I grew up in Northwest Indiana and could not wait to leave the place. The landscape is dotted with factories, suburban post war sprawl, sand dunes and Lake Michigan. It's not a pretty place.
"The Region" as it is lovingly known is home to a large eastern european population. Myself I am, Serbian, Croation and Polish. There is French, Scotch Irish and English thrown in there too. I didn't understand or relate well to my "ethnic" side until I was an adult. Being that I am blond with blue eyes and fair skinned I could blend in with the rest of the Blond, blue eyed German and Irish. I seemed any old random white girl. The only thing that made people step back was my maiden name, which was Damjanovich. (Dam-yan-ovich)
I began to learn and understand who I was when I was given a copy of St. Joseph the Workers church Cookbook. It contained recipes from my childhood. Delicious foods that I loved and missed. Things I watched my grandma, dad and other people make.
This blog is that story...