Growing up I had so many different family meals that I loved. Almost every night my mom makes me and my siblings amazing food. My siblings can be fussy about their food and always complain about meals they do not like, but I always end up like my mom’s cooking.

My family loves food and cooking, so cooking and baking together bring us closer together as a family. My siblings and I do not always agree on the same food, but we love to cook together. When we do cook, we sometimes get into fights about who gets to stir the pot and little things like that. I end up winning the fights, but we usually get along in the end.

My favorite family recipe is chicken enchiladas, my great aunt’s recipe. They are amazing. I could have them forever if I were given the chance.

My sister’s favorite family recipe is hashbrown casserole. She loves that it is creamy, crunchy, and looks fantastic, I could not agree more with that. It is fabulous, and it is my second favorite family recipe.

Most people have a favorite family meal like Katie Long, 12, and are always thinking about the little tricks their family has taught them while they cook. They think that cooking as a family brings their family closer together. They really like to make their homemade waffles and their homemade Keto Pizza with their mom.

“My mom makes the best crack chicken I have ever eaten. It is this creamy cheesy bacon-pulled chicken, served with toast or in a tortilla. Always good with hot sauce too,” says Long.

Most recipes they have cooked came from their mom, from which they were taught when they were younger. Long’s family eats most of their family meals on a regular basis, and their mom always makes dinner for them. Long loves to make her family food and just loves to cook with their family.

There are a few people who don’t believe cooking brings their family closer together. Maia Carr, 11, does not feel like family foods have an impact on them. They do not always have family foods but do tend to have them on holidays, birthdays and on other occasions.

“I do have a favorite family meal; it is my grandma’s baked mac and cheese. It is creamy and crunchy from the top to bottom baked with good cheese,” said Carr.

Not all recipes come from older family recipes. They can be new and come from you, your mom, dad or even siblings just making recipes up, which can turn into a new family recipe. Family recipes can bring people together by simply having people work together to create a new meal or updated version of an old family recipe.

“Most of my family recipes come from older people in the family like my grandma and grandpa, and aunts. But we also have some that come from my mom, me, and my dad as well. I most certainly do feel that it brings our family a lot closer,” says Carr.

Most families have family recipes that they love and enjoy cooking together. We can find family history in recipes and food traditions. These connect us to our families even more than we can imagine. It also helps us understand our families more and connect to our roots.