Grandma's Tunes

I haven't posted for a while, mostly because I don't know if I have any of grandmas recipes. The closest thing to a recipe I have from grandma (and it is a little joke between me and Dustin), is the time shortly after we were married and I called grandma with advise on how to cook a delicious steak as a surprise for my new hubby. For those of you who may not know or who may have forgotten, I'm not a big meat eater, and certainly not a meat cooker. She told me to throw some Crisco in a pan and then throw the meat in. Or at least that is what I heard.. So..that is what I did.. Her advise or my ability to follow her advise led to quiet the surprise alright- My new hubby walking into a smoke filled house and a poorly, inedible steak lying sadly on the plate.. We threw it out and went to Outback. To this day (literally, we just got back from Ethan's birthday dinner at Outback) that is how I offer to cook a steak.

So, while it is not a cooking story, I can contribute other memories. My number one memory will always be her back tickles, but a very close number two will be her songs. I loved singing with grandma, enjoyed listening to her sing. Songs from "Hey, Good Looking  Whatcha Got Cookin" to "Boot Scooting Boogie" (That one I remember driving down main street in Layton with grandma listening to it and I remember her telling me to learn all the words to that song cause it was a good one! Ha ha). My favorites (proof is that they are beautifully displayed in my scrapbook because they will always be timeless to me) are: "On A Good Ship Lollipop;" "You Are My Sunshine;"  "Playmate;" "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch;" "I Love Coffee, I Love Tea;" and even those as simple and beautiful as "I Am A Child Of God."

I also remember the piano. I have no clue the name of it but there was one song she taught me as a duet on the piano and it breaks my heart that I don't know what it is, or that I never got her to write down/teach me her part. Especially now that my Bo-b-ethan, and Miss Mack are wowing me with their mad piano skills. I would love for them to know that song.

I feel like grandma is probably a huge part of the reason I analyze my music, love to learn all the words to all my "jams" and find myself lying back to drink in the classics.

And while we are reminesing over items grandma listened to on the radio, I have to wonder? Do I love listening to Harry Potter on CD because I loved listening to Fibber, McGee and Molly with grandma. Lets face it HP is awesome on its own, but grandmas tapes defintely put me on the right road to enjoying books/shows on tape. I think others think I'm weird but I a perfectly ok just listening to Wreck-It Ralph while I drive and my kids watch it. I have probably watched it twice, maybe three times, but I could quote the whole darn thing practically by heart. And for that matter, it sure makes listening to the scriptures easy.

Thanks grandma!!

Arnold family home Christmas memories

These are the things I remember being at Grandma's house for the holidays.

 While she didn't have this specific snowglobe, 

Grandma had a large number of them all over the house.

 

Grandma had a fiber optic tree.  It was

ridiculous and super cool all at the same time.

Mincemeat cookies.  MMmmmmmM!

 

Ceramic trees.

 

She loved her ceramic trees.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mincemeat cookies

Grandma made the best mincemeat cookies.  Now before you freak out and act all grossed out, STOP!  These were divine!  She even made them for me one Christmas and mailed them to Chile.  Divine! 

In the olden days, like hundreds of years ago, Mincemeat was made of many different spices, distilled spirits (booze), dried fruit and meat.  Nowadays, in the US, the meat in mincemeat has been omitted. Though I would be careful outside of the US, those might have meat in them.  Today you can buy a bottle of your mincemeat already fermented and bottled for your pleasure.  Please keep in mind that there isn't that much booze in it (my rationalization) and you do bake the cookie so it burns out, right?  Of course!  Please, if you have never tried these cookies, try them before you call me funny names.  These are my all time, without a doubt, most favorite cookies in the world.

And here is the recipe.

1 cup shortnening
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c (or half a bottle) None-Such ready to use Mincement

Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, cream together sugar and shortening.  Slowly add eggs.  Mix all dry ingredients in another bowl.  Slowly add to the wet ingredients.  Mix very very well.  This can not be emphasized enough.  Bake 13 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes (for carry over cooking and firming up). 

Enjoy.

Yields about 24-30 drop cookies.

Not my image.  Image courtesy of Google images.

Grandma's Taco Salad

I have no idea why but Grandma's taco salad was the bestest.  It didn't have anything in it but the typical taco salad ingredients but her's was always the best.  Grandpa would eat it but it wasn't his favorite.  LOL!

Iceberg lettuce
frito's crumbled
Sharp Cheddar cheese
kidney beans
onions (of course)
ground beef
avocado
tomatoes (diced)
black olives
raw mushrooms-sometimes
on the side: sour cream; Pace Picante; sweet chili sauce

If anyone remembers anything else please update.

Suzie

Grandma's Goolash

I actually called this Slumgooie....  LOL! Sounds horrible I know, but the name has no bearing on the taste, I just thought it sounded funny.  It consisted of: Now get a pen and paper cuz it's a very intricate and difficult recipe....
Elbow macaroni
Tomato JUICE....  usually Campbell's
Fried hamburger with onions

That's it....  and it was yummy, nummy.

You're welcome.  LOL!

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.