In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely uncover the surprising truths behind the rules we follow, the ones we break, and the embarrassing moments we all secretly Google.

From medieval knife etiquette and Victorian orange-cutting rules to restaurant dilemmas, awkward check battles, and the lesser-known rules of modern hosting, this episode reveals how manners have evolved — and why they’re more important today than ever.

A mix of cultural style, history, and real-life stories, Nancy and Sylvia share how etiquette shapes our relationships, our confidence, our friendships, and even tells others who we are at the table. If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I doing this right?”, this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories has answers to the questions you might be too embarrassed to ask out loud — but still should know.

This is not your grandmother’s etiquette talk, but instead something you can put to use tomorrow..

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The Easy Bread Plate Hack Everyone Should Know About: The “B” and “D” hand trick doesn’t just save embarrassment — it’s one of the most-searched etiquette questions worth learning.
• History Behind the Rules We Follow Without Thinking, And Why: Did you know that Medieval danger signals, Victorian pamphlets, and ancient dining rituals still influence how we sit, eat, serve, and host today?
• The Check-Dance Ritual, And Who Pays? From the guy with “alligator arms” and the host rule to power plays disguised as politeness, the debate over who pays is one of the most revealing etiquette moments in our professional and personal lives, and it's worth learning how to do it right.
• Toasting: Trust, Poison, and a Loud Clink: Did you know that the glass clink isn’t just for celebration—historically, it was a way to prove you weren’t poisoning your neighbor. (And yes, how high your glass, or goblet, was filled mattered!)

🎧 What You Can Do Next:

If this episode made you rethink even one habit, hit follow, share it with a friend, and send us your funniest or most unforgettable etiquette story. Join us, Nancy and Sylvia, in future stories at Family Tree Food & Stories, where we explore the traditions, quirks, and conversations that shape how we eat, gather, and connect — because. . .

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon

Home for the Holidays: The Lost Art of Decorating with Food

What if your next holiday centerpiece wasn’t from a store—but from your pantry? In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely help you rediscover the forgotten art and easy ways to decorate with food. It’s been a long-standing, even ancient tradition that’s fun and everyone can join in and help.

From hanging this year’s turkey wishbone and saving it for next year’s wish-making activities, to crafting apple-head dolls, hanging cookie tree ornaments, and stringing cranberry and popcorn garlands, there’s an interesting story with each of these holiday decorations.

There’s some pretty interesting history to many other food decorating traditions. Nancy and Sylvia dig into the Greek legend of the cornucopia and the history of how the pineapple became a symbol of welcome in many New England towns.

You’ll also learn the story of how Otto, the cookie-loving poodle, managed to sneak his share of holiday food decorations, unbeknownst to his owners. Then, give some of the other traditional edible craft decorations a try with your own family and friends, like orange-and-clove pomanders and more.

This holiday season, try bringing a little nostalgia back into your home, things that your grandmother might have done, and get an early jump on decorating for the holidays, with food!

Nancy shares… “Food is art, food is memory—and decorating with always makes you happy.”

Whether you’re a crafter, foodie, or simply someone craving a warmer, more memorable type of holiday season in 2025, this episode will help you remember that every meal has a story, and every story is a feast.

Key Takeaways:

• The history of edible decorations: from cornucopias to cookies and eggs
• Holiday decorating ideas: garlands, pomander oranges, bread babies, and more
• Regional food decorating stories from New England to Ecuador
• Why food and decoration: memory-making magic for holidays, heritage, and home

Tune in to Family Tree Food & Stories at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com or wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe so you never miss an episode release.

Learn why oatmeal is more than breakfast—it’s a bridge between past and present, comfort and culture, nourishment and nostalgia.

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍

What makes Thanksgiving more than a meal? There’s a lot more of the old and new traditions that, when combined, can make this celebration one you’ll remember for years to come.

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely explore how food, family, and traditions shape our sense of gratitude and belonging across the generations, tables, and even time zones from how to make that traditional turkey better than ever, to the most bizarre dishes of the past decades. This episode takes you behind the scenes of how some of our favorite Thanksgiving foods reveal where we came from (in past generations), where we’ve been (think wartime rationing), and those things that have become mainstay traditions, perhaps taught to you by an in-law.

