Of the many memories I have of college, the time I spent with my sorority sisters are what I am most fond of.
I had this friend back in college. Her name was Dana Benzo.
Fayth, Dana, and me: Twenty years later, I enjoy the connection I have made with these ladies…funny how time has not changed the love I have for them. Now I get to love on their kids too!
She and I connected in so many ways. Ways that would bring us together as sorority sisters. We loved to cook and eat together. We loved to party together. We loved the same music. We loved hanging out with the same fraternity boys. Oh, and did I mention we loved to cook and eat together?
One day, when we got to cooking together, I noticed she pulled out this black and white composition notebook that she had from her grandmother. You see, it was her grandmother who taught her how to cook. We connected through our love of Italian food.
Easy to make, easy to eat, comfort Italian food. She learned the dishes that she shared with me from her grandmother and her grandmother recorded all of the recipes and shared them in a way that could be handed down for generations to come. (if they are lucky enough and Dana actually passed them on.)
Comparatively, I too learned recipes that were passed down from my grandmother and my godmother, BUT, I didn’t have those recipes written down. My recipes from the generations before me, were passed on and memorized because I always made them together with the ladies of the kitchen.
Heirloom Recipes are recipes we treasure.
Recipes we can somehow make our own, eventually.
Recipes that are even sometimes coveted and only passed on to a chosen few.
All I know is, when I got the coffee crumb cake recipe from my great Aunt Tessie I knew she loved me, and thought I was special. Come to think of it, I think she had those black and white marbled notebooks full of handwritten recipes as well. I remember this only now, as I write about it.
Moleskine Journals and Planners have always been one of my favorite ways to keep memories. Even now, with their new designs and playful themed leather bound keepsakes, I can always find an excuse to hoard my favorite “office items.” (pens and journals and notebooks.)
Last year, my partner in Sabrina Go and I had the pleasure of working with Moleskine to bring together some of our foodie friends, so we could share a little bit about our own Heirloom Kitchen recipes.
Part of this gathering included a special request from our friends.
“Please bring a recipe that you are willing to share with our fellow foodies.”
Easy enough right?
Well, we had a surprise for them by way of @imfeelingcraftytoday.
Ria de Lara has been journaling recipes, travels, and family memories in many different mediums. She is uber creative, and a coparent of mine in Gelli’s school.
We asked our friends to bring their own recipes because we wanted to teach them how to journal in their Moleskine notebooks.
Heirloom quality, talaga!
So our guests even had time to get creative as well!
BUT before we asked them to get creative, we had to put together some yummy dishes of our own to demonstrate for them.
Because y’all know Sab and I love to cook and eat, right?
That’s how Mothers Who Brunch came about!
So with the help of our friends from Colombo Merchants and Brera Deli, we were able to put together a self service spread of raclette yumminess.
Did someone say cheese?
Even our serving props were Heirloom for this wonderfully themed event in Lanai.
This silver serving piece was handed down to my mom from my nana. And how lucky am I that my mom handed it down to me?
Isn’t it lovely?
I bring it out every chance I get. I love filling it with antipasto, cold cuts, salad, and of course my raclette sidings and ingredients.
I love how easy it is to put all of this together for friends who might come over. I set up the Severin Raclette Grill, create a station of ingredients from Brera Deli, and leave it to my guests to make their own plate of cheesy goodness.
EASY. PEASY. CHEESY. GOODNESS.
Another dish that we wanted to teach our friends?
Crepes.
Seriously. Crepes used to be so intimidating.
I hadn’t the slightest idea on how to create these deliciously light treats until I bought my Severin Crepe Maker.
It was only after I purchased my crepe maker that I realized I can set up a crepe station just the same way that I do for raclette. And when you have guests, self service stations are key to making sure you are not harassed while entertaining.
My friend Lolet does this all the time. She actually purchased two crepe makers for this very reason. So when she has parties in her home, she sets up a DIY crepe station for her guests to enjoy. All you have to do is set up a variety of toppings and fillings for your guests to choose from, so that every craving is satisfied.
The last demonstation that Sabrina and I wanted to share with our lovely Foodie Friends, was where we take a very simple recipe of Angel Food Cake and dress it up to make it even more special.
Angel Food Cake is seriously one of my favorite cakes to eat. It’s so light, and is best paired with super simple flavors that are fresh and light. When I was growing up, my favorite way to enjoy this cake that I would buy from the grocery store would be with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.
This is Sabrina’s heirloom recipe that she shared which was passed down on from her momma. I love how she varied the toppings on each one to cater to everyone’s Filipino flavored palate.
As a special treat to our guests, Roslë came to our event and sponsored some kitchen goodies. If all of our guests were foodies for this Recipe Centered event, then they would appreciate the craftsmanship and quality of products that help us churn out these Heirloom Dishes too, right?
As part of the event’s program, we worked in a little competition for our artist/foodie friends to share their artwork after Ria’s lesson on how to journal our recipes as heirloom keepsakes.
Congratulations to our winners!
Dara David, Danah Gutierrez, Kerwin Haw, Abi Haw, Sabrina, Moi, Joey Blanco, Pauline Afable, Cy Ynares, Joy Felizardo, Pamela Cortez, Lucky Alabado, Alexis Deocaris, Ria de Lara
If you would like to check out the new designs for journals, planners, and calendars, Moleskine Philippines is available in National Bookstores.
Moleskine Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/moleskineph/
Severin Philippines
https://www.facebook.com/SeverinPhilippines/
https://www.instagram.com/severin_ph/
Brera Deli
https://www.facebook.com/Brera-Delicatessen-Molito-Alabang
https://www.instagram.com/breradeli/
Lanai
https://www.facebook.com/lanailifestyleph/
https://www.instagram.com/lanai_manila/
