My grandmother used to make the most incredible chicken divan, and my mom has carried out that tradition. It's my comfort food. It's amazing how you can almost taste the memories with a dish like that! And the more leftovers, the better.
In my family, and especially when I go back to China, it's always like, prepare your stomach, because it's the way that they express love.
People remember the different variations of stuffed cabbage based on their mothers and grandmothers. It's not just about food. Eating something as traditional as this is a cultural experience, one that is spiritual and nostalgic. It manages to transcend time; it's food for the soul.
My husband, Vivek Deora - he is very meticulous about cooking, and slowly and lovingly makes his family recipes, handed down generations.
There is so much more than ingredients that go into home cooking. A home-cooked meal includes so much love and recipes that have been passed down through generations, and that is what I truly appreciate.
My aunt and uncle would come over when my mom was making this, or we would go over there when they were making that. That's what food is.
A lot of my recipes I take from foods my grandmother used to cook, things she prepared for family reunions.
I've always wanted to throw a party where everyone comes with their mother's meatloaf. Everybody could evoke their mother's memory through her meatloaf.
I'm a fan of the hand-me-down recipes - friends, family, bake sales, community cookbooks - those are the recipes that have withstood the test of time and fed many hungry fans.
