Grandma's Recipes

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that I am not a gifted interior designer or rarely have an original idea of a creative vein. However, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite, one-of-a-kind, inexpensive, yet very special decorating ideas.

Sean and I both have a fondness for our grandmothers with memories centered closely to food and the kitchen. I can distinctly remember my great-grandma's kitchen and the way she served each item individually in a pretty, delicate dish. Pudding never tasted as good as when chilled in a little saucer with whipped cream. My favorite memory of my Grandma Click involves her teaching me to bake and use the electric mixer on her lap board (she was in a wheelchair). She had many a blouse with a streak of batter across the chest because I lifted the beaters out of the bowl without turning the mixer off. Oops. Yet she always let me try again. Sean's Grandma had a knack for making animals or shapes out of food. I believe bear pancakes were his favorite.

In memory of these great ladies I have been able to collect a few of their recipe cards and have them framed in my kitchen. We have buttermilk pancakes, ginger snaps, biscuits and "green fluff" of the pistachio pudding/whipped cream/marshmallow/crushed pineapple variety. My favorite quote on the card comes at the end with the famous words, "Its always good." I used scrapbooking paper for the backgrounds in kind of old fashioned print. I found the frames on the clearance rack at Meijer. All in all I spent less than $2 for each.

Our Grandmas have all passed away, but I love looking at their handwriting every day when I'm cooking. I think about the hours they spent working in their kitchens without the dishwasher, or microwave, or radio, or air conditioning. I think about my mom or dad running around the kitchen in their pajamas asking for breakfast. I think about the dinners that they burnt (I know it's genetic) but ate anyway because it was all they had.

The other morning I found my oldest daughter, Hannah, hard at work in the kitchen. Following the recipe on the wall she was making Grandma Ahart's buttermilk pancakes. She was taking requests for shapes.

It just makes me smile.