Swedish Meatballs

This is the start of a new series where I cook through the Gram & Bebop cookbook. My mom and I put this special book together years ago but I am sad to admit I have only made a few recipes. Many of them are French recipes with lots of steps, so naturally I avoid them. But I have been wanting to delve into the food that was so integral to my grandparents lives, to get to know them better in some sense, through these recipes. 

Swedish Meatballs 

I bought all the ingredients a few days ago, but today all my energy was spent and the thought of making Swedish meatballs sounded more overwhelming than inspiring. But dinner’s gotta be made and it made sense to stick to the original plan. Pulling together dinner in the midst of watching Araceli’s and Rafael’s every move is always a struggle, and not one I look forward to on most days. Today they played with some cookie cutters on the floor and that seemed to keep them entertained for a bit. 

I happily got lost in the recipe, enjoying the steps and losing track of time. Memories from my childhood came into view - I specifically remember seeing my mom brown the delicate meatballs on the stove ever so slowly.
I got distracted looking at the pictures of Grandma and Bebop in the cookbook and envisioning my mom making this recipe for the first time at 16. More memories and stories came into view as I browned the meatballs and whisked together the sauce. That is part of the goal in this cookbook challenge - getting out of my comfort cooking zone, yes but also allowing myself to linger in the stories and memories of my mom and grandparents as I cook. 

Before I knew it, the recipe was complete and cooking in the oven. It turned out well and definitely felt like comfort food. Most of my children ate it up, but Rafael loved it most of all : 

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