Family recipes are often passed down from generation to generation, between friends, or in one instance here in Niagara Falls, between a doctor and their patients.
The office of Niagara Falls podiatrist Dr. Richard Sawicki has put together and distributed a recipe book for patients and friends, a tradition that has been going on for 33 years.
This year, the book features 66 recipes from 35 contributors featuring of full dishes, appetizers, dessert items, other cooking items like self-rising flour and butter frosting, to dog biscuits and plant food. It also features photos from the past 40 years that Sawicki’s office has been open, which will be celebrated on March 29, 2023.
“So far this year, I’ve given out 250 copies,” said Anne Moraca-Sawicki, RN, MSN, Richard’s wife who puts the books together and already has a folder for next year’s book started. “I’ve had years where I’ve done over 500.”
This cookbook started out of a cookie exchange with Sawicki family members 34 years ago, where cookie recipes were exchanged and Moraca-Sawicki told patients about it. When Richard said everyone was asking for them, Moraca-Sawicki made 25 copies which went really fast. After doing another 25, they went just as fast.
“After 50, I felt I had created a monster,” Moraca-Sawicki said. “Then at Thanksgiving, patients were asking if I was doing it. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. Now I’ve been doing it for 33 years.”
The recipes featured come from patients, other doctors, family members, friends, and anybody else who likes cooking and eating. Some of the recipes in it Moraca-Sawicki claims are over 100 years old.
“Some of the older ladies who don’t work outside of home were homemakers, and they would get recipes to send to their grandkids,” Moraca-Sawicki said. “That’s how you keep a family recipe going.”
It takes her between 200 and 300 hours in her spare time either at night or on weekends to organize the recipes and put the books together. At least thee-quarters of the recipes in the books are different from year to year.
“A lot of them are easy to do,” Moraca-Sawicki said, “so that you’re not tied up all day. Its instant success for people without a lot of time.”
The recipes she most often gets request to put in the book are Kris Kringle cutouts, cinnamon nuts, and pizzelle. One year, the books had a recipe for crystal garden, which is basically a kid’s science project where they pour different things inside a glass jar to make stalagmites. That called for bluing, which is used for laundry, and ended up causing a run for bluing at Top’s and Wegman’s locations to the point they ran out.
It’s not just for Christmastime that these are good for. There are recipes for other holidays throughout the year like Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Cinco De Mayo, Diwali, and All Soul’s Day, reflecting the different ethnic cuisine gathered.
Being in the medical field, Moraca-Sawicki is aware that there are medical conditions that cause people to not eat certain kinds of foods. So some recipes are gluten free, can give protein to those going through cancer treatment, and ones friendly to diabetics.
“It helps people enjoy eating again,” Moraca-Sawicki said. “Its discouraging if you have a medical condition and you were told you can’t eat this or that.”
Anyone who wants a copy of the recipe book must send a self-addressed, 6-inch by 9-inch envelope with two first class stamps to the office at 8657 Buffalo Ave. in Niagara Falls by Jan. 6, 2023. The books are free of charge, with Moraca-Sawicki requests that those who like the book make a small donation to a local charity.
Collected by Cookingtom
Original Article
I’m Brian Danny Max, a chef and a writer at cookingtom.com. I’m here to talk about food and cooking, and to share some of my favorite recipes with you all! I’ve been interested in food and cooking since I was a child. My parents are both great cooks, and they taught me a lot about the kitchen. I’ve been cooking professionally for about 10 years now, and I’ve loved every minute of it! I specialize in healthy, flavorful recipes that are easy to make at home. I believe that anyone can cook a delicious meal, no matter their skill level. I’m here to help you learn how to cook, and to show you that it’s not as difficult as you might think! I hope you’ll check out my blog and my recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you!