Instead of picking one brisket recipe for a Rosh Hashanah meal, these college roommates combined their grandmothers' recipes into one. It did not go exactly as planned.

Sweet and savory capirotada was an expression of Grandmother Petra's love for her family, especially at Christmastime. She never wrote it down, so her grandchild had to re-create it from memory.

They aren't sure where this version of the French Canadian meat pie came from, but one thing is clear: It isn't Christmas without tourtière.

Recipes for sweet and savory bread pudding, brisket, a French Canadian pork pie and homemade pasta accompany stories both heartwarming and hilarious from the NPR audience.

Hundreds of Nonna's handmade cappelletti were no match for Barron the Doberman. But Barron was no match for Nonna and her rolling pin.

Four recipes feature pancakes — from sweet to savory — from our NPR audience. One's made of matzo meal, another has potatoes. Scallions and sausage are in there, too.

While growing up, Merjem Mededovic cooked with her grandmother and learned names of various things in Bosnian. One recipe she learned is kljukusa, a potato and onion dish similar to a latke.

Try your hand at making two curries — one fish and one lamb — plus a recipe for a slow-cooked country ham and other family favorites.

This recipe represents the ultimate comfort food — nothing fancy. It's been passed from generation to generation. If you can't handle the heat, try adding mango.

When Grandpa put on his raincoat, that meant it was time to move the ham off the stove, just one step in Grandma's slow-cook process for a salt-cured country ham.

No one picks more bamboo than Grandma Zhang, who "shows her love through cooking." Her work ethic and all of the dishes she makes are an inspiration to her family.

A choice of toppings lets all of the relatives around the table make this meal their own. And it's OK to substitute chicken or tofu if lamb is not your thing.

A young woman's family recipes transformed the menu at a restaurant in Arizona where she worked. Decades later, the business is gone but the owners' granddaughter still makes the taco filling today.

A long-distance video lesson from Mom also offered a chance to write the recipe down. Cold weather and a marble slab work best to cool this homemade confection, which has helped the family bond.

A young Jan Kincaid Clifford wasn't even tall enough to reach the stove. That didn't stop her from stirring the pot. And stirring. And stirring. Her dad's recipe requires patience, but it pays off.