Key Take Aways:

1. Gratitude: How The Legacy of Food and Friendship Lives On: Through stories of Gloria Hardy Rice and Denny Hamilton—two unforgettable women remembered through their cooking and hospitality—you’ll see how recipes and rituals can preserve memories far beyond the kitchen.

2. Strange but True: Mid-Century “Weird Dishes” Still Make it to The Table: Ever heard of bologna cake or ham and banana casserole? Nancy and Sylvia uncover these real mid-century recipes and explore what they reveal about America’s shift from fresh to processed foods—and why some trends are making a comeback.

3. Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams: The Real Difference: You’ll finally learn what separates these two Thanksgiving staples—and discover that the sweet potato actually comes from the morning glory family, not from traditional tuber potatoes.

4. Modern Twists on Classic Thanksgiving Traditions: From Friendsgiving gatherings to global recipe swaps and even new drinks and how to brine with apple cider, and even frog eye salad, this episode offers simple ways to freshen up your Thanksgiving platters.

5. The Sensory Secrets of Gratitude: You’re encouraged to notice the details—the scent of rosemary, the crisp sound of turkey skin, the warmth of laughter. It’s the simple things that make a Thanksgiving meal and day that much more memorable.

🎧 Join Us:

This Thanksgiving, we hope you’ll grab a seat at the Family Tree Food & Stories table. Listen to a few extra shows at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com to rediscover the flavor, humor, and your own family history that makes Every Meal a Story, and Every Story a Feast!

Additional Links ❤️

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Why are so many people afraid to cook? It’s easier and more fun, even than you might think. In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely dig into the big reasons and excuses behind avoiding cooking. Learn how even the most devout non-cook recently turned her “I don’t cook” mantra into a way to learn about her family history and a new level of confidence.

From burnt pots and melted pie crusts to Engagement Chicken and freezer chili hacks, Nancy and Sylvia share practical tips and tactics to cut through your own fear of learning—or relearning—how to cook at home. They also share how it might not just be you, but entire generations, who are challenged by cooking. Shifting lifestyles, rising food prices, social media pressures, and even Food Network shows have distorted the reality and perception of what it takes to stay healthy, enjoy cooking, and put even a simple hot meal on a plate.

Whether you’re an empty nester, have a large family, or are inviting friends in for a bit or a snack, there’s an idea for everyone in this next episode of Family Tree Food and Stories, because You Can Cook!

🔍 Key Episode Topics & Takeaways :

• Common cooking fears—why they exist and how to overcome them without expensive tools or culinary school
• Cost myths—why cooking at home is almost always cheaper than fast food or restaurant delivery
• Cooking for one or two—realistic tips for empty nesters, those newly divorced, or anyone living alone
• Why men are cooking more—and what that means for modern households, dating, and engagement chicken
• Cultural shifts—how working parents, youth sports, and Uber Eats rewired how we eat (and why that’s changing again)
• Mistakes that teach—what happens when you confuse baking soda with baking powder or overload your pasta pot
• Creative ways to start small—using canned soup, leftovers, and community cooking clubs as a jumping-off point
• Recipe preservation—how misreading grandma’s handwriting turned into seven cups of sugar instead of one—and why that memory matters

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍
• TikTok: Family Tree...

Oatmeal: it's a simple bowl with a story that spans continents, centuries, and countless family tables. In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely share the interesting history, folklore, forgotten traditions, and a few recipe ideas behind one of the world’s most comforting foods.

From ancient Scottish porridge (yes hidden their Sporrans)to more traditional breakfasts, and eve oat milk and skincare, you'll learn how this simple grain has fed and even healed so many across the generations.

You might even rethink your own breakfast routine as Nancy and Sylvia share how oatmeal has fueled farmers, inspired folklore, and even found its way into beauty products like Aveeno.

