In Memory: Mom’s Recipe For A Good Life
How do we hope to be remembered? It’s a question we all ask ourselves, especially when we think about our own mortality. It has now been a few weeks since I lost my dear mother, Linda Geller, a’h, after a long illness. As anyone who has sat shivah will agree, the themes of a person’s life, whether known or hidden, emerge during the reflections and reminiscences of that week. Their often-misunderstood quirks suddenly reveal hidden superpowers and strengths as we repeat their stories on autoplay.
During her younger prime years, my mother was a businesswoman. She worked full-time in an era before it was commonplace. She was focused and hardworking, all the while juggling the responsibilities of her family and home. But she never lost sight of her priorities: family, Shabbos, education, Jewish Identity, and continuity. She always supported Israel until she eventually made aliyah. She was fearless, optimistic, and forward thinking, always ready for the next adventure or experience. Until the end, she was on committees, volunteering, learning, and looking for new ways to grow in Torah and as a person. She didn’t follow trends; she followed her values.
My mother was not a fancy cook. Nothing exotic or too involved. Healthy and nutritious meals were the rule. Consistently. She ate in a disciplined way, favoring whatever was healthful and natural (and if she was going to have ice cream, she would only have one spoonful, arguing that the first bite is where all the indulgence lies!). She cooked simply, gravitating toward those family-friendly dishes that were an easy slam dunk and would be appreciated by all. In her later years, she started making challah for the first time in her seventies, mostly for the mitzvah.
My sisters and I all make my mother’s sweet and sour meatballs. I have never met a child who did not like them. It was her go-to recipe to feed a crowd on the holidays, easily doubling and tripling in order to freeze the extras. When you make them at home, make a berachah in her memory, l’illui nishmas Liba bas Nachum. She was a force who will be missed.
Mom’s Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Yield: Serves 6-8
3 pounds ground beef
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup matzo meal or bread crumbs
1 (15-oz.) can whole cranberry sauce
1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup (4 oz.) chili sauce (Heinz)
Directions:
Combine beef, eggs, spices, and matzo meal together in a large bowl, mixing until well blended. Using wet hands, break off small amounts (about 1-2 tablespoons each) and roll into meatballs. Repeat with remaining beef mixture. Set aside.
Combine cranberry, tomato and chili sauces in a large heavy pot. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring to blend. When sauce begins to boil, carefully drop in meatballs. Return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for one to one and a half hours. Skim fat from surface, if necessary (if making in advance, this is easily done after refrigerated or frozen as the fat will congeal). Serve hot over rice or couscous. n
Naomi Ross is a cooking instructor and food writer based in Woodmere, NY. She teaches classes throughout the country and writes articles connecting good cooking and Jewish inspiration. Her first cookbook, The Giving Table, was released in December 2022. Follow her at @naomirosscooks on Instagram/FB/TikTok or visit NaomiRossCooks.com.
