Passed down

December 01, 2013

Passed down

Sweet potato pie before it hits the oven.

I think the first thing I ever cooked for real was pork chops.My mama took me to the kitchen and showed me how to do it. I was fourteen or fifteen. I don't remember how old I was when I tried to figure out how to make sweet potato pies, but I do remember going to the sources of my sweet potato pies: My Granny (mama's mama) and Grandma (daddy's mama).

When I originally wanted to make the pies I asked my parents about their mothers' recipes. They didn't know. "Call and ask 'em," is what I was told. So I did. And went to see them about it. See, cooking in the south is an experience, not a task.

My Granny would smile when I asked her about her sweet potato pies and my Grandma chuckled when I asked her about a recipe. "Baby, I don't use no recipe," she said and giggled. Now, truth be told, I liked My Granny's sweet potato pies better than My Grandma's, but they were both delicious.

My Granny's pies always had a little more kick. Some spice to 'em. But neither of them had a recipe for me to go by. They just told me what they put in them. Their "recipes" had been passed down through generations of folks, many who told and showed instead of transcribing. My Grandma showed me how she did it one day. So I watched intently and she laughed along the way. I could never quite get my pies, though tasty, to taste like either my Granny's or my Grandma's.

That was years ago. Both of my grandmothers have passed away. But this year, I finally got the pies kinda right. I did something differently this time. I didn't use a recipe. Nope. Before, even with my intense mimicking of my grandmothers, I had crafted a recipe, and followed it every year.

Oh, but this time, I went in the kitchen, and went in...with no recipe. My mama even inquired about where my recipe was, and I said, "I'm not using one."

I did what my grandmas passed down to me. I watched and measured with my senses. I mashed the sweet potatoes with my (very clean) hands. I measured a pinch of salt by actually pouring salt in my hand and pinching it. I used brown sugar and butter. Instead of pulling out utensils, I felt the ingredients and let the smell waft into my nose.

More than anything...I remembered what my grandmas had passed down to me. Put your heart into what you're doing and it will turn out right. I didn't have to measure or control or do it just right. I felt what I was doing this time.

Everybody loved the pies. So apparently it worked... My grandmas had passed down to me something amazing: Love and memories. That's what those times in the kitchen were. See, my grandmas had stopped what they were doing a few times to help me out with creating these pies. That's love. Though I no longer have them physically, I do still have them. Can I remember their laughs and smiles? Yes. Do I remember how they did what they did? Yep. Can I express this to someone else? Yep! With great joy, I can say: My grandmas taught me how to make pies.

Now, I understand the importance of slowing down and paying attention. Some wisdom definitely comes with age. As a teen I didn't quite get why my mama would say, go spend some time with your granny. To me, it was just taking away from doing something I wanted to do at the time: have fun.

But before My Granny passed, I spent time with her. She was slowly leaving. I actually moved back closer to home to offer some sort of help. I had already lost My Grandma, and was with her sometime before she passed away. I would drive her to church on some Sundays, and we would laugh and talk along the way.

So, I have some childhood memories to mix in with some adult memories. You don't get those if you don't take time to build relationships. I have some funny stories about my grandmas in my book. They were feisty women, and very protective of me. I may have been the only grandchild they never spanked, popped, or even yelled at. I may have also been the most sensitive and soft-hearted.

Oh...I also made banana pudding. My sister who doesn't like banana pudding marveled at how great it looked and tempting her to even eat it. So how did it taste? Great! And my little secret is that I used 2% milk and fat free whipped topping. As I prepared it, I looked over and asked my mama if I were doing it right. She is the banana pudding maker. :)