Written by Joan Marie Darby, 2006

Each of us is blessed indeed to be a member of the Brennan clan. So it is with profound love for and appreciation of our grandparents and parents that we Brennan cousins have assembled this cookbook of treasured family recipes.

We are a remarkably connected clan. That connectedness is rooted in the many gatherings of the clan when we were young, for a myriad of occasions but always, always with animated conversations sharing the joys and challenges of our lives and of course with bountiful good food. These began at 12th and Monroe Streets, NE, the home of our grandparents, John and Agnes Brennan, and continued through the years at the homes of our parents, John and Dorothy Brennan, Mary Virginia and Harold Darby, Peggy and Charles Carroccio, and Tom and Betty Brennan. Our bachelor Uncle Paul did not host any gatherings, but he did his share to keep us connected—again with conversation and food—as he made his “rounds” on the weekends bringing us news from his last stop and taking our news to his next stop, and keeping us supplied with donuts or Ledo’s pizza (in those days from the one and only original Ledo’s in College Park).

Not to be forgotten are our gatherings at Bethany Beach each summer, most especially the night when we sang “Happy Birthday” to Uncle John, cheered the winners of art and checkers contests and Gifford’s ice cream that Uncle Tommy Fagan, brother of Aunt Dorothy, brought all the way from home on dry ice for the occasion. The seeds sewn by our grandparents and parents in all these gatherings have borne great fruit. Today, we cousins look for an embrace every opportunity to be together.

Thus is not surprising that the idea for this cookbook emerged from the friendly chatter at the annual Frederick outing of the Brennan “girl” or “lady” cousins (the proper appellation is a subject of debate). Food figures large in our shared memories. We of course think of the sweets such as Aunt Tu’s brownies or family friend Margie Gaegler’s homemade cakes (and more recently Anne-Marie’s artfully decorated teapot cookies), but we also think of the hearty heartland dinners prepared by our Aunt Dorothy from Iowa, or the Wednesday night authentic spaghetti dinners at the Carroccio household. The list is actually quite endless, but here at last we have made a good start recording that list and preserving recipes. So read on, hit the grocery store, put on your apron and cook up some wonderful memories sprinkled with love!

My aunt’s words still ring true as finish off the final touches of what was surely a passion project over the past year—moving our family cookbook, about 190 recipes, to the “internet.” I know… there’s nothing quite like rustling through the pages of a real homemade book, stained with oil splotches and little spills. Remnants of cooking memories and gatherings. Handwritten recipes and folded up printed additions tossed in between pages. Dog-eared corners of our favorites to come back to. However, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of an upgrade to keep this treasure growing over my generation and those to come.

If I learned anything from reading through the cookbook, it’s 1) how to spell Worcestershire sauce and 2) that not much has changed. While the cookbook may have gotten an upgrade, the reason it exists is still rooted in the traditions we hold close, evident in the many gatherings between cousins. Always filled with laughter, joy, perhaps a few dramatics in the kitchen, and food. When I think of our family gatherings, visions of preparing meals and sitting around the table often come to mind.

I’ll forever think of my mom whipping up the Barnes’s eggnog at the kitchen counter every single Christmas Eve morning, filling a large bowl to be chilled overnight. A frosty cloud of white ready to be consumed in abundance. I hold close the yearly Brennan cousins outing in my hometown of Frederick—30 years strong! I think about baking my Grandma Tu’s brownies and receiving a compliment from my Uncle John Darby (a major feat!). ”These taste just like moms,” as he proceeds to take a second and third.

I remember pizza on the beach with my Darby cousins at Bethany or late evening walks to Dickey’s for ice cream. I’ve also started my own tiny annual autumn dinner with my aunts and cousins, serving what is an update on my grandma’s beef stew. A fabulous version for lazy people, using a crockpot—yes, it’s in the cookbook. I think of how Ledo’s has remained by our side like a faithful friend through all these years for a Friday night in. A weekly tradition over 50 years strong for Mary Ellen and Stan Poole.

You get the point. Food is memories. It brings us together. Year after year. It pulls us to the table, fondly reminiscing and laughing. The Brennans continues to remain a “remarkably connected clan.” So, I hope this helps spark a new appreciation for the Brennan Family Cookbook as we continue to embrace these recipes, calling each other to the table and into our homes to create new memories. Year after year.

Natalie is daughter to Maria Darby and granddaughter to Mary Virginia (Aunt Tu) and Harold Darby.