Here’s guest blogger Dorothy Ann Skarles with another installment of Dash Off A Memoir.
Did you know that this year two Easters will be on the same day?
The Greek Orthodox Easter greets the Christian Easter observance on April 24, 2011.
It is unusual that the two fall on the same day (although in 2014, it will happen again).
In many homes, both Easters will happily collide together into keeping family traditions alive by eating and breaking bread, with a house full of company in an affectionate gesture of hospitality.
Easter morning, my husband’s father would come over to cook dinner, serving either a baked lamb or goat, along with making his sweet Easter bread, that we all enjoyed. Then my three sons dyed hard-boiled eggs red to put on a plate surrounding the bread.
The whole house filled with heavenly smells as food cooked, enticing all of us to nibble on cheese pasties, Baklava, and Greek cookies.
My father-in-law would shout, “Don’t eat too much or you’ll spoil your dinner.” But it seemed as if we still ate all day right into the evening.
I did learn how to cook a few Greek dishes just by watching my father-in-law prepare a meal. But I never wrote anything down. I thought I would remember all the ingredients forever.
Saying I am sorry now is an understatement. I am forever calling up my sisters-in-law and asking, “How much oregano do you put in that dish?” Or “Can I use hamburger instead of ground lamb in the stuffed grape leaves?” And that answer is always, “No!”
However, it’s the Baklava that’s hard to make.
I not only didn’t write the recipe down, I never measured ingredients when making the dessert. It took my grandson to write and measure every ingredient down as I worked hard to remember.
Four hours and three large baking pans filled with Baklava later, I finally got it right.
So take my advice and “Dash Off A Memoir” of your own favorite family recipes to pass down to your family.
- Write the favorite recipe of each child.
- Add your husband’s or wife’s favorite recipe.
- Did your mother or your dad have a favorite recipe that heshe liked to make?
My mother (who made the most delicious biscuits that rose as if they were muffins) mixed soften butter with a tablespoon of honey to spread on those hot, flaky breads.
Kalo Pasha—-Happy Easter
Thank you, Dorothy,
This is a great blog and I'll be returning regularly to participate in the weekly activities. Inspired!
Hi Dorothy,
Delightful memories. Yes, it is important to write everything down. My favorite is your recipie for ham, which I've written down twice now, and when I'm ready to make it, I can't find my notes.
However, the funniest part is, that your husband, Jim would answer my phone call, when I called up to get the ham recipie, once again, and if you weren't home, he would repeat the steps one by one, and they were exactly as you had taught me. It always gave me a chuckle. "Well, Iknow how to make that ham," he would say, and then the was kind enough to help me too.
Happy Easter to you and your family. Your Easter posting today was great. bernadine
Thank you Cathy for such nice praise . My son wrote me yesterday in a e-mail giving me ideas to get a blog or web site. He surprised me saying he would even help. He said it would get me writing again. It is why I have been a guest blogger. I am not sure, but he and Margaret's enter the between is getting me to think about a blog. A "Talk on whatever," but not sure I am up to it yet.
Bernadine, you made me think about that ham recipe and how Jim would always help me when I called out to him to tell me the ingredients to see if I'd forgotten anything. Do you know I still haven't written it down. I may have to call you up to see what he told.—Boy do I miss him.
Wonderful memories Dorothy. We always BBQ. When I was kid it was leg of lamb, after mass. Now it will be chicken wings with all the fix'ns. The grandkids will have a little Easter egg hunt and then use some of the eggs for potatoe salad. I always try to copy my mother's recipe, but it just doesn't taste the same.
Hi Dorothy. Tell you son, "YES! I'm up to it! When can we start." Step out of your comfort zone. Stretch your horizons. You can blog once a week, just as you're doing now. Remember the ideal is 300 words or less. You can do it, girl. I know you can.
Hi LA, I still can't do my mom's German cooking. If I do try, it doesn't taste the same either.
Hi Margaret, my Steven is ready to help, but I will have to nail him down to stay home so he can help with a blog. He's gone most of the time on the job. But I can still hope.
A lot of my recipes are a pinch of this and that so it would be hard to give the recipe out. It's good you know how to make that ham. You are helping so many enjoy their main course. 🙂
Thanks Judy, my son and grandson are keeping after me to write the recipes down.