Celebrating over 5000 views

I'm so excited!!! My blog has over 5000 views, as of today, 5033, which to me is incredible. I started this blog in 2012 with the strong encouragement of my daughter, Tabitha, who set it up for me. I love to cook,among other things, and am always sharing recipes so this was a perfect way to do that. Thanks so much, Tabitha. Over the years it's evolved into more than just recipes with farmers market adventures and family memories. I've been able to share the blog with friends, family and even strangers.  It's been a real joy, so I'm adding a new category called Celebrate and will be adding future posts of things I want to celebrate. Thanks to all of you who have come over to read my blog. I'm most grateful. As Thanksgiving approaches may we all be grateful and celebrate life with family and friends.
Enjoy,
Bamah

Grandmas Homemade Banana Pudding with gluten free option

My Grandma was famous for her banana pudding. We moved in with her when I was in grade school and she helped raise my brother and I. Growing up,  we had potluck lunches on Sundays after church at Trinity Baptist Church and Grandma almost always took banana pudding and fried chicken. Most of the time she made them on Saturday night or would get up early Sunday morning and cooked them before Sunday School time. Her banana pudding was to die for, it was so delicious. She topped it with meringue which wasn't a favorite of mine, I liked whipped cream better, but it was so good I ate the meringue anyway. Going through the line at the potluck lunch if you didn't get the pudding first go around with your food it was most often gone when you went back for dessert. And even though Grandma made it all the time, my brother and I piled it on our plates at church. I loved the vanilla wafer cookies the best so when she made it just for us at home she would add extra cookies for me. I asked her if she followed a recipe and she said no, she just made a custard and put it over the cookies and bananas. She always said that she "just cooked groceries" and wasn't really into recipes as such. In later years, when I was grown, she started using the boxed cooked vanilla pudding mix as a short cut, but she did something to it that made it taste homemade but I'm not sure what. Over the years, I've made attempts to make her banana pudding and a couple of times came close according to family members, My daughters also grew up with her banana pudding as she would make it for any family gatherings, most often we requested it.

Recently, I started going through mine and my mother's family cookbooks that we put together when I was younger. I have old recipes from my grandma, Aunt Dorothy, great-grandma, Bamah, and my mom in Aunt Dorothy and mom's handwriting and one in Grandma's. I'm in the process of preserving them and also trying out the recipes, so look for future posts concerning them. Sadly, we don't have a copy of Grandma's banana pudding but I did find a Homemade Banana Pudding recipe from Adrian Drinkard, I'm not sure who that was, but was written out by my mom. It gives instruction for making a custard and meringue so is like what Grandma did.  My daughter, Tabitha, and I made it this past weekend and it turned out really well. My meringue needed some work but the custard was good and we decided it was really close to Grandma's.  Next time I make it, I'm going to use whipped cream instead of meringue but I wanted to go classic this time.

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Banana Pudding

for custard

1 c. sugar

4 T. flour

1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk

1 1/2 c. milk (I didn't use evaporated milk but just used 3 cups of milk)

8 eggs, separated, use yolks only for custard

1 T. vanilla

4 bananas, sliced

1 box of vanilla wafers

for meringue

8 egg whites

1/4 t. cream of tarter

1 t. vanilla

2 to 4 T. sugar

Line baking dish with vanilla wafers and sliced bananas. In medium saucepan, mix sugar and flour and on low heat slowly add milk, stirring well until sugar is dissolved and flour incorporated. Beat egg yolks well in bowl and add to milk mixture. Turn up heat, to medium-high and stirring constantly, cook custard until starts to thicken and comes to a light boil, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over vanilla wafers and banana slices in baking dish. For meringue beat together egg whites, cream of tarter and sugar until very stiff peaks. Beat in a pinch of salt and vanilla. Spread over top of custard and brown slowly in broiler, takes less than 1 minute. Or can top with whipped cream instead of meringue.


My daughter, Aubree, visited us over Christmas and is gluten intolerant so we made a gluten free version of Grandma's banana pudding. It turned out very yummy and we really couldn't tell the difference. We also did a whipped cream topping instead of meringue which we really liked better.


