Share your family stories and recipes

Most of the time, I pretty much know what recipes I want to put in the paper and think about the picture process in advance. But I'm not always ahead of the game when it comes to the lead-in and what I want to talk about. This week was no exception when two things happened that got me thinking about families, celebrations, endings and beginnings.

My mother's last surviving sister, Auntie Helen, died last week. She was the last living of the 14 children born to Charles and Margret Boegle of Virginia City. My grandmother had her first child in 1904 and her last in 1923. She died in 1928, and the seven youngest went to live in the Orphans Home in Carson City. The seven oldest, from age 15 on up, had to fend for themselves.

In Saturday's Appeal, the Past Pages column listed my aunt Florence Boegle as one of the graduates of Carson High's class of 1934. Her sister Edith graduated from Carson in 1939, and my mother, Dorothy graduated from Virginia City High in 1938. My grandson, Rory Torvik, graduated from that same school this year, 66 years later.

Of all the 14 children, only those three graduated from high school. I know they didn't have easy lives, but they all seemed to make the most of what life dealt them. They had a combined total of 28 children. Six of them were never divorced, and half of them died from cancer. This doesn't begin to tell the combined story of their lives, but like recipes, they had pinches of this and dashes of that all stirred together with a lot of love.

The family that had kept in touch and got together for celebrations were a fun-loving group. The sisters stuck by each other through good times and bad - they all had their share of both. My cousin Margy DelCarlo and I went back to visit my Aunt Helen in Missouri a couple of times before she died, and she gave me a lot of her recipes.

The old saying life goes on and is for the living rings so true. The best you can do for those you have loved and passed on is to remember them.

Share your family stories and recipes. Some of my family's were worth retelling, and some were swept under the carpet but eventually came out anyway. I will always remember my Auntie Helen for her Gravenstein apple pie and her sister-in-law Helen Boegle for her homemade ravioli. My Auntie Margret made some killer flapjacks, and my mother made a Hungarian coffee cake that I still make, but it never seems to taste as good as hers.

Don't hoard those old family recipes. You'd best be sharing them with your kids and grandkids, and for goodness sake's write them down! You can't duplicate a recipe that's in someone's head, especially if that head is not with you.

The minted limeade recipe is just a refreshing beverage you can make at home and really is worth the effort to make from scratch. But if you are not so inclined, you could use a frozen can of limeade. This recipe is only a guideline depending on how many people you want to make this for. (See above.)

In Riso Salad, riso is pasta shaped like rice. You can add your favorite veggies or delete any you don't care for. There are no specific quantities for this recipe because it depends on whether you are making it for eight or 58. Use your best judgment. All the vegetables are chopped small then marinated in a vinaigrette. The cooled pasta is added at the end.

On a last note, for an easy, no-hassle, wonderful dessert, stop by the Farmers Market and get some blackberries from Keith at D&K Farms. The new variety he is selling at the market - Tripple Crown - are to die for. They are plump, juicy and sweet. For an extra treat, walk over to Lattin Farms and buy one of their breads. I tried the lemon and loved it. They will also be selling a special bread for the Fourth of July.

Linda Marrone has lived in Carson City since 1973, and with her husband, Ralph, formerly operated Marrone's Restaurant in Carson City and Somethin's Cookin' Catering.