Cooking in Grandmother's Kitchen

Some of my fondest childhood memories came from helping Grandmother in her west Tennessee kitchen.
Grandmother never allowed my mother in the kitchen when she was a girl, but when I came along, grandmother was more than willing to have a little (and sometimes messy) helper by her side. She didn’t seem to mind when I dragged all the pots and pans out to play with them in the floor, and she never minded a little bit of a mess.
I’m sure if I had sprayed cake batter on the ceiling, though, that my play time in the kitchen probably would have ended rather abruptly.
But I’m sure that at times I was more of a hindrance than a help, she rarely fussed at me. I think she enjoyed being able to pass the love of cooking on to another generation. Many of my recipes today came from grandmother’s kitchen. Although she was horrible at writing down the exact amounts, I remember enough to muddle my way through frying okra or squash or making homemade biscuits.
All of this came to mind when reading a comment from a Second Helping blog reader who suggested that I ask people to remember their favorite childhood recipe. The reader remembers her mother making Congo squares that contained large chunks of chocolate.
My favorite recipe from childhood was grandmother’s chocolate pie. She usually made one every Sunday morning before we went to church. I’ve only attempted making one chocolate pie, and it wasn’t quite as good as grandmother’s pie. Two months after I made the pie, I finally found her old recipe. I still have some tweaking to do before I can share it with the readers. I’m still trying to decipher some of her handwriting and measurements.
If you have recipes or want to ask other readers for help in finding a childhood favorite, drop me a line on the Second Helping blog at leighwright.blogspot.com.


The Incredible Egg
Not only is May the month proclaimed for hamburgers and barbecue, it’s also National Egg Month.
The American Egg Board sent along these trivial facts:
n A hen needs 24 to 26 hours to produce an egg. After she lays the egg, the hen begins her production process just 30 minutes later.
n Eggs contain 13 vitamins and minerals, unsaturated fats and antioxidants, for just 70 calories.
n A cooked egg will spin easily while a raw egg will wobble.

Scrambled egg
and chicken wraps
3 eggs
3 tablespoons skim milk
3 plain or flavored flour or whole-wheat tortillas
Cooking spray
1⁄2 cup (about three ounces) chopped cooked chicken
1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
3 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Salsa or taco or pizza sauce (depending on your taste)

In small bowl, beat together eggs and milk until blended. Set aside. Heat tortillas according to package directions and keep warm. Evenly coat a 10-inch nonstick omelet pan or skillet with spray. Over medium heat, heat pan until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Add chicken or chili powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in reserved egg mixture.
As the mixture begins to set, gently draw inverted pancake turner across bottom and sides of pan, forming large soft curds. Continue until eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly.
Spoon about 1⁄3 cup scrambled eggs into center of each warm tortilla. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Top with salsa to taste. Add additional toppings as desired. Roll up tortilla.

Leigh Landini Wright, The Paducah Sun’s features editor, can be contacted at 575-8658 or llandini@paducahsun.com