2022 Week #19 Food and Drink

Food is such a powerful thing and it's one thing that can keep us connected to loved ones who've passed on. I come from a long line of good cooks on both sides of my family and have to say when we get together we definitely eat well. There are a few dishes/foods that stand out that when eaten bring on the nostalgia and a few great cooks I want to highlight. 

On my moms side the most famous dish would have to be chicken and noodles, and I'm not referring to the soup. Chicken and noodles consists of homemade noodles cooked in broth and thickened and then served over mashed potatoes. If I ever had to pick a last meal this would be it along with my mom's hot rolls! When we would go visit my grandma Carolyn we would arrive Saturday around lunchtime and as soon as we got in her house the smell of chicken and noodles greeted us. She knew they were our favorite. Even though my grandma has passed my mom still makes them and we have them at family reunions. 

My all time favorite meal in the world. 

I made noodles using my grandmas recipe one year. 

Another one of my grandmas specialties was her gooseberry pie. She would take it to church functions and it was always a hit. She grew gooseberries in her yard so she always had a good supply. One of my least favorite things to do is stem gooseberries. I was lucky enough to obtain the recipe she used and have made it several times. A few years ago I entered it in my grandmas hometown festival where I got a blue ribbon. It was so special to be able to enter in an even that my family has been competing in for generations. I'm not necessarily a gooseberry fan but I love making them. 

My blue ribbon Pie from the Moravia Fall Festival in 2016

In that same family group the Walter's, each year for our family reunion the theme has been watermelon. My great grandpa was know for growing watermelons. I've tried my hand at it but never had quite the luck. My Cousin on the other hand has won awards with hers! 

My Great Grandpa (Far right) and great aunts and uncle and cousins.

My cousins blue ribbon watermelon. 

On my mom's dads side my great aunt Cleo was known for making good pies. After she passed away my mom snagged some of her pie plates to have since I too LOVE making pies. I also came across this photo of her in front of several pies. It's one I definitely treasure.  

One last thing I wanted to talk about that I feel only Genealogists would appreciate. In April of 2020 everyone was in the thick of Covid and everything was shut down. My mom, Aunt, and I were going to go visit a few cemeteries and we knew we couldn't go out to eat anywhere. So we packed a picnic and ate in one of the most beautiful little cemeteries. It's off the beaten path and has trees all around and a beautiful view. It made the prettiest spot for a picnic. After that I was talking to some other family members and they talked about how they would do that when they would go put flowers out for memorial day or when they were visiting graves. 

Under the tree in the top left corner is where my 4x great grandmother is buried.