The Waller - Warren Family Cookbook
Jenn Waller

Jenn Waller was born in Maryland in the early 70s, while her father, George, was stationed there in the Air Force. She grew up in New England and has remained there all her life.

One of Jenn's earliest food memories is at the Ukrainian church of her mom's mom. At the blessing of the Easter baskets, she was not allowed to bring her easter eggs because they had ernie and bert stickers on them. Apparently this was inappropriate.

Favorite Foods from Childhood:
I remember I liked Gerber's Vanilla Custard a whole lot, but that may have been when I was 9 or 10. There was always the kielbasa that smelled up the house so nicely. Or eat it cold the next day. Shake and Bake chicken wings. chocolate chip cookies. Perogis, pompushki (Ukrainian donuts) with powdered sugar on top. Put it on too soon and the sugar would melt and drip. Devilled Eggs.

I loved corned beef and cabbage. Well... the corned beef part anyhow. It's the pink stringy meat thing they would give us. Usually with spicy mustard which I avoided.

yes, I looooove shake-n-bake chicken skin. We used to do Kentucky Fried Chicken a lot too at Dad's. I guess one of my earliest memories would be of you / me / Dad going to McDonalds and ordering a single pancake breakfast and we'd each have one pancake and be full.

And what about the Hood ice cream with chocolate sprinkles served in the frosted bowls with silver edging?

And there was the time we made sopapillas ... though I have no idea what they are, I remember the name.

We always would have London Broil steaks at Len's condo. I can conjure up the smoky grill taste of it as I think back... mmm...

Home-Grown foods:
At Baba's house - tomatoes, gooseberries, grapes, cherries, pears... At Shoddy Lane - carrots, tomatoes, peas, beans, wild strawberries.

Birthday Tradition:
Dressel's ... The cake with the sprinkles on the side.

Typical Easter Meal:
Kielbasa and holopshis (rice in cabbage things) Corned beef and cabbage. A large bread with a braided top / baked on design to it. Cooked with an egg glaze so it was all shiny and hard with a yellow center. Eggs. Lots of eggs and only what was in the basket for the blessing.

Typical Thanskgiving Meal:
Turkey. Mashed potatoes.

Typical Christmas Meal:
None... it was just quick-eat-this-quick-so-we-can-open-presents!

Normal Daily Fare:
Creative dishes that Mom would spend lots of time cooking. And usually some nasty vegetable like broccoli and cheese.

Seasonal Treats:
Watermelon. Candy Canes. The ice cream truck and the "cannonballs" -- orange sherbert cone with a gumball at the bottom.

She remembers her parents, George and Ann, loving Chicken in Wine Sauce. Dad had a liking for some beer whose caps had word puzzles on them. We used to ask him to drink more so that we could see the bottlecaps.

If she were an animal, she'd be a dolphin. The neatest natural phenomonon she's seen is a solar eclipse in 1994.

Drinks:
I guess that white russians would count, but those are way too easy. Take milk. Add vodka. Done. I don't drink, just hanging around the house... it's usually a social thing. Maybe I'll have a beer if it's been a stressful day, but then again I try not to drink as a result of stress. When I was wild, I liked screwdrivers - take orange juice, add vodka, done. I have simple tastes when it comes to cocktails.

RECIPES
Pork Chops with Mushroom Soup
Screwdriver Cocktail
Spritz Christmas Cookies

SIBLINGS
Lisa Waller

Profiles of the Waller - Warren Family Members
The Waller - Warren Family Cookbook