For whatever reason, most of our traditional family recipes seem to be ones that we make during the autumn and winter seasons. They tend to be meals that we create in large batches and either enjoy the leftovers the next day or freeze to have at a later date. Most of these were handed down from family member to family member by example and not written down. Cooking is one of those things that definitely can bring a family together, regardless of where you live or where you are from. It is probably one of the reasons why we enjoy eating traditional meals when we travel to places, because the food will also give you a sense of the people. Here are a few of our family’s recipes that we’ve posted over the past few years.

Meat Lasagna – We certainly enjoyed having lasagna in Rome and Florence, but our homemade lasagna is still one of our favorite meals. We also tend to make our own garlic toast to go along with it as we really like that combination. We always make a large batch so that we can have plenty of leftovers.

Red Chili – You will find many different varieties of chili as you travel throughout the southwest. From green chili to red chili, with or without meat, spicy or not spicy, they are all usually interesting and have plenty of flavor. Our version combines kidney beans and chili beans to create a very hearty meal.

Pumpkin Cookies – We bake these cookies every year in October or November and it is a way to welcome the change in the seasons. We typically make a couple dozen and then share them with our friends, who always look forward to them as well. It is a simple recipe, but the cookies are moist and delicious.

Egg and Hash Brown Potato Skillet – That isn’t the actual name of it, but egg slop doesn’t quite describe the dish. What makes this unique is the sauce that we make from chili powder and other seasonings. We have always had it for dinner, but it would make for a good weekend breakfast as well.

French Stew – This is an inexpensive meal that combines fresh ingredients in a simple way to make a “stewp”. Similar dishes can be found in the countryside’s of many different countries and is typically considered to be a hunter’s stew. A hunter stew is usually made from meat, potatoes, and vegetables, whatever happens to be available at the time.