Welcome

Every year from the time I was 12 years old, I spent the summer at my grandparents house up north near the lake. Ostensibly, the goal was to learn the value of hard work by helping my grandparents and great-grandparents in their gardens and around the house. Then, when I was old enough, I earned money working in the restaurant kitchen my grandma managed.

I certainly learned about hard work. There wasn't a morning my grandparents weren't up before the sun. They raised a huge garden with plenty to share with friends and family and anyone else who had a need. But with the sweat there was equal amounts of fun. Delicious meals and even more delicious desserts, pinochle tournaments, and great conversation -- all around Grandma's kitchen table.

It's been at least ten years since I've spent a summer at my grandparents house. Now I have a house and family of my own. But every year around this time, I start to long for those summers again. Last month I asked Grandma for some of her recipes and I'm going to try to recreate a taste of what we had around her table. Here we go.