma laughed, “It may sound odd because its name is in a different language, German. But I assure you, it is quite good.”

“Have you made it a lot?” Harper asked. 

“I used to make it a lot when I was…” She paused with a smile that held emotion, “younger.” Looking to and from each twin, “Shall we give it a try?”

“I’m down to try it. Here, Harley, I picked out an apron for you.” Harper held it out.

After they secured the aprons, Harley read out the list of ingredients as Grandma and Harper selected them from the large pantry. Next, they gathered the bowls, measuring spoons, and utensils that they would need. 

“Alright, I think we have everything we need to start.” Harley clapped his hands together. 

“One more thing,” Grandma held up a finger, “Alexa, play music.” She directed the speaker which promptly began playing top hits. 

The afternoon flashed by in a blink as the three merrily measured, sifted, mixed, and baked away. Before they knew it, they were setting the timer on the oven for their soon-to-be baked good to cook. 

Harper and Grandpa went to the fridge for a drink as Harley re-read the entire recipe to triple-check that they hadn’t missed anything. He noticed a name, a signature, really, on the bottom right corner. Faded and smudged from years of messy hands turning the pages, he couldn’t make it out. 

“Hey, Grandma, what does this say?” He pointed at the page. 

Grandma came and examined over his shoulder, though she needed no time to think, “It says, Oma Gretchen.”

“Oma?”

Her smile again filled with emotion. “It means ‘Grandma’ in German. Gretchen was my grandmother.”

The twins looked at each other and then back to Grandma, “Did you used to cook Zuckerkuchen with her when you younger? Is that what you meant before?”

“Yes, one of the many things we used to do together. She was a very kind woman and loved to spend time in the kitchen. Whenever I visited, we would always find time to bake or cook together.”

“Like we are now?”

“Exactly like we are now.” She squeezed each of the twin’s shoulders, “I sure do enjoy these moments that we spend together.”

“Us too.” They said in unison. 

A few moments later, while the dessert was still cooking, Grandma left to use the restroom, and Harley whipped around to speak to Harper, “Do you think there are more recipes from Oma Gretchen in the cookbook?” The family recipe book was divided into breakfast, lunch, dinners, appetizers, desserts, and more. 

“Probably, why? What are you thinking?”

“Did you see how much it meant to Grandma that we made her grandma’s recipe? Maybe there are more that we can find and make a whole meal!”

“Oh, I like that idea! Let’s do it!” 

Once Grandma returned to the kitchen, Harley and Harper eagerly asked if there were more recipes.

A little surprised, Grandma responded, “Why yes, Oma used to make the most delicious latkes and schnitzel.”

“What and what now?” Harper stared.

Grandma laughed heartily and wrapped her arm around Harper, “I’ll teach you how to pronounce them,” she motioned for Harley to join them in a hug, “and I’ll teach you how to cook them, just like my Grandmother did with me.”

**Do you do any cooking with your loved ones? Does your family have any special recipes passed down from previous generations? If so, who are they from? What makes them special? Recipes are a great way to learn about memories from their makers. Talk to your loved ones today to see if you can make some.