There is a family recipe I love, so coveted and a little intimidating, that I have only made once. I really should give it another go, except for my fear that it won't come out right. I'm sure we all can relate to that... that one recipe passed down through the generations, the one that everyone knows exactly how it's supposed to taste. This one is written on a faded green index card, in beautifully fine and delicate cursive that is almost indecipherable. A recipe passed down on my mom's side--diamond cookies.
These are so good. They're the kind that smell good even while you're mixing up the dough. Brown sugar, molasses, and so on, rolled out into long, skinny pieces... then cut at an angle, thereby making the "diamond" shape. The perfect diamond cookies have the finest layer of sugar sprinkled on top and have a soft inside. They are, of course, amazing just out of the oven, with a tall glass of milk. Like I mentioned before, I've only made them once, and they looked pretty close but they definitely weren't quite right... they didn't taste like my mom's! And hers are the benchmark. I should work up the nerve and try again, especially considering that the only way I'll get better at them is by practicing.
Other notable family recipes... all of my aunt's pies. Tom's family has a particular Thanksgiving stuffing recipe that is always a favorite. My mom's chocolate chip cookies. Tom makes bacon cheddar mashed potatoes that are out of this world, with a perfect flavor and texture I would struggle to replicate. Deep dish pizza in the cast iron pan and chili in the Crockpot, two of our favorite recipes to make together. These, along with our photos and social media accounts and journals, will be our lineage--perhaps one day, my daughter's daughter will make diamond cookies in her own tiny urban kitchen.
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