I was just thinking…about meals of
yesteryear!
Special to the Orator
By Wayne Miller
More than likely everyone has great memories of favorite meals of the past. For the younger crowd that might be no
more than a huge pizza and a Dairy O’s milkshake, For the older, ageing generation, MINE to be exact, we think more
in terms of ingredients used, brand names, method of cooking (iron washpot over a hot fire in the backyard, wood stove, gas
stove, electric stove). Take, for example, my mom’s homemade biscuits! Mom was known for her soft, fluffy delicious
biscuits from the early 1940’s until her death ion 2002. The strange thing about this phenomenon is that Mom went from
lard, buttermilk, and Excelsior self-rising flour only, and baked in a woodstove oven to Crisco shortening and Dainty Biscuit
flour baked in a gas stove (Dad’s favorite) or electric stove (Grandma’s favorite). Maybe Mom’s biscuits
would have been great regardless of ingredients or cooking method. OR, maybe, JUST MAYBE, Mom had a magical gift! Maybe it
was her TECHNIQUE that made those biscuits so special: her fingers caked with sticky dough were her only mixing “tools”,
the expert kneading, the careful flouring of the dough BLOB, the methodical stripping of the dough from her fingers, the masterful
measuring of dough portions rolled in her palms to form the perfect biscuits!
One “OLDIE” recipe carefully preserved by the Smith-Cook families (Carmol and Garnett to be exact) and
furnished to us today by Ava Smith Badgett and Ronda Smith Walton is for sour dough starter and sourdough bread and yeast
rolls. (Printed separate from this article and OH, SO TASTY!) Our family’s fondest memory of these yeasty rolls stems
not only from their tummy-filling goodness but equally from their presentation. Garnett’s family would be gathered,
mouths watering in anticipation of a fantastic meal. They sit at the big kitchen table awaiting the blessing when, without
fail, Garnett would exclaim, “Oh my goodness, I forgot to bake the rolls!” as she hurriedly opens the creaky oven
door of her wood stove. Ten or fifteen minutes later, the tasty jewels are passed around just in time to finish off the festive
meal. Yes, this timeless recipe was great BACK THEN, and it’s still a must-have for TODAY!
Just thinking about past meals and favorite foods sets my mind in high gear and my digestive system in full feasting
mode. If I comment on each special food, dessert, ingredient or “old” vs “modern” cooking methods,
this article will become a BOOK! Instead, I’ll list some of my favorites and let your imagination fill in the details.
AGREED? Here we go: Meats: Grandma’s country cured ham! Sliced over a quarter inch thick, cut from its
hanging spot in the old smokehouse; Mom’s fried chicken…fall-off-the-bone tender with a thick gravy covering
it; brother Dwight’s Christmas ham…quite different from the country ham flavor, and a “must-have”
at Miller gatherings for many years; sister Ronda’s tender roast beef, another traditional favorite at family meals.
NOW, on to SIDE DISHES! The ordinary potato took on new life when stewed by Mom or Grandma Lanier into a heavy, creamy
broth with tender potato chunks throughout. Fortunately sister Lisa carries this recipe forward with all its culinary appeal!
And who can forget PINTO BEANS cooked the OLD way and served in a special dirtdish bowl which was always left empty at the
end of the meal! And did someone say CANDIED YAMS fried to perfection in an iron skillet? Again, sister Lisa can take her
bows for preserving this luscious treat!
OK! On to DESSERTS!!! “My
Inspiration Cake” one of Mom’s favorites. This great cake was the Grand Prize winner of the 1953 Pillsbury National
BakeOff Championship (recipe is still available online). Bake it and taste it for yourself!
And with no further ado, I’ll just mention some of my favorites: apple dumplings, fried apple jacks, wild blackberry
pie/cobbler, peach cobbler, Laramie’s cheesecakes, lemon meringue pie (wife Pearl’s specialty), Sarah’s
cookies, anything SWEET, and Mom’s pumpkin or sweet potato pie with toasted coconut (a dessert she always told me she
had never baked)! So we’ll end with that little mystery.
What is no
mystery is that we have food-challenged people all around us…in our hurricane ravaged mountains, in other states, in
our local community, our local churches even perhaps within our own families. Let us all, with God’s help, reach out
to those in need and do what we can to feed and warmly clothe those in need. Until next time, God bless you, and …I’ll
be thinking!!!