Wishing for Home

Have I mentioned that my husband, Alma’s youngest son, Keith, is a bit of a culinary snob? As I sift through all of these recipes I am perplexed about that character trait in him. These recipes are calorie laden, fat filled, and comfort food at its finest. These dishes are the kind you find at baby showers and church picnics. I can tell from the way they are so worn out that they have been well utilized over the years. Due to the fact that Alma has been especially nostalgic for Waverly, Tennessee, I have thought that I might start recreating some of these recipes for her. She has been especially missing her parents and has spent a lot of time wandering around and talking about them being “missing”. Therefore, Keith may have to put his delicate palate to rest so that we can give her a minuscule taste of her childhood.

I thought about doing a really shortened and much less glamorous version of “Julie and Julia” for the purpose of bringing Alma’s food to life.  However, I do not have the discipline to commit to preparing specific food every day nor would that be a very health conscience choice to make. So, I will quietly share recipes here and may occasionally make one for Alma. I’m sure everyone here will be better off for it.

Alma made this Applesauce Cake (recipe below) for her mother every single day when I first joined this family. She made them into muffins every morning before she went to work and would just leave them on the counter for Ethelyn to grab whenever she wanted.  I remember Keith’s grandmother walking around with pockets full of muffins. Eventually, I would find them in her drawers, in the couch, and anywhere she could think to stash them. I’ll just say that I have not adopted this technique as part of Alma’s care. I’m way too uptight about messes and the possibility of rodents for that but it really was kind of hilarious at the time. Enjoy.

Applesauce Cake

¾ cup Margarine

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 cups applesauce

Pinch of baking soda and salt

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ box of raisins (soaked in warm water for half an hour)

1 cup black walnuts.

Grease Bundt pan or line muffin tin. Fill and bake at 350. (50 minutes for cake. 20-30 for muffins)