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Family Recipes

    I was fortunate to have two grandmas who were really terrific and loved me very much. They were also as different as night and day.

    My mom's mom was more traditional. She is one of my best friends... we share the same faith and she has become one of my spiritual mentors. She does the "traditional" Grandma things, but with her own flare. She is a great cook. In the summer she would take me "Junkin'" (translation -hunting for treasures at Garage Sales). She taught me to clean. In fact, she has quite a collection of childhood photos of me dusting her furniture... first chair rungs when I was still in diapers (no exaggeration), and eventually things that she cannot reach (okay, that happened relatively early in my childhood - she's not quite 5 ft... shhhhhh she'll tell you she IS 5ft). I've been helping her clean house from the time I could walk and continued the tradition as she battled, and God won the battle, over her breast cancer. When I was little I could call her and she'd come rock me in a rocking chair on her way home from work. We baked pies together. We played games. She brushed my hair. When it comes to recipes that remind me of her, that list is pretty long (and I'll share some of them in a future blog). She is the Classic Grandma.

    My dad's mom was an avid Chiefs Fan and season ticket holder, she loved shopping, she did not cook. She volunteered with Richards Gebauer Air Force Base and helped organize Air Shows when they had them. She was always fashionable and she was a lot of fun. Most of my memories of her are tied to shopping for new clothes at the Mall (never a Garage Sale) or going to a movie. We also celebrated the 4th of July at their house almost every year (even if not on the actual 4th) and that was one of the few times she would cook, at least part of the meal (she would buy premade Jell-O molds from Price Chopper and a bucket of chicken most years). But, she ALWAYS made Hot German Potato Salad. In our family, most of us love Hot German Potato Salad so much we prefer it to dessert!

    This weekend, I made Hot German Potato Salad and as I peeled 5 lbs of potatoes and fried bacon, I remembered her and all the fun memories we created... even if she didn't do "typical" Grandma things.

    Smells and flavors evoke so many memories. Do you have a favorite Family Recipe? I'll share one of mine if you'll share some of yours!

 

My Grandma's Hot German Potato Salad

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Dice potatoes (¼ in. cubes) and boil until tender. Add onion. Brown chopped bacon. Remove bacon and add it to potatoes. Leave grease in the pan, and add salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar; stir vigorously and bring to a boil. Add beaten egg; mix and boil. Pour over potatoes and stir. Serve warm.

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