Gluten free option,
Substitute 4 T of flour with same amount of tapioca flour
2 cups of heavy whipping cream instead of 3 cups of milk
gluten free cinnamon cookies instead of vanilla wafers


Whipped topping instead of meringue
Whip 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream until soft peaks and add 1 t of vanilla. 

Enjoy,

Bamah

meringue topping

Banana pudding with whipped cream topping



whipped cream topping

A treasure of old letters Part 3

I've just about completed my project concerning my Grandma's letters from the 1950's from Air Force service men, their mothers and other family members.  I've made copies and scanned them all to preserve them for our family. I'm contemplating donating the originals to a historical society.  It's also inspired me to do something for the service members that I work with in the clinic on a daily basis in appreciation for their service, so plans are being made for the holidays and some home baking. I am also knitting and crocheting scarves and hats for service members. Last month I donated 3 scarves to Operation Gratitude that mails care packages to service members stationed away from home. My Grandma's legacy lives on.

It's amazing how reading someone else's letters can bring back your own memories. Marvin aka Swanee was another one of Grandma's boys that she was very close to and stayed in touch for years. He also married a local Ardmore girl, Peggy, and later lived in Lewisville, Tx.  His mother wrote to Grandma in January 1954 from Chicago, IL. "I received your very nice letter and I am very glad to hear from you. As it is impossible for me to be with my sons when they are away from home, I am more than grateful to have someone as wonderful as you to take an interest in him. I thank you with all my heart and hope someday I can meet you and thank you in person for being so kind."

Swanee wrote from Paris, France in January 1955 while at some kind of training how much he was missing everyone in Ardmore.  I met him when I was in junior high and he was living in Lewisville, TX.  Grandma drove my brother and I down to his house and he took us all to the Texas State Fair and the OU/Texas football game.  I don't remember what year it was but somewhere in the early 1970's.  We had a wonderful time.

More excerpts:

Mrs. A, mother,  from Elizabethton, Tennessee wrote 2 letters in November 1953 and again in Jan 1954

"I am so proud in knowing my boys are in church, nothing pleases me any better. I thank you for writing. Hope to hear from you soon. I remain your friend."

" I want to thank you so much for the pretty apron you sent me and also for cooking Jarvis so many good meals."

Her daughter also wrote in March 1954

"Although I have never seen or met you, I feel I have known you for months through my brother, Jarvis, for in almost every letter he is telling me about something you have done for him and some of the other boys. I want to say a big thank you. It is nice people like you that makes the world a better place in which to live."

Mrs. B, mother, from Azusa, CA,  June 1954

Her son, Dick, has gone to another base and she was writing Grandma to report on him. "Well Mrs. Hill, hope someday to meet you. Dick spoke so often of you, how nice you were to him.

Thank you."

Mrs. B, mother, from Coosada, Alabama, wrote 2 letters, 1 in April 1954 and the other in May 1954

Her son, Walter, also wrote when he went off for training in Feb 1954

"I was so happy to receive your friendly letter. Walter has told us what a grand church he has there and what lovely people. It sure makes a mother's heart happy to know her boy has such a wonderful environment when he is so far from home. I feel that I know you already Walter has spoken of you. Thank you for being the sweet person you are. Thank you for your wonderful kindness to my boy."

Mrs. S, mother, from Mt Vernon, MO, Aug 1954

" I was so happy when I learned of Bill going to church and being so interested in church work. He likes the people very much in Ardmore and has told me of the church and being at your place a lot. I can't tell you in words how much I appreciate what you are doing for him and the other boys too. I am so glad he has run into such a nice Christian home to visit. God bless you, your home and all the fellowship workers."

Mrs. A, mother, from Kansas City, MO, June 1954

"You will never know how happy I was to receive your letter and to hear about my son. I'm so glad and grateful to the mothers who are being so good to my boy, Johnny. I wish to thank you deeply for the encouragement you have given my fine son."

