My own grandmother, Nanny, lost her mother at the age of 12, (right, Dad?), and though she wasn't the oldest she had to drop out of school and became responsible for the motherly duties for her many brothers and sisters. Instead of running down to the local Viking Store or picking up the latest fad for cookbooks, she learned to cook by trial. And boy, can she cook?!?!? Not only that, but she remembers everyone's favorite dishes and, despite our trying to convince her otherwise, she usually has each of them prepared upon our arrival. For dad, it's her pot roast for supper and "Nanny Biscuits" with country ham for breakfast. For my mom & sister, it's her pimento cheese. For me, fruit salad and ranch dip w/ veggies. For ALL of us, it's her unbelievable iced sugar cookies, chocolate cupcakes, "Nanny Bread" and 2 definite crowd-pleasers, fried chicken and spaghetti (which I don't know I'll ever be able to replicate). Are you getting hungry yet?
I need and want to spend some time in the kitchen with my grandmother while she still feels up to the task. What an invaluable cooking lesson (not to mention life lesson) awaits in her kitchen!
Fortunately, I had the great pleasure of cooking beside Scott's grandmother several years ago to try to learn her secret to the perfect lemon meringue pie. You don't know pie until you've had a taste of one of hers. Literally, it's what she's known for.
As I watched in awe (and as she pushed my hands into the dough), I tried to make a mental note of every step of the way. I even sat down and wrote how many fingers she used to measure each "fingerfull" of this or "pinches" that. While my pies will surely never compare to hers, I am proud to report that I made my own lemon meringue pie this week! The first in years!
The funny thing is that I felt such a sense of accomplishment just from making this one pie; whereas, Scott's grandmother used to make these in her sleep!
While Grandma Harris's legacy will always be her pies, Nanny's will be her Nanny Biscuits (which my family has literally video-taped her making in an effort to replicate!), Grandma Lenhart's will be her yummy noodles...I sometimes wonder what mine will be...From all of these women I have seen examples of great strength, perseverance in the face of trial, and love for family and have learned so much more than how to feed a crowd! I pray I will do the same for future generations...
Love to all, Sarah
