Welcome!

Welcome! This is my first blog. I am brand new to this so please try to be patient with me! ;)

A Blending of Bittersweet Memories is a book that is dedicated to all of those people that have lost their parent and/or loved one. For me, food is the trick for keeping their memory alive. This is a compilation of bittersweet memories in conjunction with a specific recipe. All of the traditional recipes that have departed with our loved ones, will now be remembered indefinitely.

Our Mission:

To give people a comforting way to manage the loss that is forever and keep memories/recipes alive. Please send us your stories and recipes today. Check out our website:

www.bittersweet-memories.com

Public Relations

Tomorrow, Friday October 23rd, I am meeting with two top Publicists. I am extremely excited to hear what they think of my idea and how they want to move it forward. I will keep you posted as to what happens. Wish me luck!

Submissions

We have already received 3 submissions!!! I am so excited about them. They are exactly what we are looking for. I can't wait to share them with all of you; they will just melt your heart.

We need many more submissions from people of all different backgrounds including racial, religious, financial, age, gender, ethnic etc. Please help us by telling your friends, co-workers, families about us! Thanks!

Facebook

We have just started a Facebook Fan Page. It is called www.bittersweet-memories.com.

Please go check it out and become a fan! Over the past 48 hours, we have grown from 1 fan (me :) to 190 fans! I am blown away by everyones extremely heartfelt comments. I am so excited about this book because I feel that it is so needed! Thank you to all of you who have been so supportive.

About why we are Writing this Tribute

A Blending of Bittersweet Memories

On January 23, 2006 Renée Israel, my mother, lost her life to a long, hard-fought battle against breast cancer. She lived her life with such class and devotion to her family and friends that she left us with huge shoes to fill.

During her lifetime, my mother with the help of her beloved family and friends, created two cookbooks entitled "Whip Me, Beat Me, Eat Me". The origin of Whip Me, Beat Me, Eat Me started in my mother's kitchen. She would cook dinner Monday through Thursday for just her family.

Each and every Sunday night my mother would prepare a multiple course home cooked meal for our "family". While our immediate family only consisted of five people, the Sunday "family" included at least fifteen and sometimes up to fifty people on any random Sunday. After our constant requests for her recipes, she together with her friends, compiled recipes and created the two cookbooks.

Thankfully my mother wrote all of her recipes down and now I can pass them along from generation to generation. But what are recipes without the Bittersweet Memories behind them?

"I was serving my husband "Monday Night Spaghetti" when it hit me like a ton of bricks: the delicious smell of spaghetti bolognese with a hint of sugar, the taste of the crispy topping and the old dish that my mother used to serve it in. My mother's presence was so strong through her recipes. I tasted, smelled, and saw Monday Night dinners at my childhood home". This is in honor of our loved ones, especially my mother, Renée.

-Emily