Mrs. H., mother, from McEwen, Tennessee, Feb 1955

"We did appreciate your letter so much. Certainly glad for the interest you take in him. He appreciates it too. He's told us a lot about being there with you and about how nice you were to all the boys. Thanks a million for everything you do for him. I try to help someone when I can to kinda make up for it. We can't always do for the one who does for us but we can help someone near us and there is usually someone around that needs something done."

Mrs. F, mother, from Jacksboro, TX, March 1955

"So glad to get the nice letter from you. I want to tell you how very grateful I am to you and the others in Ardmore who have had a part in making Carl's stay there so enjoyable. Carl has surely praised you all to the fullest extent for your friendliness and hospitality. You have been a great help and inspiration to him and I could never find words to express my gratitude. I know you are wonderful people to find room in your heart and home for our boys. So few people know, or care, what our service members are going through, leaving their homes, love ones and own interests to help to keep the freedom that we're enjoying."

Mrs. L, mother, from Spokane, Washington, Dec 1954

" Thank you for your thoughtfulness in writing to me. It was a surprise. We appreciate your kind words about Arley. Your gatherings of young people must be fine, he enjoys them so much."

Mrs. McV, mother, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 1954

"Thank you most kindly for your interest in my boy."

Mrs. S, mother, from Coal City, West Virginia, Dec 1953

"I appreciate all you're doing for Frank and I know he does. I hope you will watch after Frank for me all you can. If you ever get to come to West Virginia, please drop by and see all of us."

Mrs. W, mother, from Detroit, Michigan, Nov 1953

"Always glad to hear from anyone that has seen my son. It makes me very happy to hear that he is attending church regular, he has always loved church work. Thomas wrote that he likes there now for he has lots of friends. Thanks so much for writing to me."

Mrs. S, mother, from Columbia, Mississippi, wrote 2 letters, 1 in Sept 1955 and the other in Oct 1955

The 1st letter was written to Grandma and Aunt Dorothy.

"Dear, deal ladies, Edna and Dorothy, you see, I know you two ladies. How we do thank God for the help you have been to Alan. When he was here he talked about you all the time and how you two have helped him find his way back to the Lord. Many thanks for your interest in our boy. I would be so happy to see you people, I feel I already know you."

Thank you Grandma for saving these letters for me to find and to learn more about you and your life. Thanks for always inspiring me to have a mission to help others.

Enjoy,

Bamah

Autumn Beet Soup

I love beets and I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. Unlike the other vegetables I cook with, beets can't be hidden in recipes with their bright red color and my family don't really like them.  I found a new recipe for beet soup that I tried but I changed it up adding potatoes to cut the really strong beet flavor.  I also added milk and cheese to make a creamier soup.  It turned out really good. I used striped beets so they didn't have the dark red color . My daughter, Tabitha, was visiting, I got her to try it and she liked it so much she took the rest back with her.  I made another batch using red beets and added a sweet potato as well as new potatoes and it was even better. The sweet potato really mellowed out the beets. The 2nd batch was a bright red color and very tasty. The soup is pureed and so creamy with the milk and cheese. I added goat cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. I also used the beet greens, making pesto with them and herbs plus putting in my stock scrap freezer bag for future stock. I take my lunch everyday to work so beet soup is now on my fall favorite list.

Here's the recipe:

Made with striped beets

Autumn Beet Soup

1 onion, chopped

1/2 c chopped sweet peppers

1 lb. beets, (5 or 6) chopped

1 medium sweet potato, chopped

6 to 8 new potatoes, chopped

1/4 t. ground ginger

1 t. each seasoned salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

4 c. water

Cook vegetables in water with bay leaf, ginger, seasoned salt and pepper for 30 minutes or until tender. Blend in blender or with emulsion blender until smooth.

Add 1 t. each parsley and thyme

1/2 c. milk

1 to 2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, can also add goat cheese

Heat through until cheese is melted and soup is nice and creamy.

