Food seems to spark a lot of memories for people. It can bring back emotions and memories of holiday meals, bonding over cooking campfire food, and special family “secret recipe” dishes. For me, one of my earliest memories involving food was going to my gramma’s house.
My brothers and me after a breakfast of lumpy cream of wheat.
I remember always looking forward to trips to her house. Once we got through the VERY long hour and a half car ride to her house, I knew a lot of fun times were waiting for me. My gramma and I had a lot of fun together. I’d hide under this tiny little table in her living room and wait for her to find me. We’d play Old Maid together and watch tv shows before falling asleep. She’d cook me “lumpy” cream of wheat for breakfast every morning and we’d hang out in her basement playing ping pong. But the best thing I remember about going to gramma’s house is the chocolate chip cookies she baked for my brothers and me. These were not just any chocolate chip cookie. These were chocolate chip cookies times 10!
Gramma’s chocolate chip cookies were so big that we needed two hands to carry them. And, they took us a couple of days to finish. AND, they had the initial of our first name spelled out in the middle of them with these tiny, delicious, chocolate chips. But, the very best thing about them was before we could eat them, we had to find them as they were hidden in her house!
Gramma would hide them anywhere they would fit. My brothers and I would run around the house searching for the cookie with our initial on it. And no, if you found someone else’s you couldn’t tell them! I remember finding one in the bathtub, under the bed, and in the closet.
It’s been 13 years since we lost my gramma but the memory of her and the chocolate chip cookie lives on. I have yet to make a giant cookie for my boys but I will soon. Hopefully, it will become one of our traditions and a wonderful memory for each of them. My oldest son already loves baking with me, especially licking the spoon. I’m sure he’ll enjoy running through the house looking for his cookie (with his initial on it?) and I might have to make some dog cookies for our two little food snatchers to keep them away from the real ones. Maybe too, I’ll even change the game into a scavenger hunt or plant clues in various places in order to find the hidden cookies.So many possibilities to start OUR new tradition!
Tell me, what is your earliest and most happy memory involving food?
My gramma, Ruth.
Memories Across Time 