Silver Spoons

Feeding the Body, Heart, and Soul with Love

Cooking has always been the language of love in our family. Whether it’s Osso Bucco simmering all day, Grandma’s Christmas cookies baked with seven decades of tradition, or Rio’s chicken wings devoured even while burning your fingers, our food has always been more than just food. It’s the heartbeat of who we are.

Some of my favorite memories are of Thanksgiving at Grandma’s. Every member of the family had a role—stirring, tasting, carving, or plating. The kitchen was chaos, yes, but it was our chaos, filled with laughter and the smells of turkey and gravy. And always, at the head of the table, Grandpa would raise his glass and say, “Well, we made it through another year as a family.”

This food and love has done something extraordinary. It’s brought us together for 65 years, creating traditions that feel eternal, even as we know nothing really is. Some of us have never missed a single Thanksgiving or Christmas, and each one has been a gift.

These recipes aren’t just instructions; they’re memories. They hold the laughter of crowded kitchens, the joy of gathering around the table, and the love passed from one generation to the next. Most of the recipes in this book began as scribbled notes in a family recipe journal—treasured favorites that have been passed down, adapted, and reimagined over the years.

For each dish, I’ve drawn inspiration from family traditions, top chefs, beloved cookbooks, and online gems. Through countless trials, tweaks, and sometimes outright disasters, I fine-tuned these recipes into the versions you know and love today.

What follows is a collection of our family’s most cherished recipes and traditions. These are the dishes that have brought us together around the table, time and time again, feeding our hearts, and souls with love.