Food has always been a huge part of my life, and not just because it’s necessary for survival. Food is something that I consider a universal language, and over the years it’s become my favorite language to learn. This is largely because of my parents, who fostered my love of food and filled our home with homemade meals from all over. Some of my best memories growing up involved being in the kitchen with my parents, and I’ve shared many of their recipes here. Even when times were tough, I only ever recall my kitchen being filled with food and laughter (and the occasional exploding potato, but that’s a story for another day).
My mother’s creativity shines in the kitchen, and even as an adult, I still ask her constantly for recipes and cooking tips. In my family, we call my mom the “Crockpot Queen” because her slow cooker meals are royally delicious. But the real star of my childhood meals is What’Cha Soup. This recipe is a Mama Lanier original, and it changes every time you make it. I’m not entirely sure how What’Cha Soup started, but the meal, named for the fact that you use “what’cha got,” was a staple of my childhood. Some of the best versions I’ve had combine noodles and beans in a simple broth, and I also remember loving when my mom put frozen mixed veggies into the soup. If there were random ingredients that would work, into the pot they’d go. And it turned out delicious, every single time. The only downside to What’Cha Soup is that it’s almost impossible to recreate the same way, because it uses whatever you have on hand. But that’s part of the beauty. I remember standing in the pantry with my sisters and grabbing anything that could go into my mom’s crockpot, and knowing it would be perfect because she was the one making it.
My mom is not the only cook in my family, though. I’m convinced that my father was a professional chef in a past life, because the man certainly cooks like one. It’s a running joke in my family that if you don’t know what to get my dad for his birthday, just get him new cookware. Over the years I have bought him a zester, oven mitts, and most recently, a fondue pot. Cooking is my dad’s hobby and has been his main form of relaxation for years, and I’m more than happy to reap the rewards of this pastime. While my mom is most famous for slow-cooked comfort foods and soups, my father’s domain is in French and Italian dishes. He makes Coq Au Vin on a semi-regular basis, and he’s never too far away from his Dutch oven, but it’s his pasta sauce that I love the most.
The famous family pasta sauce recipe was passed down to my dad from his stepfather, who got it from his dad, who I imagine got it from his own parents. Although every generation makes some tweaks, for example, some add pepperoni and others, like my dad, use Italian sausage, the heart of the sauce is the same — a tomato base filled with spices and bay leaves, and a parmesan rind for extra flavor and richness. As my sisters and I continue to get older, we have all gotten this recipe from my dad, and I have no doubt that I’ll be next. No matter what goes on in my family’s life, throughout all we have faced, one thing has remained constant. The food I grew up with is a source of love, abundance, and family.