Memory Lane Meals – How A Trip Home Inspired A Cookbook
Posted on Monday, September 26th, 2011
My trips down Memory Lane always lead to old fashioned meals.
Last year at this time, I was coming to the end of a month long adventure. No, I wasn’t climbing the Himalayan mountains, bungee-jumping the Great Wall of China, or trekking in Patagonia.
I was taking a trip down Memory Lane.
Here’s what happened:
Autumn weather always makes me nostalgic. Here in Florida, I find those feelings watered down. I was feeling sad, missing my favorite season. I needed a trip home, up north, to the land of fall colors, cool nights, and warm fires.
Ah… Autumn. The glories of Heaven can only be compared to the glories of Autumn.
Because my childhood home has remained in the family (thanks to my Sisters), and because, as luck would have it, the house was vacant for the month of September, I began to hatch a plan. It was really quite simple. I jumped in my car and drove north to my hometown, and more importantly, my home.
Twenty hours later, there I was, settled in my childhood home, the home I was born in, and September was in all its glory. The weather was cooperating. The air was starting to get cooler. The leaves were turning. The garden was beyond ripe.
Everything was in motion for a serious trip down Memory Lane.
And sure enough, the first afternoon I was there, in my home, the school bus came down my road. I was sitting out on the front porch cutting up tomatoes from the garden and there it was – in all its lumbering, yellow glory. The same sound. The same look. The same smells. Everything.
I was a goner! There was no avoiding the deep dive into my month-long state of reminiscing. I was in my Heaven.
In the morning I picked what vegetables were left in the garden and thought about Mom cleaning out the garden in the fall. In the afternoons, when the school bus rolled by again, I remembered heading straight for the kitchen and seeing Mom surrounded by loaves of bread and pots bubbling away on the stove, and Dad coming home from work, taking off his boots, and getting ready for supper. Then, at night as I sat in front of the fireplace, I remembered the meals in that house.
I was beginning to see a pattern. Somehow, no matter what I reminisced about, my trip down Memory Lane always led to food.
Well, it’s no wonder, really. I am one of 11 kids, so there was a lot of food around! Food and my childhood memories are intimately linked, it seems.
My Mom always had a pile of recipe clippings laying around from magazines, newspapers, or even from food packages. There were always recipes gathered from school picnics or other family get togethers. Then there were the little cookbooks that the clubs, churches, or schools put together for fun or as fundraisers. There were always piles and piles of curled, yellow, and stained recipes and little cookbooks; some well used, some still waiting to be discovered.
As the September days ticked away, my memories became clearer, much like the fall air. I remembered family meals, big meals, when we all sat down and ate together. We waited for Dad to get home from work, then dinner was on the table. Well, it was on two tables in my case – remember, there were 11 kids – a few too many to fit on one table.
What struck me as I sorted through the recipes and the memories is that old fashioned meals where the family sits down together aren’t happening very much anymore. So, I decided to share my story and put together a collection of recipes that are part of that time – the old days – and I invite you to take a look at what I’ve created:
Memory Lane Meals – A Collection Of Recipes Celebrating Cozy Meals From Days Gone By
I had a lot of fun gathering recipes, some from school cafeterias of the 50s, school picnics of the 60s, and even a few from the “modern thinking” days of the 70s and 80s. Some of the recipes have been tweaked to accommodate today’s ingredients, but I hoped to keep as many of the heartier versions as possible.
What I’m really hoping is that as you read through the recipes, you are reminded of some of your own memories of home-cooking, family picnics, school casseroles, or other familiar dishes of your youth.
Or, if you’re a young family, I’m hoping you will find inspiration to cook and eat together as a family. There is nothing more important as a family than to share time together, and what better way than around a warm, comforting meal.
Please click on today to order your own copy of my ebook Memory Lane Meals. Ordering the ebook is easy and immediately available with a simple download.
Along with the over 400 recipes you’ll receive, you’ll also get a couple fun glimpses into my house growing up in the 50s and 60s… all this for only $12. I’m so sure you’ll find this book enjoyable, that I offer a 100% money back guarantee.
I hope you’ll take time to enjoy your own trip down Memory Lane, reminiscing about old fashioned meals spent with your family. Better yet, I hope you’ll dig into the recipes in Memory Lane Meals and pick one out tonight to cook for your family!
Thank you for taking time to spend with me today, and may all your meals be memorable!
p.s. When you order Memory Lane Meals you’ll also receive two incredible FREE Surprise Bonuses from the Hillbilly Housewife collection of cookbooks. If you like good cooking, you’ll LOVE these bonuses!
p.p.s. Also, when you order Memory Lane Meals, you’ll see in the first chapter I’ve included a nice sampling of recipes from the Hillbilly Housewife’s popular cookbook Homemade Convenience Foods. You’ll find easy ways to finally get rid of all that prepackaged stuff in your cupboards and replace them with healthier, and often better tasting alternatives.
Just in case you were wondering, back home to me is northern Wisconsin. Because of that, many of my memories revolve around cheese and brats, and in my later years, beer. Those taste buds never leave you, although they could mature with time. Which leads me to my latest and greatest find – WisconsinMade Gifts.
This company knows how to bring everything that’s great about Wisconsin into beautiful gift items. Be sure to click on the link and do some scrolling around. I guarantee you’ll find a lot to love… and not just cheese and brats!
I’ll be back with more about WisconsinMade Gifts in my blog as we get closer to Christmas. But, check it out now if you want to get started on your gift shopping.
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