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.
Sarah (Cedar Rapids) 06.23.2011
This post came at the perfect time! I have been thinking about my Grandma a lot and must track down her recipe box. My Grandma made the best pineapple upside down cake (featured in the Gazette) and my Grandpa made the best Peanut Butter Fudge. Keep on blogging, you do great work!
Morgan 06.23.2011
What a sweet (literally) blog entry.
My maternal grandmother was a great cook and baker – my absolute fave was a Harvey Wallbanger cake. Like the drink, but in cake form. Delish! My paternal grandma makes the BEST spaghetti and meatballs. Love, love, love.
Lindsey 06.23.2011
That is most definitely a wonderful gift. Everything my Nanan (dad’s side) was wonderful. Going through her deep freeze in the basement and digging up all sorts of goodies was always one of my favorite things to do. And my Grandma on my mom’s side makes all sorts of yummy bars (lemon, rhubarb, etc). She always has the bread box full of them when I go to visit.
Kelly 06.23.2011
After my Grandma passed away, my aunts coordinated a gift for all of the grandkids. They made photocopies of her favorite recipe cards, which were in her own handwriting, and included a picture of her on the other side of the recipe card. I have her most sought-after recipes but admit that I haven’t made any yet. I just know they won’t taste as good as when she made them! She literally made the best EVERYTHING but if there is one thing I miss the most, it is her beef gravy. I know that sounds strange but it was literally the greatest gravy ever. She had a real way with food. I made the Texas sheet cake recipe you had posted (from Pioneer Woman) and it reminded me of homemade chocolate cupcakes my Grandma made once for my birthday. They were cream-filled and probably took her hours to do. So thanks for sharing a recipe that brought back so many great memories for me and thanks for this post. It was really touching.
kitkat 06.23.2011
My grandma, a farm wife, makes awesome sauerbraten and apple cream pie!! It can’t be replicated! :)
Emily (hockettruns) 06.23.2011
My grandma made the best everything! :,( Miss her so much!
Alyse 06.23.2011
Candy! Fudge, brittles, sea foam, marshmallows, you name it. She rocked it when it came to candy. Unfortunately I was too young to learn any of it from her, but I have her recipes and marble (!) slab now. She made amazing pickles, too, according to my mom.
Cindy F 06.23.2011
My Grandma Smith used to make the best Molasses cookies. I can still picture her in her apron in her very small kitchen baking up a storm. I was lucky enough to get one of those aprons when she passed away and when I see it on the hook in my kitchen, along with the one from my other Grandma who passed before I was born, one of my Mom’s aprons and my Aunt Dororthy’s…well, it makes me proud to know I love cooking and baking just as much as they did/do!
Thanks for sharing IowaGirlEats! You rock!
nicole 06.23.2011
My Grandma, Betsy, makes the BEST kransekage!…for the Danish, it’s traditionally a wedding cake or for other special celebrations.
Yum.
Teresa K. 06.23.2011
Grandma bar cookies (shortbread, jam, nut meringue). And (oh forgive me – you’ll probably be grossed out) – bacon, cabbage and noodles – all mixed together and if she had them, a sprinkle of poppy seeds oh – and poppy seed bread. – Very old world. Trying to put together a “family cook book” for my two kids – that’s always fun, right?
Julie S. 06.23.2011
Oh, you made me all weepy! What a sweet post! Ben’s family obviously made the right choice when deciding you would appreciate the cookbooks the most.
I remember when I was little eating one of my grandma’s chocolate cakes she made from scratch (she liked to put rum in some of them). I took a bite & was like, “Whoa! Grandma got a little carried away w/ the rum in this one!”
My other grandma made the best grilled cheese sandwiches! I also remember her making chocolate pudding for us on the stove. You know how it’s all warm & gets kind of a “skin” on it as it cools… YUM! I also remember Jiffy Pop popcorn on the stove (the little foil pkg that popped up & exploded). :)
Jennifer Chapin 06.23.2011
Omg, my grams makes the BEST potato salad in the world! There is nothing like it and I can’t duplicate it ;)
Eleni 06.23.2011
My maternal grandma used to make the best chocolate chip cookies. She always made a batch for us when we came to visit, but when we ate them before a meal, she’d always say, “Stop doing that! You’re going to spoil your appetite!” Oh, grandma.
My paternal grandmother was a single mother and had to work multiple jobs so she didn’t get much time to cook. Now she’s a health nut and really into Greek yogurt. How un-grandma-like, right?
Kate 06.23.2011
Aww, that’s so cool! My Grandma Jane makes the best mashed potatoes and GRAVY… we’re both potato heads. My granny made the best chocolate frosting.
Lindsey 06.23.2011
My Grammy made the best white rice and roast. And cornbread. I know it sounds simple, but she died when I was 19 and had stopped cooking years earlier, so it’s what I remember.
I love this post. You’re incredibly lucky to have those cookbooks, I know how special they must be to you and Ben.
Autumn 06.23.2011
what a sweet, sweet (no pun intended) legacy! random fact (and i know you’re an iowa fan, so bear with me): ISU special collections has a collection of cookbooks that were written by/used by each president of the university’s wife. pretty cool, eh?
Norma 06.23.2011
Not chessey at all!! I loved your post today. It made me cry in a good way. Those are the kind of things that people should always pass on. But my grandma is the best at making red chile!! Yummy
Kris 06.23.2011
You really hit home with this one! I also received my grandma’s cookbooks and my favorite is a book she made ALL in her own tiny handwriting! It was fun to see she even had a few recipes she had gotten from me way back when I first learned to cook. I remember her coming over to our house; she peeled all the apples for me when I was a 7th grader making my first homemade apple pie! That cookbook in her handwriting is more precious to me than any priceless antiques could ever be! Our generation should remember not to have all our recipes printed from a computer; something very special about those hand written recipes and notes beside them!
Nicole 06.23.2011
My grandmaw makes the best pecan candy and fresh sausage with rice and gravy!
Regular Cinderella 06.23.2011
What a sweet and special gift! I am teary-eyed just reading this.
My mom’s mom makes some great chicken fried chicken. She also makes awesome and unique desserts. She clips them from newspapers and magazines and keeps them under a glass cutting board in her kitchen. I always find a fun recipe or two every time I visit her. Last year it was a pineapple cake and the year before, S’more’s Brownies! I’m going this weekend…can’t wait to see what I find!
My dad’s mom had Alzheimer’s and I don’t ever remember her cooking. :-( She did make a great dip that my family always used to have around the holiday’s. The called it “Christmas Dip.” I re-named it “Gramma’s Dip,” and I make it any time I feel like it. I’ve got the recipe memorized, but I love pulling out the little recipe card in her hand writing.