Saturday morning I thumbed through the cards, packed so tightly they had to be pulled up a bit to see the titles. Some of them were torn from newspapers or magazines, but most were handwritten on plain white cards or on cute kitchen-themed slips with quippy titles like, ‘What’s cookin?’ The scripts in both were similar and reminiscent of certain features of my own. Several had names written in the corner that made my stomach grumble and my heart squeeze.
Just like I remember Dolores’ corn pudding--decadent and buttery. Dolores was my grandmother’s best friend and neighbor for decades. Although there were many requests, it wasn’t until I asked that Dolores gave up the recipe.
And Aunt Char’s cheeseball? I was little the first time I tried that, and it sparked a die-hard appreciation for cheese that has never abandoned me. Luckily I also inherited some of Char’s good metabolism. (Aunt Char was also the one who made a very special Easter Dinner one year...)
Denny’s Bloody Mary was a surprise recipe, but it makes perfect sense that he had a concoction for this tried and true hangover cure.
I don’t recall many of Betty’s dishes, but I do remember her smile was just as kind and warm as her sister’s (my grandmother).
In the front of one of the boxes, there were several recipe cards for both small and large versions of potica (poe-tee-za), a Slovenian family legacy (see Pumpkin Pie and Potica). I knew it was no accident they were placed in front. Mom left them there to make sure I would find them, perhaps the only indicator that she had contemplated a 'what if.' She wouldn't talk about possibilities, but she wasn't taking any chances that I wouldn't be able to find the potica recipes.
But, on Saturday morning, I was focused on potato salad. And the recipe wasn't in the box. I sat for a moment and waited. Was this going to send me over the edge? Grief is a funny thing. If you had told me I wouldn’t be able to find the recipe the day before I would picture myself in a messy pool of spent tears and tissues. But, instead of tears, my mind produced a memory.
I had asked mom one year to show me how she made the potato salad. So, essentially, the recipe was there, filed inside my head, which at that moment was about as dusty as the recipe boxes. But the list of ingredients was unclouded... potatoes, onion, celery, hard boiled eggs and Marzetti slaw dressing. Marzetti makes a potato salad dressing, but mom was very specific about using the slaw dressing.
Since potato salad is not like baking, I decided my poor memory would suffice. With some help, from my sister-in-law, I made the dish from memory. And, I came pretty close, but of course, there was one ingredient missing... But that is the way, isn't it? And if the recipes make us all feel closer to those we have lost then they are still with us, are they not?
Mom's Potato Salad
1 lb of potatoes (your choice, but reds are nice)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/3-1/2 bottle Marzetti's slaw dressing
Boil or steam potatoes and chop
Add salt and pepper
Toss with remaining ingredients
Sprinkle with paprika
Chill
Serve to hungry folks
No matter what words come next, they will never do justice... so in memory of Cheryl and potato salad and potica and all other gastronomic delights from the Saylor family...so long for now, mom, and thanks for the recipes!
- Corn pudding (Dolores)
- Cheese Ball (Char)
- Bloody Mary (Denny)
- Pineapple Cake (Betty)
- Potica (Great Grandma, grandma, mom, and hopefully this year, me)
Just like I remember Dolores’ corn pudding--decadent and buttery. Dolores was my grandmother’s best friend and neighbor for decades. Although there were many requests, it wasn’t until I asked that Dolores gave up the recipe.
And Aunt Char’s cheeseball? I was little the first time I tried that, and it sparked a die-hard appreciation for cheese that has never abandoned me. Luckily I also inherited some of Char’s good metabolism. (Aunt Char was also the one who made a very special Easter Dinner one year...)
Denny’s Bloody Mary was a surprise recipe, but it makes perfect sense that he had a concoction for this tried and true hangover cure.
I don’t recall many of Betty’s dishes, but I do remember her smile was just as kind and warm as her sister’s (my grandmother).
In the front of one of the boxes, there were several recipe cards for both small and large versions of potica (poe-tee-za), a Slovenian family legacy (see Pumpkin Pie and Potica). I knew it was no accident they were placed in front. Mom left them there to make sure I would find them, perhaps the only indicator that she had contemplated a 'what if.' She wouldn't talk about possibilities, but she wasn't taking any chances that I wouldn't be able to find the potica recipes.
But, on Saturday morning, I was focused on potato salad. And the recipe wasn't in the box. I sat for a moment and waited. Was this going to send me over the edge? Grief is a funny thing. If you had told me I wouldn’t be able to find the recipe the day before I would picture myself in a messy pool of spent tears and tissues. But, instead of tears, my mind produced a memory.
I had asked mom one year to show me how she made the potato salad. So, essentially, the recipe was there, filed inside my head, which at that moment was about as dusty as the recipe boxes. But the list of ingredients was unclouded... potatoes, onion, celery, hard boiled eggs and Marzetti slaw dressing. Marzetti makes a potato salad dressing, but mom was very specific about using the slaw dressing.
Since potato salad is not like baking, I decided my poor memory would suffice. With some help, from my sister-in-law, I made the dish from memory. And, I came pretty close, but of course, there was one ingredient missing... But that is the way, isn't it? And if the recipes make us all feel closer to those we have lost then they are still with us, are they not?
Mom's Potato Salad
1 lb of potatoes (your choice, but reds are nice)
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/3-1/2 bottle Marzetti's slaw dressing
Boil or steam potatoes and chop
Add salt and pepper
Toss with remaining ingredients
Sprinkle with paprika
Chill
Serve to hungry folks
No matter what words come next, they will never do justice... so in memory of Cheryl and potato salad and potica and all other gastronomic delights from the Saylor family...so long for now, mom, and thanks for the recipes!
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