Long before we had recipes, ovens, or even spoken language, people were gathering around fires to share food. From ancient hearths to modern kitchens, the act of sharing a meal has always been about more than just eating—it’s how we connect, celebrate, and pass stories from one generation to the next. I would like to honour that timeless tradition by sharing the recipes that bring families and friends together—one beloved dish at a time.
During Covid times, I started a Facebook group for friends and family to share recipes and meals. The intention was to get some inspiration from others and more importantly, maintain a connection when we couldn’t in person. I imagined a small group of 20 or so, swapping ideas and meal tips. In just under two weeks, over three hundred people had joined and for the next two years, hundreds of recipes were shared and new friends were made.
Week after week, posts came in from simple to complex, made from scratch to restaurant take out. The support and unbelievable positivity from every comment made the journey an absolute pleasure. The inspiration for this column stems from that amazing group.
Every week, you’ll find a recipe that is tried and true from one of your local home kitchens. These dishes may have come from a friend or neighbour or colleague and just may give you a little inspiration for your next meal.
To every home cook, from beginner to pro: please send us your favourite recipe, along with the story behind why you love to make it. It could be a family recipe shared for generations or a dish that you concocted and that brings you joy to serve.
In the animated movie Ratatouille, there’s a heartwarming scene where the harsh food critic takes a bite of Remy’s dish and is instantly transported back to his mother’s kitchen as a young boy—a powerful example of how flavour can evoke a memory. Are there smells, tastes, or dishes that bring you back to a special moment or person?
I’ll kick things off with the first recipe that came to mind—something I made with my Italian Nana (yes, we called her Nana, not Nonna). I can still picture myself standing in her kitchen, watching her roll meatballs with such care. They were so tender and delicious, and because they simmered for hours, the whole house smelled like heaven. We were always handed a meatball on a fork while we waited for dinner to be served—it was the best kind of appetizer.
Her face was always serious when she cooked, no giant smiles, those were reserved for every time we walked through her door. Warm hugs and lots of words we couldn’t understand, but so dripping with love, we knew we were always welcome. Big eyes would marvel at the speed she could grab a small handful of the mixture, roll it so many times in her hands and plop the balls in the sauce and all be the same size using no measuring cup. My sister had a nice moment a few years ago watching one of her kids roll her meatballs. A lovely memory flashback hit her as she watched her little one with the same hands and technique as Nana. Everything does come full circle.
This recipe comes with a warning, as the hours go by and your house smells like an Italian bistro. The meatballs will start to disappear. Random forks covered in tomato sauce will be left on the counter and the bread that was waiting to be served with dinner will vanish.
My little meatball thieves have all grown up, and for now, there’s no second helping of tiny hands in my world. Maybe one day, I’ll get to create new memories—beginning in a warm kitchen that smells like love, and ending with a meatball on a fork.
“Lisa Lemarquand (Laudadio – the Italian half) is the owner of Fox On The Run lunch and coffee bar, a mom, a wife, and a passionate home cook who believes that food is love—and every recipe has a story.”
Nana’s Meatballs
Ingredients:
4 cans crushed tomatoes
4 cans tomato paste
½ cup sugar
⅓ lb ground beef
⅓ lb ground pork
⅓ lb ground veal
One bone in and skin on chicken breast
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons dried oregano
One cup grated parmesan
Salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil
Directions:
- Heat up olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chicken breast when oil is hot and brown until golden on both sides
- Leave the chicken breast in the pot and add all the crushed tomatoes, sugar and the tomato paste
- For every can of tomato paste you use -fill it with water and pour that in
- Turn the sauce down to medium to heat while you’re making the meatballs- stirring once in awhile
- In a large bowl, mix all meat, eggs, seasoning, breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese
- Add about a cup and a half of the warm tomato sauce into your meat mixture and mix well
- Roll golf ball sized meatballs until they’re perfectly round in your hands.
- Carefully drop them into the sauce, one by one covering each section of the pot so they don’t get crowded
- Do not stir for at least 15 minutes-you need the balls to firm up a little bit or they will break apart- stir gently and occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom
- Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down until simmering
- Remove the chicken breast after about an hour and a half or it will fall apart and become part of your sauce. Now you have another snack on a bun.
- You can leave these on for an hour and a half up to as many hours as you want- keep a lid on but ajar for the most time so you don’t lose all of your liquid- but it’s not boiling like crazy
- Crumble these into your favourite lasagna, serve them over spaghetti or your favourite pasta, serve them on a bun or just eat them straight out of the pot
