Bubby’s Deli

Bubby had a death book. Little, red-covered and lined, it had a separate page for each family member. While visiting, if we complimented a piece of furniture, Bubby would ask us if we wanted it on our death book page. For years, my page was blank. I didn’t want her jewelry, her end tables or her pottery. All I wanted was to play Bubby’s Deli one more time.

 My father’s mother had 5 kids and 12 grandkids. When the grandkids were young, we would play our favorite game, “Bubby’s Deli.” Rye bread, pickles and mustard were lined up on the counter of Bubby’s kitchen. She took our orders on a small notepad: turkey with lettuce, or roast beef with tomatoes. The sandwiches were extra large and you knew you had to finish every last bite or Bubby reminded you of the starving children in Russia. While we ate, she dispensed valuable advice, “kissing gives you cavities,” or “don’t wash your face with soap,” and my favorite, “don’t buy yourself a pair of diamond earrings, let a man do it for you.”  (She was right about the soap and the earrings. Luckily for my husband the kissing advice was an old wives tale).

After lunch was over, Bubby made apple pies. Taking a knife to the apple skin, she produced one long, continuous peel. After the apples were chopped and the ingredients added to the bowl, we helped her mix it all together. She filled pie crust after pie crust and then gave us the extra dough to form the first initial of our first name. My “A” went on top of my pie which was baked until the crust turned golden brown and the warm kitchen smelled like sweet apples and cinnamon.  

Towards the end of her life, when she moved into assisted living, Bubby insisted I put something on my page in her death book. Unable to cook anymore, our days of “Bubby’s Deli” were long gone. I asked for her recipes. The pink recipe box is filled with handwritten note cards and recipes from the sides of matzo meal boxes. After she passed, I set it aside, too sad to look at it.

Three years ago, I got married and moved into my husband’s house. Unpacking my stuff, I came across the box of recipes. I wanted to make her Oat Cookies, but couldn’t read the handwriting on the card. What I could decipher left me with more questions. None of her children, their spouses, or my fellow grandkids knew her recipes well enough to provide answers. I realized it was too late. Bubby was gone and I would never taste her food again. Looking for a silver lining, Amiable Life was born. Surely, if I have this box of family recipes, other people must have them too.

Generations of cooks are quietly slipping away and I am on a quest to learn the knowledge and skills they honed at the kitchen counter and record the experience in this blog. I want to honor those who spend hours in the kitchen, cooking the food they love for the people they love. I want to tell their story and pass on their traditions. Lots of sites collect recipes. But what about the people behind the recipes? What about the Bubbies, Nonnies, Mi-Moms and Pop-Pops? What about the dad who cooks mac n’ cheese for his daughters, just like how his parents made it for him? What about the grandmother who continues the long-standing family tradition of spinach pies at Easter? For those people, food equals love.

Have your own “Bubby’s Deli” memory? Write about it in the comments.

Have a family recipe/story to share? Email me at amiablelife@gmail.com

This blog posting is part of the Project Food Blog competition . Please vote for me by clicking on the Project Food Blog widget to the right of this page.

Bubby’s Kugel with Apples Recipe
Note: this is a slightly modified version accounting for taste preferences. For original recipe, see images at bottom of post.

Ingredients:
8 oz wide egg noodles 
1/4 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins – made softer and plumper by putting in almost boiling water for 5 minutes (putting the raisins in water is also helpful because this prevents the raisins from sticking together)
2 gala apples, peeled and chopped into 1” pieces
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1/2 cup sugar
2 full eggs, 3 egg whites
Pinch of nutmeg (for topping)
Pinch of cinnamon (for topping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook noodles and drain
Melt margarine
Beat in each egg separately 
Add sugar, salt, cheese, noodles, raisins, vanilla, lemon extract, apples and milk
Stir until well coated
Put in 9×13 pan (Recipe doesn’t say if the pan should be greased so I would give it a quick spray just in case — knowing Bubby, she greased it with Crisco).
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes
Remove from oven and sprinkle with nutmeg and cinnamon
Return to oven and cook for 25 minutes more until custard is firm

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