Although Colón had been preparing for the possible loss of her job by brown-bagging it and cutting back on other luxuries, when the axe fell it still came as a shock. She turned then to her family's most precious heirloom, her maternal grandmother's recipe file which held much more than directions on how to make Chicken Pie a la Mississippi. One in a long line of resourceful resilient women, Colón's grandmother Matilda survived the Great Depression largely on the strength of her own will. The first of 13 children, Matilda was yanked out of school in the fourth grade, and soon her secretarial salary became the sole support of her entire family. But the really tough times didn't begin until Matilda's husband, Charlie, bought a mostly unfertile farm and the family had to rely on scraps, wits and the kindness of local wives (who offered and typed many of the recipes in Colón's treasured stash). Colón's mother, Carolyn, followed the same example. Divorced when Colón was very young, she worked hard, saving nickels and dimes in a coffee can so that mother and daughter could take a trip to Bermuda and added to the cache of recipes. Between the lines of these recipes, Colón found the inspiration she needed to overcome her own hard times which, as seen through the lens of her family's history, didn't seem nearly as challenging.
Although Colón rightly credits the women in her family for gracefully overcoming enormous odds, she never gives short shrift to the men in her life. Some of the sweetest, most touching passages describe her close relationship with her maternal grandfather (who acted as a surrogate father) and her funny, loving husband. As for the recipes, some are more intriguing (and practical) than others, but all demonstrate the underlying theme of this jewel of a book: that love, family and the occasional hearty stew can brighten even the darkest of times.--Debra Ginsberg
Shelf Talker: A charming, wry and ultimately satisfying memoir of food, family and overcoming hard times.