Today's post is going to be a mash up of Genealogy Girl's
#GenealogyPhotoADay prompt on Instagram for February 07 - #FOOD. As well as Amy Johnson Crow's #52Ancestors prompt #InTheKitchen.
I've
blogged a few times about my time spent with my grandmother, Mammy. Every other weekend until age twelve was spent with her from Friday night until late Saturday evening. If I wasn't having to help haul hay or work cattle, I was being groomed for adulthood and many life skills were
intentionally taught to me. One of the most important was knowing my way around a kitchen and being taught to never show up to a meal empty handed.
A few things I can remember her teaching me to make was a zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting. The zucchni had come from her garden and on this instance my cousin Jennifer was there too. We each made a cake. I can still remember her telling us the importance of folding and stiring deep into the bowl to make sure there wasn't any dry ingredients hiding down there.
Another thing I remember her teaching me to make was biscuits. I can remember her teaching me to make a well in the center and not to over stir. And then there were homemade rolls. And the time I was taught a rustic dessert;
apple dumplings. Everything else is a bit of a blur. For the most part I was her helper and spent so much time with my hands in the sink either washing dishes or rinsing them. For all the time spent in her kitchen though, I don't have a single picture of her in hers. I do have a picture of my aunts in her kitchen though, so I'm going to share it.
Notice all those plates hanging? There were stories behind each one. Unfortunately, I only remember the story behind that black tarnished one on the end. If anyone out there rembembers the significance of the others, I'd really love it if you'd share it with me. Also, see the oil lamp in the right corner? I am so grateful that I now have that!
I'm not sure I was as intentional while raising my kids about the significance of knowing their way around the kitchen, and I
know I wasn't as patient but the lessons were taught anyway. Here are a few pictures I have of my babies (who are no longer babies) in my kitchen:
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| The girls making their Dad his 45th birthday cake |
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| Here's Ashley with a cake she made her Nanny Kay with the miniature cake pan set she bought herself at Hobby Lobby. |
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Patrick frying deer meat for our supper. Not only did he kill, clean and process his deer, he has always been comfortable cooking in the kitchen!
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Laney making green bean casserole for our Thanksgiving.
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| Ashley making hashbrown casserole for Thanksgiving. |
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| Patrick making Christmas Wreath's from cornflakes, marshmallows a little butter and green food coloring and red hots for the berries. -- This was something Mammy always made. |
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| Laney making Reindeer Tracks for Christmas - we learned how to make these from Nanny K |
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| Ashley's special burger recipe. We still use this! |
When I first moved out here to Chigger Haven, I wanted to decorate my kitchen with old black and white photos of our ancestors in their kitchens. I still haven't done that. Maybe this will prompt me to getting some printed off and hung. I would also like to get a glass top cut for my dinning room table and display old family photographs under the glass. Here are a few kitchen pics in my collection:
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| My Grandma Reba with her birthday cake! One of my all time favorite pictures. |
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| Great Grandma Zula probably making cornbread. |
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| Grandma Nall -- my great grandma Willie Belle serving Thanksgiving 1966 |
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This is my step dad in his Grandma Conklin's house. He believes its the house they had in Creston, CA. Like Patrick, he is also very capable in the kitchen. |
I'm still lacking any kitchen pictures from Jared's side of the family.
*Edit* I found this picture of Mammy and me and Patrick from 1999-2000 standing in her kitchen
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