“Like Mother Like Daughter Cookbook includes some traditional, some new and some borrowed recipes that hold a special place in my heart.” – Michelle Cola Hasen
There is something special about the bond between mothers and daughters and each mother and daughter have their own unique way of expressing love and togetherness. For Randi Cola and her daughter Michelle Cola Hasen, it has always been about the joy of cooking together. Their culinary bond dates back to when Michelle was growing up and Randi began sharing recipes passed down from her own mother and grandmother.
Over 90 pages of delicious recipes
The culinary duo has compiled these treasured family recipes in their new cookbook Like Mother Like Daughter – from our home to yours. The Like Mother Like Daughter cookbook features more than 90 pages of delicious recipes, covering everything from appetizing starters to delectable fish dishes, mouth-watering poultry, sweet and savory desserts, and brunch delicacies. The artfully styled cookbook also includes Jewish staples like Matzah Balls and the Best Ever Challah and it’s vegetarian-friendly too.
“My mother created a cookbook for me, a makeshift version of family recipes, that she presented before I got married,” says Michelle. “I wanted to share it with the world.” She also wanted the published version to be a little bit different so she incorporated recipes from friends, younger people, and her mother-in-law. “Mostly, these are recipes from my mother,” Michelle says.
Cooking is a passion of mine
Randi describes herself as someone who “cooks passionately”, putting her whole heart and soul into re-creating the “generational recipes” the two have shared through many years of cooking. “It’s always been a passion of mine to be in the kitchen,” she says. “There is always an echo of generations of cooks past.” Randi never had to prompt Michelle to get dinner together as a child. “Thank God, from the time Michelle was little, we cooked together. It was fun.”
Cooking was always a family affair. Not surprisingly, Michelle’s father, brothers, and husband are enthusiastic supporters of their ladies kitchen bond. “My brothers were rooting for us from the get-go,” Michelle says. Her bros would have liked the cookbook to highlight a signature recipe, although there are so many scrumptious recipes packed into one cookbook that you couldn’t really say which one is the best. Michelle says their favorite is duck dish but would that be Roast Duck Breasts with Pomegranate Chili Sauce or Honey Soy Ginger Duck? There’s a similar delightful dilemma with all their culinary offerings: Would that be Rack of Lamb with Fresh Herbs & Garlic or Roast Lamb with Berry-Pecan Crust? Like Mother Like Daughter is available in all the stores and on Amazon and their website just went live so hurry and get a copy and you be the judge.
Michelle has followed in Randi’s maternal footsteps in the most basic way. “We both have three children,” she says. Randi chimes in, saying she has five grandchildren. Momma looks likes she could be about the same age as Michelle, joking that she is 35 and “young at heart!” The mother-daughter angle appeals to many women. The night before we launched on Mother’s Day, people wrote in the most beautiful messages,” Michelle says. “It was a very fulfilling experience.” Randi couldn’t agree more. “If it weren’t for Michelle, I wouldn’t feel as blessed as I do.”
Like Mother Like Daughter – from our home to yours – By: Randi Cola and Michelle Cola Hasen
