My grandmother was an Old World cook. She made everything from what we’d call scratch. In her day, I don’t believe they had pre-packaged foods. She spent a good deal of her time in the kitchen and turned out delicious meals.

My grandmother was Slavic, but she and my grandfather (both immigrants) lived in the Pittsburgh area. Every December she homebaked hundreds of Kolaches, a traditional flaky Baltic pastry filled with small amounts of sweet jam or pulped fruit, such as apricots or prunes. My favorites were the apricot-filled treats, but she also made some with prune filling.