Grandma's recipes and Lemon Meringue Pie

A few years ago I made a cookbook, that is using the term loosely, for my immediate family.  As I was doing my rudimentary research for that project Grandma eagerly shared some of her recipes that she felt needed to be in that cookbook.  It was an interesting experience to look through all of her recipes.  Some were faded from the pencil rubbing off.  Some were damaged due to how old the paper was that she had kept.  Others were written in such a way that even she couldn't decipher what she had written done.  But many of her recipes were just her basic notes to herself, nothing specific about them.  

I will share some of these recipes with you.  I have not tried to make any of them because, frankly I haven't had a chance and they scare me.  Ha ha.  Anyone want to run a test kitchen?  Make these recipes, post pictures and basic improvements to the instructions?  

Grandma wanted me to make sure that I had this recipe as it is my mother's favorite comfort dessert.  It isn't just the flavor of the pie, it is a treat that needed to come from Grandma's own hands and love.  I have many a memory surrounding this pie.  I remember a couple of times calling Grandma, asking on behalf of the kids in my family, to make my mom this pie as she was sad or not generally happy about something (my teenage years?).  It usually wouldn't change mom's disposition, but as with any comfort food, it was yummy while trying.  

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 package Jello cook and serve lemon pudding

1 package frozen pie crust

Prepare the pudding as directed on box. Save egg whites.

Bake the frozen pie crust as directed on box. Allow to cool for a bit. Put cooked pudding into pie crust and cook according to directions on pudding box.

The leftover egg whites that have been brought to room temperature beat slowly until they form peaks and stay looking like peaks. Add sugar as directed on pudding box. Taste to make sure that the meringue is tasty and sweet. Add egg whites to a cooled pie. While adding to the pie shape into the form of tasty cute peaks with your spoon or spatula. Brown just slightly in the oven. Remove allow to cool. Yummy!

A few of my own memories.

I've been thinking for a while about what I could possibly write about. I didn't have her in my life for long. But she was still very much an important person to me. Some of the things that come to mind when I think of her are:

• When I was pregnant with Addison, Harrison and I came up to help Katie and Brian move in to Suzie's basement. While the other grown ups were busy lifting, organizing, and being productive, I snuggled on the couch with Aidan and watched Blue's Clues. (I was using my nephew as practice for motherhood:) ) When the moving got done, Harrison and I asked Grandma and Grandpa to take us out to Antelope Island. I had never been before. Of course they were happy to oblige and we loaded into the Cadillac with Aidan, Bob, and Virgie. As we headed down Antelope towards the island, which at he time seemed like forever of a drive, I sat in the back seat, looking, watching, listening. I specifically remember an NRA sticker on the window. And then all of a sudden, Grandma started singing "Hey good lookin'... what ya got cookin'?". I had never been so taken back. My grandparent's never listened to, let alone sang, anything but hymns. I thought it was so awesome that she knew the words to that song. And even better that she would sing it. To be quite honest, I don't remember a whole lot about that trip to the island. I did take 100's of pictures of the mountains, buffalo, and the water. And I have a great picture from the back seat of Grandma and Grandpa's heads. (I dont know why!) But, it will always be a memory that I cherish. It was my first trip to what would later become a favorite place for Remington and I to go together.
  
• Eating breakfast at The Star. Her ice tea was waiting for her. It's hard to go in there now. We've only been in there once since moving to Layton, and the only other time since she passed, was the weekend of the funeral. It's a very bittersweet place.
  
• Pillow Pets. She got all the great grandkids pillow pets one year. Addison got the pink and purple unicorn. She has slept with it since she was very little. She still sleeps with it now. That thing is so worn out and dirty, but will just not come clean. I thought they were the silliest thing to buy. But that thing has brought so much comfort to Addison in her short life, and now I am thankful for it.
  
• Soft blankets. With both of our kids, she bought them both super soft blankets. Addison's is pink and brown, and Rem's was blue. They were my kids favorite blankets. They are the kind that you get in the baby bedding section at Walmart, (the ultra soft furry kind). Addison had a few of them so she didnt use hers a lot but Remington... he still carries it around. And both of them having lovingly referred to their blankets as "softies". When they were a lot littler, we would tell Rem, "Go get your softie!!" and he'd run or crawl as fast as he could to grab it, and he'd rub it on the side of his face like the kid from Charlie Brown.
  
• Right before her passing, we came up to see her. She was in the hospital. As we were saying goodbye before we left to go back home, Harrison was holding Addison over her and Addison sang her "Twinkle Twinkle little star". I was lucky enough to capture it on video. It was the last time I saw Grandma smile. It was a very tender moment. Thinking of it now makes me sad. But it was also a happy memory. (As horrible as that might sound!) But it made me happy to see Addison singing to her Great Grandma, and it made me happier to see Grandma try to smile. 

Well. Those are some of mine. Let's hear some more of yours.