Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting Pot Cuisine

“American food is a story of mash-ups.” As we embark on our 2021 community read, we invite you to dive into this experience of learning more about how culture and cuisine collide by sharing one of your favorite family recipes.

Let’s Get Cooking!

Recipes come to us from all parts of a culture, not just its cuisine. This is why your Polish grandmother’s cabbage rolls are the best – because they come with a story that often has nothing to do with the rolls themselves. Perhaps she got the recipe from her grandmother, so when you make them, you feel a connection going back five generations.”

Get a taste of some of the cultures our community is made up of by trying out these recipes!


Horace’s Ranger Casserole

We don’t know where the recipe originated. Horace was a cook in the navy during WW2, and then had a career in the restaurant business until he retired in the 1980s, so maybe he developed it along the way. Nevertheless, it is a family favorite because not only is it a great crowd pleaser, it is so easy to prepare.

Get cooking! Horace’s Ranger Casserole

The Good Fish Soup

This one comes from my father who cooks delicious dishes and does it with all his heart. Not only is this soup simple to and quick to cook, it delivers deliciousness that defies how budget friendly it is.

Get cooking! The Good Fish Soup

Sauerkraut

Growing up there were always freezer bags full of sauerkraut in the family freezers. Each year towards the end of summer (late September) my grandfather would drag out several large pickling crocks, sharpen the blades of the kraut cutters, order 200-250 pounds of Colorado cabbage from the grocery store, and invite the family over to their garage in McPherson, Kansas.

Get cooking! Sauerkraut