Enjoy,

Bamah

A treasure of old letters Part 2

This project has been very enlightening and inspiring to me as I've discovered even more about my amazing Grandma.  I can't imagine having anywhere from 20 to 40 people over every Sunday for lunch and all afternoon for several years but she did and influenced so many people. She developed several very close relationships with some of the "boys" that lasted for years.  They would send Christmas cards, visit and call.  I met several of them when I was young. In fact, my father was also one of the "boys" and that was how my parents met. He was an MP in the Air Force, stationed at Ardmore, heard about the great lunches, met and dated my mom then they were married when she graduated high school. Carroll was another of the boys that married a local girl, Patty, and they later settled in Ardmore. We visited back and forth with them my whole life.  My brother and I even stayed with them for a week when we were young when Mom and Grandma went out of town.  When Grandma passed away in 2003 they came to her funeral and opened their home to us after the graveside service feeding her family and sharing memories. Sharing a meal came full circle.

Grandma's house in Ardmore was 6 blocks from the church so the boys could either drive, several had cars, or walk. I think some of the women of the church helped provide part of the food. Grandma's specialty was fried chicken. Aunt Dorothy was the baker, she made cakes and pies for dessert plus homemade rolls.  My mom said that there were 2 small bedrooms upstairs, one for her, the other shared by Grandma and Aunt Dorothy. When the weather was nice, they set up a volley ball net in the yard and everyone played after lunch. Home away from home for service men.

Here's some more excerpts from letters:

From Ralph, service member shipped out to Korea, Sept 1954

"There was not a day that passed that I didn't think of you all. I saw Paul on the ship and we were talking about you all. Suppose you all are still having some of those wonderful fellowships. I don't think I have been to one as good as some of those since I left there. They were sure wonderful. Tell everyone I need their prayers and I will be doing the same for them."

Mrs. C, mother, from Ottumwa, Iowa, Aug 1954

"I received your letter on Wed and must say it gave us real pleasure to hear from you. It was very thoughtful of you to take time out to write us. I feel I owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done for my son and the other boys who invade your home. He looks forward to Sundays and the fine friends he has made in Okla. He can't say enough good things about you all in Ardmore. It would be a great pleasure to have a personal visit with you some time so I will extend you an invitation, if you are ever in our town won't you make us a visit? Thank you again for being so hospitable to Howard."

Mrs. S, mother, from Rochester, Michigan, June 1954

"I just received your sweet, joyful, wonderful, thrilling letter and news of my only precious son, Elbert, of whom I've been praying, worrying, and crying for. It really brought tears of joy and so proud of the marvelous news also that he's been lead to you, dear, whom he told me how love, kind and sweet you are. Thank you so much."

Mrs.   R., mother from Quinton, Alabama, May 1954

"I was so proud to get a sweet letter from you. Bobby told me how good you were to him. You know I can't express words of thanks because you are so good to my only son."

Mrs.  R., aunt, from Windham, Ohio. May 1954

"I received you nice letter a few days ago, was very glad to hear from you and to know that Fred has such nice friends to spend his spare time with. I am proud that Fred mentioned my name as I have tried to do all I could for him and his brothers and sisters when their parents died. I worry about them, as if they were my own. It certainly would be wonderful if there were more people like you, that would try and look after the boys that are in service and so far away from home. I know there would be less trouble in the world. I want to thank you for the nice letter and also for welcoming Fred in your home."

Mrs. S, mother, from Sylvania, Ohio, May 1954

"My son Bobby has written so much about you and how good you are to him that I wanted to write and thank you for being so kind to him. It sure makes me feel better when he is so far from home to have someone so kind to him. I want you to know I certainly appreciate all you have done for Bobby."

There are still more excerpts so I'll do another post, part 3, next month and also share one of Grandma's recipes. It's amazing how letters and home cooked meals can impact so many lives. May we all be inspired to do likewise.

