Julie's Family Recipes
From our red brick house, with love
December 25, 2025
Dear Family,
Nearly forty years ago, in 1986, my grandmother, Elsie Solomon, created a cookbook for me—filled with her favorite recipes and dishes she knew I loved. I have cherished that cookbook ever since, returning to her recipes again and again. It has been a tangible reminder of her love, care, and presence in my life.
Over the past 38 years, as a mother and homemaker, I have gathered the recipes in this book—many made repeatedly at our family table, others tried during different seasons of our lives. Some will be very familiar to you; others may be new. Like life itself, what I’ve cooked has changed over the years, shaped by time, needs, celebrations, and the people I was cooking for. This book is not finished; I hope to continue adding recipes over time as new favorites are created and shared.
Sharing these recipes with you feels like opening my heart. I believe that cooking and baking for others is one of the simplest and truest expressions of love and care. Every meal prepared, every dessert baked, has been my way of saying I love you.
I treasure our family tradition of cooking, baking, and celebrating together. It is my hope that these recipes will continue to be shared, adapted, and loved—carrying our family’s care for one another forward for generations to come.
With all my love, Julie/Mom