A Lifetime of Food Memories
Old recipes and the memories they carry
Everything that I know of childhood comes from one tiny, rural town in Southwest Georgia. Thinking back now, it seems almost like a fairytale.
It was a place where children could roam the neighborhood playing with friends all day or ride their bikes “uptown” without worry. There was practically no crime at all. People never locked their car doors and rarely locked their homes.
It really was like growing up in the fictional town of Mayberry. Or maybe I’m just remembering it through a child’s eye.
I can’t explain why, but there are simply certain smells and tastes that instantly bring childhood back to my mind. I have so many memories tied to food – so many memories of people who are inextricably associated with certain foods.
I can’t open a bottle of Tabasco sauce without thinking of how my Daddy loved it. I remember him drizzling it over a grilled steak and how he enjoyed the way it enhanced the flavor. I do the same thing on occasion, and the mere smell of Tabasco mingling with steak brings memories of him flooding into my mind.
My Uncle Clayton was famous in our family for his barbecue sauce. I still use his recipe to this day, and it’s the only one most of our family members want. No grocery store barbecue sauce for us!
His wife, my Aunt Bernice, was one of the most fantastic Southern cooks I’ve ever known. When I think of Aunt Bernice, I think of fried pies – apple and peach. I can see her hands holding the fork as she crimped the edges of the little pies and then slid them into the hot fat to fry. The smell of those pies cooking could bring grown men in from the fields and barn.
There were so many accomplished cooks in my family! I fondly remember my Aunt Marjorie (a home economics major and science teacher) and her chocolate meringue pies. To be honest, every single thing that came from her kitchen was incredible. And my Aunt Virginia made a Butternut Cake that could bring you to your knees.
My grandmother Polly, who departed this life at the age of 101, was well-known for many recipes, including her fruitcake. My Daddy loved Polly’s fruitcake and, in his own teasing way, always asked her for a slice of her “old sorry fruitcake” around Christmas time.
Polly also made the best pot roast I’ve ever eaten. When our first grandchild was just a toddler, he learned “baby signs,” simple hand signs that help toddlers communicate. We went to Polly’s house one day when she had a pot roast cooking, and as we walked in the back door, we were flooded by the delicious smell of that wonderful roast. Polly started laughing and told us to look – he was making the baby sign for “want more” over and over! I do love that memory!
And last, but by no means least, there’s my mother. I know that everybody thinks their mama is the best cook, but my Mama really is the best 😊. Just a few of the things that come to mind when I think of my Mama’s kitchen are the world’s best fried chicken, cornbread, and fried okra. Light as a feather angel biscuits. Crispy, crunchy salmon croquettes. And the absolute best cornbread dressing ever made. Really.
Not only is she a fabulous cook, she does it all with flair. Nothing ordinary. Nothing plain-jane. If it comes out of my Mama’s kitchen, it not only tastes wonderful, it looks beautiful.
I once got a comment on my blog wondering why anyone would want to make a particular recipe because it was “so 1965.” That made me pause and think that maybe I see cooking a little differently from other people. For me, cooking isn’t simply about getting a meal on the table so you can move on to something else. The preparation of good food is a way of showing love, and using the old recipes honors our ancestors.
The best meals allow time to come together and share the day’s events. And if you have an old family recipe to enjoy, so much the better. One of my favorites of all the family recipes I grew up with is Southern teacakes. Anyone my age who grew up near the place I did knows exactly what a teacake is. It’s not a cake, but it’s not exactly a cookie either. And, if you grew up in southwest Georgia, you can take one bite of a teacake, and in your mind, you’re five years old again.
If you’d like to bake a batch of teacakes and make a new memory with your family, you’ll find my recipe at Lana’s Cooking.