With so many food blogs available at the click of a mouse, you may be wondering “Why this blog?  What makes this one so special?”  Well, I’ll tell you:

In 2009 my maternal grandmother, affectionately referred to as Nana, passed away.  One afternoon shortly after, my mom and I had the emotionally difficult task of cleaning out her home.  We packed up boxes of clothing, combed through cabinets of assorted trinkets, and sorted through photographs and home movies. . .the day seemed to be filled with tears, until I stumbled upon her cookbook collection.

Most aging cookbooks have yellowed pages, perhaps a few creased corners serving as a bookmark, or maybe a few handwritten recipe adjustments; but not Nana’s.  No, Nana’s cookbooks were filled with stories – and before long my mom and I were laughing and crying.  You see, my Nana hadn’t cooked or entertained in a number of years – not since my Papa had passed away when I was nine – and each of these notes brought us back to a time when she (and my Papa) were full of life, love, and energy.

The goal of Mealtime Memories is to cook and bake my way through the recipes in my Nana and Papa’s cookbooks – sharing the fun anecdotes along the way.  I am also very fortunate that my paternal grandmother, an amazing chef, is still alive and ‘cooking’ – and I plan on creating some fun tutorials with her along the way!

Thank you for reading, and I can’t wait to have you on my journeys in the kitchen!

-Melissa