As always you'll hear personal stories and ideas about how oats and oatmeal has played a role in their lives and others they know, including Nancy’s 99-year-old father’s famous oatmeal routine—and a recipe shared by Sylvia's son Ross - who has eight, yes, EIGHT children!

Key Takeaways:

1. The Interesting History and Origins of Oatmeal: how it began in the fields of Scotland and Ireland, where it was both a staple food and then became a symbol of resilience, also called Avena Sativa, oats have helped many farming communities survive over the centuries.
2. It Was A Superfood Before Its Time: Modern science confirms what farmers always knew: oats are rich in fiber, heart-healthy nutrients, and anti-inflammatory properties. Yes, research has noted that a daily bowl can lower cholesterol, balance blood sugar, and boost long-term wellness.
3. From Comfort Food to Folklore: In Scotland, oats weren’t just food—they were protection. Folklore held that sprinkling oatmeal in your pocket could ward off fairies and bad luck. These myths reveal how deeply food and superstition intertwined across generations. Even the French used it to welcome or dissuade a daughter's suitors.
4. From Breakfast to Beauty: Oatmeal has many healing properties that are even incorporated in your "average" beauty products.
5. Recipes that Carry A Family of Eight Far: You can get a copy of Ross Lovely’s Minnesota Baked Oatmeal in this episode as well.

Tune in to Family Tree Food & Stories at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com or wherever you listen to podcasts and subscribe so you never miss an episode release.

Learn why oatmeal is more than breakfast—it’s a bridge between past and present, comfort and culture, nourishment and nostalgia.

Additional Links ❤️

• Ross Lovely's Minnesota Baked Oatmeal Recipe
• Book:

Ever wonder what bone cookies, charcoal embers in a turnup, and candy corn have common?

In this ghostly episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, hosts Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely stir up the history, humor, and hidden meaning behind Halloween’s more interesting and fun traditions. From ancient Celtic rituals to good luck brew, and a lover’s prediction, this episode shares how food, folklore, and superstition have come together over centuries to create the Halloween we know today.

👻 Did you know Halloween started not with candy—but instead with cakes for the dead?

🕯️Ever heard of “dumb suppers” where guests purposely invite their ancestral spirits to dinner?

🎃 Or that carving pumpkins first started with a carved turnup – and a spooky Irish legend about a drunk trickster named Stingy Jack?

This episode isn’t about horror— It’s about how old food-related superstitions turned into new stories and became tradition, and how something as small as a cinnamon stick or a fire ember can help us recreate traditions and stories from the past.

We’re talking witches, Wiccans, candy corn, garlic, good fortune potions, caldrons, and why some of us still can’t pass a graveyard without holding our breath.

Whether you’re a Halloween traditionalist or a foodie this episode will might have you turning your lobster pot into a homemade cauldron of flavor, and fun.

✨ Key Takeaways:

1. How Halloween Turned into a Modern Day Celebration: The Celtic roots of Samhain marked the shift from harvest to darkness—and gave rise to many of the traditions we still celebrate today.
2. Magic in the Kitchen: Secrets Behind Everyday Kitchen Herbs: Rosemary, sage, garlic, and other herbs have long been symbols of protection and good luck—proof that cooking can carry a little mystery of its own.
3. Old Rituals to Find Your Lover and New Meanings: From cakes for the dead to bobbing for apples, what once honored ancestors has evolved into modern ideas you can use today.

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍
• TikTok: Family Tree Food Stories
• 👇Share Your Story With Nancy & Sylvia!: Leave us a voicemail
• You can send us a DM on Facebook.
• 🎧 Subscribe now and never...

The Hidden Power of Everyday Food Rituals to Connect Family, Friends, and Colleagues

In this episode of Family Tree Food & Stories, Sylvia Lovely turns interviewer and invites Nancy May to reflect on and share her experiences in going home to New York and Connecticut. The interview turns into a food story about going home and finding new friends, while creating new memories and connections

Through treats (think chocolate) and meals shared with colleagues, long-time friends, and family, the conversation explores how shared meals create continuity between past and present—bridging professional spaces, personal history, and the comfort in knowing "you can go home" after all.

