Thursday, July 31, 2008

Mixing it up


Vermeer, A street in Delft
A copy of this picture in a wide maple frame hangs above our piano. Growing up in hung in my grandmother's house. She was a smoker and so the walls in my picture are yellowed and the sky looks a little overcast instead of bright. Every cookie or packaged goodie from her house not only smelled but tasted like moth balls, mildew bags and cigarettes. While we were at her house it didn't taste like that but expose it to non carcinogenic air and some sort of sick reaction took place. She was a good cook too, so it was a sad moment to have to throw away some pecan Sandie's or banana nut bread. This week while my sister Cathron was here I made Ham Loaf for her. That was a holiday staple my grandmother always made but none of Cathron's brood cares for our Epicurean tradition. I also made green stuff. Well, at least that's what we always called it. There was a variation of our recipe right on the Jet-Puff Marshmallow Bag, couldn't believe it...We always put cottage cheese in our recipe and used green jello instead of the pistachio pudding. So I mixed it up and tried their p-pudding and our c-cheese and it was lovely...John-Thomas my finicky eater even loved it.
While I'm at it, I might as well add that a favorite crazy mix it up that I had with my grandmother was Peter Pan Peanut butter sandwiches with her homemade sweet pickles. It's not the same with out the homemade ones and I'm not up to that culinary endeavor so it will have to remain a memory. Any crazy combos past or present that is distinctly you...?

1 comment:

Tavia said...

I can't remember any strange combinations at Grandma's house although I am sure there were plenty. I remember Estee Lauder's Youth Dew Perfume filled my grandmother's bedroom and I would just sit in there to get high off that wonderful smell. Even to this day when I am talking to her (I know I'm a little nuts) I go and get her perfume off my dresser and take it in. She usta make Oatmeal or Cream of Wheat in the winter and Soft-boiled eggs in the tiny egg cups often. We all make her recipes now, but everyone's favorite of which my boys renamed is Nanny Soup. It's a chicken soup base with Pastina noodles in it. We can't get the Pastina here in Illinois so mom sends 5 to 10 boxes at a time from fall to late spring. Warms more than our tummies. I miss her so very very much. Some of the best memories ever. Thank God for legacies and heritage.