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Favorite family recipes and the stories that make them memorable

Stu Haley, Maureen O'Reilly, Lisa Hovis and Miriam Armendariz Piccolo
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Collage by NPR

All Things We're Cooking is a series featuring kitchen gems from you, our readers and listeners, and the special stories behind them. We'll continue to share more of your recipes throughout the holidays.

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When making Thanksgiving dressing, Grandma Monnette had one simple rule

Rather than stuffing the turkey, Rebecca Monnette made dressing balls with a few simple ingredients that safely cook apart from the bird. Her grandson carries on the tradition.

Stu Haley's Grandma Monnette created a Thanksgiving side dish, dressing balls, to avoid using stuffing from inside the turkey.
Stu Haley / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

Read more about Grandma Monnette's dressing balls


She loved Mom's picadillo but never got the recipe. TikTok moved her to get creative

Left: Miriam Armendariz Piccolo with her mother, Genoveva. Right: the finished picadillo.
Miriam Armendariz Piccolo / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

After her mother died, with tips from her aunts, Miriam Piccolo re-created a dish that tastes like home to her. Coming home from school to this meal meant that her mom had been thinking about her.

Read more about Miriam Piccolo's picadillo


Friends and family flip over these krumkake cookies

Left: Lisa Hovis and her grandma peel potatoes in preparation for Thanksgiving. Right: Lisa's krumkake sits next to a hot pad with her grandma's krum kage (krumkake) recipe on it.
Lisa Hovis / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

Lisa Hovis learned to make these traditional Norwegian cookies by baking alongside her grandmother. The recipe and fond memories remain.

Read more about Lisa Hovis' Norwegian krumkake cookies


The 'human cannonball' is gone, but his lasagna recipe lives on

Wayne Wright shares a recipe for lasagna. He learned many Italian recipes from circus performer Edmondo Zacchini.
Jennifer Wright / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

A circus performer known for being fired out of a cannon liked to make dinner for the people he worked with. One of them still makes his inspired lasagna today, and it has some surprising ingredients.

Read more about Edmondo "Papa" Zacchini's lasagna


It took clever thinking to write a recipe for this Irish soda bread, a family favorite

Maureen O'Reilly shares a family recipe for Irish soda bread.
Maureen O'Reilly / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

Maureen O'Reilly wanted to make the treat for her husband, but first she had to watch his grandmother make it — and measure out each ingredient rather than just eyeballing it.

Read more about Maureen O'Reilly's Irish soda bread


Her husband's love of crispy prosciutto transformed a green bean casserole

Becky Ellis / Collage by NPR
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Collage by NPR

Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs round out this dish. Just don't expect any cream of mushroom soup or fried onions in this twist on a traditional recipe.

Read more about Becky Ellis' green bean casserole

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ABOUT THIS PROJECT

All Things We're Cooking is a series highlighting family recipes that have special meaning to you, our readers and listeners. Earlier this year, we asked you to share your most prized recipes and explain why these dishes evoke such fond family memories. Working in collaboration with NPR member stations, we received responses from across the country. We've been interviewing some contributors and will continue to share their stories through the holiday season. All recipes and photos were provided by NPR audience members.

CREDITS
Reporting by Wynne Davis, with Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Maison Tran
Editing by Desiree F. Hicks and Pam Webster
Design and art direction by Daniel Wood, Emily Bogle, Kaz Fantone and Alyson Hurt
Development by Daniel Wood
Project management by Caroline Kelly
Social media engagement by Matt Adams
Audio versions of stories produced by Rose Friedman and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, with assistance by Maison Tran
Additional editing by Gerry Holmes, Nicholas Charles and Neda Ulaby
NPR member stations collaboration by Franklyn Cater

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.