Like Pieter, my gramma was an unbelievable cook. From her signature minestrone soup to her homemade bread to her chicken picatta, there was never a recipe that was not delicious. Pieter and my gramma both loved cooking and eating, and they would often share recipes when they were together at family barbeques.

When we were little, my older sister and I would stay the weekend at my gramma and papa’s house every so often and each visit, Gramma had concocted a new dish for us to taste test. Most of the time it was another successful meal, and the recipe was filed away into the recipe book. However, there was the occasional dish that did not turn out as expected, in which case the recipe was tossed away just as quickly as the awful meal. Regardless of the quality of the end product, my gramma always loved cooking and feeding others. It made her so happy to be able to bring the family together over a home cooked meal and truly spend quality time with one another. The aromas that constantly filled her home were not simply physical scents emitted from the kitchen, but they were scents filled with love and care for her family.