Cupboards Full of Memories
Canisters and casseroles recall the things that matter.
BY LEA ANN ANDERSON INOLA, OKLAHOMA
Ilove my kitchen. Not because I’m a great cook—nachos and grilled cheese are staples at our house—and not because I’m a great baker. I love my kitchen because of the memories that pop out when I open cabinets and drawers. They warm my heart and wrap me in love.
Opening my flour canister will always make me think of Russell, a high school buddy, who died too young. In Mrs. Stumbaugh’s home economics classroom, students invited moms and grandmothers—it was the early ’80s, after all—to cook their family favorites in front of our class. Russell’s mom, Mary Alice, came to class and made potato soup. My own baked-potato soup recipe calls for flour as one of the first ingredients.
So every time I lift the canister lid to make that soup, I say a little prayer and smile a little smile for
Russell, Mary Alice and the wife and boys Russell left behind when he passed.
The flour sifter I have had since my first real job and apartment belonged to my Grandma Ma. I later also inherited her rolling pin, and I have her recipe for dinner rolls, written in her own hand.
Although faded, you can still read the “4 cups” Ma wrote next to the flour after I sent the recipe back to her and asked her to be a little more specific. As a new college graduate, I still needed exact amounts, not “you’ll know by how the dough feels.” I think of her skills and knowledge every time I pull out her tools.
A set of CorningWare baking dishes also brings me memories of Ma, as she gave me my first pieces. Now when my mom’s sweet potato casserole goes into one of those dishes at Thanksgiving, a lot of love and memories, spanning generations, waft out in the aroma.
Other items also resonate: There’s a picture of my parents’ old red barn. My husband made a birdhouse that looks like that barn. It’s in my kitchen, too. So is a metal matchbox from his grandparents. And there’s a red platter with matching coffee cups, a long ago purchase when my childhood friend, Sandy, and I had a habit of buying things for our hope chests.
As I wash dishes from my husband’s birthday lunch, I trace my finger over the chip of
1. In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 325° until a thermometer reads 160°, 45-50 minutes.
417 cal., 16g fat (7g sat. fat), 94mg chol., 435mg sod., 65g carb. (47g sugars, 4g fiber), 6g pro.