From a meeting in a New York chocolate factory with new collaborators, to a French dinner with a childhood friend, and tea with a mentor celebrating her 90th birthday, each experience and story illustrates how food serves as both anchor and bridge. Whether through the aroma of smoked mushroom risotto, the aroma of handmade chocolate, or the simplicity of a perfectly seasoned burger, each moments shared is is done so to help remind you that food and stories can awaken our senses and enrich every moment of your day.

Throughout the episode, Nancy and Sylvia share how awareness enhances connection—how important it is to slow down to notice the sounds, really taste the flavors (even of the day) and truly listen to the rhythm of conversation. Chance encounters can also transform the simplest moment of shopping into a new friendship and lasting memory.

As Nancy revisits the familiar towns of Connecticut, some she shares with her host, who had never experienced the region of New Preston, CT, from her new home base in Florida, she shares how the food shared throughout her trip enhanced every food becomes a way to re-engage with both past identity and present relationships.

This discussion underscores a central idea: food stories are professional, personal, and historical connectors. They link the boardroom (from her speaking event) to the kitchen table, the old neighborhood to new beginnings, and the act of eating to the art of listening.

Key takeaways:

• Food can strengthen even professional relationships: business and professional relationships are strengthened with a surprise introduction to the Moderne Chocolate factory and an introduction the founder, Joan Coukous and her husband, in New York City.
• Pay attention to the sensory details with each experience. From the smell of chocolate (in this episode example) to the rich taste of smoked mushroom risotto, at La Rivage, and a reconnection with a childhood friend. The episode highlights how sensory awareness transforms food from the action of eating into an act of mindfulness
• Food stories preserve legacy and strengthen belonging: Through recipes like syrup cake or transparent pie, hear how personal family food stories reinforce our understanding of family and friends.

🎧 Listen now at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com — and in the kitchen with family and friends again - and, remember that every meal tells a story, and every story is a feast!.

Additional Links ❤️

• Book:

In this Family Tree Food & Stories episode, Nancy May and Sylvia Lovely celebrate World Food Day by diving into how food traditions, family stories, and old-fashioned kitchen wisdom can help us better manage our family’s budget today. From McDonald’s Happy Meals and Burger King crowns to World War II ration cookbooks, casseroles, and potluck suppers, they explore how generations before us managed to feed their families with creativity, care, and a sense of community spirit.

This episode digs into stories and tips of stretching meals when prices rise, making do with what’s on hand, and why simple, hearty dishes—like soups, beans, pickled vegetables, and even Hamburger Helper—are finding their way back into modern kitchens. You’ll also hear about how Sylvia’s granddaughter surprised her with a simple yet delicious treat, reminding us that food—no matter how humble—has the power to comfort, heal, and bring us together, regardless of the time of day.

This episode explores how the lessons of our mothers and grandmothers continue to guide us: waste less, cook smart, and share what you have with friends and neighbors.

This episode explores how the lessons of our mothers and grandmothers continue to guide us: waste less, cook smart, and share what you have with friends and neighbors.

🍲 Key Takeaways:

1. Old Tricks Still Work – Learn how classic budget-stretchers like soups, stews, casseroles, and potlucks are making a comeback for today’s families.
2. Ration-Era Wisdom from WWII for Modern Times – Discover how vintage cookbooks and wartime recipes offer practical lessons for eating well on less.
3. Easy Sustainability Tips at Home – From small gardens to creative leftovers, see how past generations practiced “farm-to-table” long before it was trendy, and how you can do this too

🎧 Listen now at Podcast.FamilyTreeFoodStories.com — and in the kitchen with family and friends again - and, remember that every meal tells a story, and every story is a feast!.

Additional Links ❤️

• Book: My Family Tree, Food & Stories Journal Awarded #1 New Release on Amazon
• Instagram Story updates 📸
• Facebook Family Tree Food Stories GROUP👍
• TikTok: Family Tree Food Stories
• 👇Share Your Story With Nancy & Sylvia!: Leave us a voicemail
• You can send us a DM on