Having grown up in a family of cooks, most of my memories are tied up in what we were eating at the time. I have a distinct memory of driving up to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in my first car. I was on my way home from college, it was a hot, hot day, I didn’t have A/C and was pretty gross feeling by the time I finished the 2 hour trip. I got to grandma’s and was welcomed with a hug. She called Grandpa up from the basement and we sat down for lunch. A nice steaming bowl of bean soup. It’s one of those things that would’ve been unremarkable except for that simple thing. A bowl of bean soup on a hot day.
I have memories of bowls of sweet pickles, and pickled watermelon rind (those posts will be coming later). Memories of candy sticks in jars waiting for grandkids to dig in and suck those things down to sharp points, cuts on the tongue as the candy split where the stripes used to be. Bowls of nuts and nutcrackers set out for snacks while watching TV. Kringla, of course. Chocolate chip cookies.
From my mom, I remember family dinners. Bowls of salad while we waited for the main course to finish cooking. Fantastic meals. Grilled steak, omelets made to order, pancakes, sweet potato rolls, crock pots full of the best mashed potatoes. I remember a single meal of lasagna that probably would’ve been forgotten if it hadn’t been for a little incident involving a fork and my elbow.
Then there are the not so good food memories. The terrible hot dish eaten for dinner in southern Minnesota at a boyfriend’s dad’s house before seeing his dad in his underwear. I just didn’t know anyone could ruin a simple macaroni, ground beef, and tomato casserole. The time I took a big portion of what I thought was chocolate pudding off a salad bar, only to discover that it was liver pate. So many more.
Ok, so here’s the ask. Knowing that I have some of great-grandma’s recipes, is there a recipe in particular that I should be sure to make sooner instead of later? Do you have a specific food memory that I need to revisit for you? Please comment and let me know. I may not have the recipe you are thinking of, but I want to try.