Enjoy,

Bamah

A treasure of old letters

I recently came across a stack of my grandmother's old letters from 1953,1954 and 1955.  As I started reading them, I remembered the stories told of when she lived in Ardmore, OK and would feed Air Force men after church on Sundays in her home.  I had no idea the extent of her ministry to these service men or her "boys" as she would call them.  Evidentially, she wrote their mothers or family members about how they were doing and these letters are people writing back to her. There are 49 letters in all, 30 from family members, 22 mothers, 5 of them wrote twice, 1 father, 1 sister and an aunt, 13 letters from the service men themselves, 2 of them wrote twice, and 6 other letters. 

Ardmore Air Force Base was opened in 1952 outside of Ardmore, Ok and closed in 1959.  There was a bus service to and from Ardmore on Sundays for those wanting to attend church services. My grandmother, her sister, Aunt Dorothy and my mother who was a teenager lived in a 2 story house, 800 square feet with 4 rooms,  1 bedroom and bathroom upstairs and the kitchen and living room downstairs. They attended the First Baptist Church. The pastor there wanted to do something more for the service members that were attending so approached Grandma about having them over for lunch after church.  They also had fellowships for them along with the teens from the church. I think he asked several women to host lunches but my Grandma's was the favorite. Her and Aunt Dorothy were really good cooks and a lot of fun to be around. The "boys" evidentially helped with the cooking, one told his mother about baking biscuits. They also cleaned up, washed and dried all the dishes. Several of the mothers thanked Grandma for Christmas gifts, one mentioned a pretty apron, probably sewn by Aunt Dorothy. The mothers commented that they felt they knew Grandma because their sons had talked or written about her so much. Many of the mothers wanted to meet Grandma in person or invited her to their homes for a visit. Several letters talked about how Grandma had nursed several of the "boys" when they were sick or injured. Grandma was an RN for over 50 years, nursing was second nature for her. As a thank you, several of the boys gave her a Mix Master in 1954. Several of the mothers wrote more than once so there were letters going back and forth between them and Grandma.  Several of the service members wrote her, Aunt Dorothy and Mom when they went home on leave, on training or when they were shipped out and evidentially she wrote them back from the responses. She must have written a lot of letters over these years.

The boys would ride the bus to church on Sunday mornings, then go to Grandma's for lunch and spend the afternoon there, go back to church that evening, then ride the bus back to base.  I don't know how many they had each afternoon but there had to be anywhere from 10 to 20 any given Sunday just from the volume of letters. The house was set back from the road and had a long driveway. I remember stories of how they played music outside and would dance, play games or just hang out there on the driveway.

Here's  excerpts from some of the letters. I'm going to do another post with more excerpts (part 2)since there's so many. For privacy, I'm not including last names.

Mrs.  T (mother) from McQuady, Kentucky, April 1954

"Was so glad to get your nice letter. I appreciate it and the interest you have in Ralph. I know it has meant so much to him. I want to tell you that I don't worry so much about Ralph since I've known about you. Also so glad that he goes to church. Thank you again for your letter and being so nice to Ralph."

Mrs.  P (mother) from Malvern, Arkansas, December 1953, also wrote again in April 1954

"I received your nice friendly letter and am so happy to know that you have taken an interest in my boy, Eugene. When he was home he told me all about you. How nice you were to him and all the boys. I want to thank you with all my heart and may God bless you all. I know Eugene appreciates it very much. I feel so happy to know that he has taken an interest in church work and attends regularly."

Mrs.  C (mother) from Owensboro, Kentucky, Feb 1954 and also in March 1954

"Surely did appreciate your letter last week. You can never know just how much it means for us for the interest you have taken in Bill and he really loves you too. It is worth so much to know he is among such good Christian people and I know he will never forget his days spent in Ardmore. We are so thankful he has had the privilege of being out there. Thank you so much for what you are doing for Bill."

Mr.  M, (father) from Milan, Tennessee, November 1953 

"You don't know how much I appreciated your sweet letter. I sure am proud of the interest you folks are taking in the soldier boys. William has told me you sure are friendly people. It does me so much good that the boys go to church like they did at home. I want to thank you again for your sweet letter."

