I recently received a very special gift.
Ben’s late Grandma’s – Gwendolyn’s – collection of cook books.
His family has started the long process of sorting through her belongings after she passed away last year, and among the many items a woman in her 80s possesses – letters, knickknacks, pictures and notes – was her well used collection of cook books, which they thoughtfully entrusted to me.
Cook books she used everyday, jotting down notes to indicate a “family favorite“,
or re-writing ingredients to better suit her tastes.
Cook books stuffed with handwritten recipes that Grandmas seem to always make best,
like “Mystery Bars”
and “Honey Peanut Bar Cookies.”
Cook books with pages that were stained and splattered with the evidence of lovingly made family dinners and desserts.
Let me tell you about the desserts… If there was any question in my mind that Gwen had a sweet tooth, I am now completely clear on the matter.
The worn and well used tabs for “Cookies,” “Cakes & Frostings” and “Candies” stuck out in every cook book I opened.
A woman after my own heart.
Her favorites, from what I can tell, were Chocolate Cake, and Lemon Bars. Variations of the same two recipes were ear-marked in book after book – saved to be easily found and made again and again.
“Yep, she loved her Lemon Bars…” Ben confirmed after I informed him of my suspicions. And we all know about Grandma’s famous Cookie Cake which, if the chocolaty fingerprints covering the cake page of her favorite cook book are any indication, she made often.
There was a big lump in my throat as I was going through Gwen’s collection, flipping through the faded pages and catching glimpses of her handwriting every now and again, but it was more sweet than sorrowful. And given my love for cooking, I only feel closer to her now. Is that cheesy?
Hang on, I think I saw a recipe for a cheese ball a few pages back…
~~~~~
“My Grandma/Grandpa makes/made THE best _______.”
My Grandma on my Mom’s side makes THE best chicken noodle soup. My Grandma on my Dad’s side made THE best homemade caramels.
That scripture cake is too funny! Love that she took the time to decipher that.
What a beautiful gift…. it must be pure joy to look through her cookbooks. I’m sure you’re learning so much about her and your husband’s family. So neat!
My Grandma (in England) makes the most amazing Cornish pasties. She starts them 2 days before we eat them and just puts so much heart and love into each step. I adore her.
That’s such an honor that Ben’s family chose you to take such a great family treasure! You are very lucky to have such seemingly great in-laws.
My Grandma died when I was very young, but my 6-year old self thought she made grilled cheese better than anyone else!
My grandma made the best….cherry delight!
Zucchini bread. She has a light touch with any type of baked good (even pie crusts), but her zucchini bread “takes the cake”. Last year, she told me the secret–a CUP of oil! Yikes!
My dad’s mother made the best German apple cake. It’s part of why my grandpa fell in love with her. My mom’s mother made great everything from pot roast to lasagna and Sunday desserts like y cinnamon swirl bundt cake and homemade peach ice cream. My fondest memories were the chili dogs she would make before we went trick or treating (we started in her neighborhood) and before the Christmas parade and her mixing milkshakes by hand for us when we spent the night at her house.
This is the sweetest post I’ve ever read. My grandma has a very special place in my heart and I really don’t know what I would do without her.
I inherited a few of my grandma’s old cookbooks. I can tell she really liked banana bread, because those recipes were always the stickiest, most stained pages in the books. She also left little notes about which recipes were “good” and which she was serving for Sunday dinner. And I’ve discovered coupons and grocery lists in her handwriting tucked inside the pages. Opening up those cookbooks makes me feel a little closer to her now that she’s gone. She was definitely one of a kind!
My mom has those same recipe cards with the design in the upper left-hand corner!
Your post today makes me miss my grandma’s cooking. My grandparents made the best Thanksgiving dinners….my grandpa HAD to have 8 different veggies, which as a kid I didn’t appreciate as much as I would now…..lol. My grandma also made awesome lasagna!!
This is such a sweet and loving post. Your tribute I imagine means alot to your hubby and his family. As I read this it makes me think of my own grandmother and puts me in such a warm and loving place.
My grandmother makes the best chicken salad. She gave me the recipe once from her head, but it didn’t taste nearly as good.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post!
My grandma on my dad’s side made the best chicken noodle hotdish and the best potato pancakes, she passed away years ago and my mom has multiple boxes of my her cookbooks to go through, yet. Much like what you have pictured here.
My grandma on my mom’s side makes the best “raspberry salad” it has pretzels in the crust, involves whipped cream, cream cheese, raspberries, of course. But, I’ve never understood the whole “salad” term, when I want to call it dessert…like your grandma’s Snickers salad…must be a 60’s thing?
Question for you, Kristin: Ever thought of pulling a Julie / Julia type thing and cook your way through a cookbook? :-)
My grandma on my mom’s side made the best peanut butter kiss cookies…I don’t even like eating them that much any more, because no one else’s even come close to hers. My grandma on my dad’s side made the best homemade chicken & noodles.