Grandma’s Kitchen: Recipes and More

Grandma Longenecker’s kitchen was many yards long with the necessities for cooking at one end where an old cook-stove squatted and the comforts of dining on an old oak table at the other end, bounded by three bay windows.

Grandmas Kitchen Booklet+p14_12x9_300

One of my earliest memories is seeing flames leaping out of Grandma’s old cook-stove as she used her metal tool to lift the burner, just as you see in the drawing.

Everything Grandma made was from scratch. From sauerkraut to pot pie—even cakes of lye soap, “Homemade is best,” she’d say.

                             GmaSauerkrautArticle Grandma & Sauerkraut Crock

GGrandma_Joel_Crista+Pot Pie_16x9_300

I have vivid memories of helping Grandma make potpie. We rolled out the dough and cut it into squares. Then, standing on a chair beside her at the stove, I would spot a hole in the chicken broth seething in the kettle and try to drop in a square of dough without singeing my fingers. It was warm and steamy and more fun than mud-pies, plus the results were edible. Often served with her yummy coleslaw, tart with vinegar, and made with cabbage from her vegetable garden.

Table set for Christmas Dinner 2004:

2004_Christmas Table_closeup_5in 2004_Christmas Table_4in

What soul food do you connect with your Grandma, other relative?

Up next: Mom’s Kitchen, Aunt Ruthie’s Kitchen

© Marian Beaman