Cooking with Grandma

Frankly, she's whoever you want her to be. She might be my Grandma--or yours. Or maybe a friend's Grandma....

Or just maybe...

She's a crisp early winter morning with just a hint of woodsmoke in the air mixed with the most wonderful smell of all--freshly baked biscuits. The combination overpowers your senses.

Or maybe...

She's cool Autumn afternoons spent playing in piles of freshly raked leaves with the heavenly smell of apple or pumpkin pies cooling on a windowsill calling to you..."Come get me, come get me."

Or maybe...

She's a Sunday dinner, with the family gathered around a table piled high with fried chicken, home-made dinner rolls, and mashed potatos and gravy, all backed up with green peas and candied carrots.

We all have memories such as these, and that's the reason for this column. I will attempt to recreate those memories with recipes from that time and, perhaps, that place.

In days past, cooks didn't measure every ingredient that went into each dish. That was one of the mysteries of Grandma's cooking. Every Grandma did it just a little bit different.

That's what made it all taste so great.

All of our recipes date from the late 1800s to the mid 1960s and, as a result, there are times that they will call for a dash of this or a pinch of that. At least one recipe calls for two handfuls. This method of measuring makes todays cook scratch their heads and wonder--just what the heck is a pinch or how do I do a dash? One that'll really throw you a curve is what in the world is a Gill? (No, it's not part of a fish.)

Not to worry. We'll give you a translation for these terms into something more familar to todays cook. However, after using these recipes a time or two, you may find that it's quite enjoyable and fun--as well as quicker and easier--to do exactly as the original recipe states. Just add a dash of this and a pinch of the other.

You just might be pleasantly surprised and amazed.

So kick your memory into high gear and remember how great everything used to taste. Then get out into the kitchen and create those same things for your family. You'll give them some memories to brag about.

This column is dedicated to Grandmas everywhere.

You remember her. That wonderful lady who always had time for us in spite of her busy day.

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