30 Days of Thanks: To Nanny’s House We Go!

There are SO many things I am thankful for. Family, friends, and my health of course, but what resonates for me are the little things that have a big impact. This includes a cookbook I was given when I was 15, and the memories that come with it.

The cookbook is filled with recipes from my grandparent’s childhood and was a collaboration with several family members, close friends, and neighbors. It is titled “To Nanny’s House We Go”. All of the grandkids received a copy with a set of wooden spoons. Every time I make a recipe from that book or make something my grandmother taught me, a flood of memories from my childhood come back.   One of those childhood memories came back to me yesterday (Nov 10th).

Years before my grandfather passed my grandparents would honestly have cornbread at LEAST once a week. My grandmother was the one who usually made it but on occasion my grandfather would too. He got tired of having to get the recipe from my grandmother’s recipe box and copied it onto a post-it. He then taped it to the inside the cabinet that had all the ingredients to make the cornbread. I was always spending time at my grandparents and remember seeing the Post-it pop up one day when I went to make coffee.

Yesterday my mom and grandmother were discussing our recipe for cornbread dressing. They were trying

Cornbread recipe
The BEST cornbread is made in a cast iron skillet.

to decide whether or not they should make it that night. They spent a good 15-20 minutes looking for the cookbook to make cornbread. I told them there was a copy of the recipe taped to the inside of one of the kitchen cabinets. They didn’t believe me.

Almost every person in my family opens that cabinet almost 3-4 times a day and they never noticed. it.   I’m not sure exactly how long that post it has been there. But every time I go to my grandmother’s and see that post-it.

It’s amazing to me how an action, smell, or even words can trigger such strong memories and I am utterly grateful for them. 🙂

Below is the cornbread recipe that my grandfather taped in the cabinet:

1 cup corn meal

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   Put 1 tablespoon of oil (my family uses bacon grease) in a cast iron skillet. Mix above ingredients and then pour in oiled cast iron skillet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!