Mrs.  A (mother) from Many, Louisiana, January 1954

"Thank you so very much for the lovely gift. We are so glad that George is at work in the church there. We want to thank all of you good people for being so nice to him. It makes us feel good to know that he has good friends up there."

More farmers market adventures

This summer I've visited a few more farmer's markets in OK and on my travels.  The end of July we went on our annual family vacation to Mississippi for the Beckman family reunion.  We meet at Clarkco State Park near Meridian MS.  We're there from Tues until Sunday.  One of my cousins stopped at the Mississippi visitors center and saw a flyer for a farmers market trail and got it for me.  I was so excited, more farmers market road trips in the future. On Saturday morning, several of us went to the Meridian farmers market at Union Station.  This has become an annual event for us and one of my favorites.  I always manage to find things that I can take back with me to Oklahoma, mostly produce but this year it was also a plant.  I love plants and the majority of my plants have come from farmers markets.  I was walking by one of the vendors with plants and just looking, trying to figure

out logistics with taking something back to Oklahoma. When I asked about one of the plants the lady told me it was a Confederate Rose and because she needed to repot it she would sell it to me for $5.  SOLD! My husband was amused but use to me doing this by now so I brought it back, researched about it online and planted it in a 5 gallon bucket in my yard.  I wanted to get it established before putting it in the ground because full sun in Mississippi is very different from full sun in Oklahoma.  I'll overwinter it inside this year and plant it outside in the spring. One of my favor things to bring back from Mississippi is peaches.  I freeze and/or can them. In August, we planned another Saturday in OKC with our daughter, Tabitha. My husband, John, our dog, Clapton and I went to our local Lawton farmers market before leaving town, dropped the produce and Clapton off and then headed to Norman, OK.  I decided I wanted to add another farmers market to my list so Tabitha met us in Norman and we checked out theirs. Quite a few of the area farmers have booths at the OSU/OKC, Norman and Edmond farmers market but there's still unique vendors to each market.  We enjoyed it and bought produce, cheese and baked goods.  I bought peaches, not that I needed any because I still had peaches from Mississippi but later that week I canned 4 jars of Bourdon peaches plus made a peach cobbler for work with my MS and OK peaches.  Tabitha and I went in her car back to OKC and stopped off at the OSU/OKC farmers market for

yogurt and a couple more things that we couldn't get in Norman.  So that was 3 farmers markets for me in 1 day. Over Labor Day weekend my husband, John, Tabitha and I went to Little Rock, AR to visit my father-in-law and his wife. That Saturday, Tabitha and I went to the Hillcrest Farmers Market by the Pulaski Baptist Church on Kavanaugh Blvd.  We had went there last year when we visited and really enjoyed it so went back. We bought stuff to cook there for the family and to bring back to OK.  I cut up cantaloupe to go with sandwiches for lunch, made tomato pies and on Sunday made my farmers market eggs with veggies for breakfast.  Earlier this month I was asked to speak at my garden club about my farmers markets adventures which was fun. I do love to talk about farmers markets, veggies and cooking and preserving them. Unfortunately, with my work schedule I have to work 2 Saturdays a month so am unable to go to the farmers markets those days but I've converted my husband, John so he goes without me. Clapton also is a big fan of the farmers market, he loves people and most of the vendors know his name and he visits them for pets.  John buys produce and something for my lunch from the food truck, which he brings to me (I bring my lunch everyday but Saturday I get takeout from the farmers market since I can't be there in person). When I get home, I cut everything up and cook my go to dish on working Saturdays which is what I call Farmers Market Skillet.  It's any kind of meat, ground pork, ground lamb, lamb sausage or whatever John has bought and cooked plus veggies.  I add whatever veggies I have, usually a combination of fresh from the market and from my freezer stash, add seasonings, seasoned salt, pepper, herb blend, sofrito, sometimes mustard and sometimes something to make a kind of sauce and top it all with cheese.  It's a quick and tasty homemade meal and one of our favorites.   Farmers market adventures are the best.

Enjoy,

Bamah