So I made a BUNCH. 3 batches, to be exact. The house smelled good.
 |  |
And while the mix was cooking and smelling all good, I decided to continue along memory lane thru the recipe box contents.
Here is my all-time favorite (when I was a teenager) salad dressing (clearly it was Papa's favorite, too). This reminds, I should really make a batch of this. Mmm mmm good!
Have you all heard of Beer Bread? Super simple. Super yummy.
How 'bout some Kahlua? Grammy and her neighbor nearly always had a jar of this stuff brewing under the deck.
Did you need the back instructions for that recipe? Remove bean after 30 days. Strain into dark bottle (if possible) using a very fine strainer. The end.
Oh, look. Here's a recipe I contributed to Grammy's box. She made it for us all the time, but never wrote it down. So I did. Ummm, my chicken scrawl printing hasn't improved much over the years.
Now, I don't know if Grammy just kept lots of recipes, like this one, in her head, or if someone (Mom!!??) raided the box before passing it on to me. But the box is definitely missing some of Grammy's staples: orange rolls, Cherry Pie, Chicken Tortilla Casserole (luckily every white-trash, church compiled recipe book has a copy of this recipe!), and her to-die-for chocolate chip cookies (the Toll House recipe plus oatmeal and cinnamon ... tho, everyone always accused her of not revealing her "secret ingredient" because nobody was ever able to reproduce the sheer excellence of her cookies.)
Wanna "meet" my Grammy? Here she is with my good friend, Darlene, in her much-used, little kitchen. She fed armies from that kitchen. And there was always a friendly pot of coffee ready for anyone who might pop in for a visit. Gosh, I miss her sweet little home on The River.
Isn't she cute?!? Oh. You wanna know what I looked like 18 years ago? Ok. Here I am with Darlene, and our friend Cathy. Gosh, that was a long time ago!
So, I've got lots more wrinkles and age spots now than I did then. I also have a husband and three boys. And you wanna know another of the bonuses of now vs. then? I don't anticipate any more friends asking me to walk down any aisles on their wedding days sporting the latest, greatest bridal attire!
Guess what? I never did have any occasion to wear THAT dress again! And yes, people did suggest that we would/could/should ...
Geesh. How did I digress from Chex Mix to bad bridesmaid dresses? Thus is the bunny trail of my meandering thoughts these days...
12 comments:
that was a fun post Ü
Look at you and your 80's hair!!
I love your meanderings and bunny trails. Who knew that Grandma's recipes would lead to thoughts of bridesmaids dresses best left forgotten??
And I have a similar recipe box from my grandmother. Who really didn't write much down. And we have lost a lot of her gems. But what is so interesting to me is the handwriting. My grandmother's looks just like your grandmothers!
What a creative way to share great recipes and memories! :)
I have my mother's recipes (which considering our difference in age would be like your great grandmother) but I also have the original Chex Mix recipe too and it is the best. My mother always added more garlic salt to it to give it a kick. Yum.
First off... what a treasure, having your Grandma's recipe box! Secondly... I'm LOVING the bangs! LOL. And why on earth did the bride have her bridesmaids also wear wedding dresses?
But don't you know, you only have to shorten it, and then you can wear it again. ;)
Awww so sweet. I have some of my grandma's old recipe cards but not her whole box. She rarely used it just like yours. Their handwriting is so similar. I also have an old mixer of my grandma's that still works. It looks like those fancy Kitchen Aid mixers. What a wonderful walk down memory lane for me through your post.
Fun post, Susan. What a cute Grammy.
I searched for years for an orange roll recipe...did you ever go to the Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola? Those rolls are part of John's view of heaven (-:
So sorry you didn't have occasion to wear the dress *hahahaha* I wish I had a buck for every time I heard that line (-:
Di
Oh, you are so lucky to have that box! My grandma was also an excellent cook, but she never did write down any of her recipes. I would do just about anything to have access to them now. :(
Your photos are always so amazing to see. It's an inspiration to stop by here each day! I'm so glad that our paths crossed and that we found each other's little spots on the 'net.
That recipe box is so cool looking. I'm so impressed. Now scan and make copies of everything in there to share with your family. lol
Those are some bridesmaid dresses. Whoa.
So, you had the big curly hair too, huh?
That recipe box is very special. We have my grandmother's.
BTW, the 2nd photo above is absolutely breathtaking! It's funny how when you see other people's pictures you think ...Wow! and then realize you would have never thought of that one...until you saw theirs. :)
Oh man, you are so lucky to have this recipe box. I am really intrigued by Grandma's Kahlua recipe. Nice!
Your bridesmaid dress was simply mahvelous. I'm shocked you never wore it again. hehe
*sniff*sniff* I can't read the Chex recipe. *quivering lower lip* Email it to me, please?
We may have to try the Kahlua. :D
Post a Comment