So Many Dishes

I’m remembering my grandmother especially today, September 10th, because it was her birthday. She passed away in 1988 and, to be honest, I miss her more than my mom. She loved to cook and bake, and some of my fondest memories are times I spent with her in her kitchen.

My grandmother, Nana to her grandkids, was of Pennsylvania Dutch stock, and her cooking reflected that. I remember helping her roll dough for homemade noodles that went into her delicious chicken pot pie—which is a soup, not an actual pie. But I did help Nana bake shoofly pies, another Pennsylvania Dutch specialty.

What Nana was most famous for were her waffles. She made perfect waffles every time. We called her waffle iron magic. I loved spending Saturday nights with my grandparents, because it usually meant waffles for dinner.

Nana used Bisquick for her waffles, so when I see a box, even though the visuals on the packaging have been updated, it always makes me think of her. I hadn’t had Bisquick in the house for years, but sometime last fall I came across a recipe for a simple apple coffee cake that uses the baking mix. The cake was pretty good, but I was left with half a box left. What was I going to do with it?

The answer came the next time Ken cooked chili. Usually, I’ll bake cornbread as an accompaniment for one of his chili recipes. However, a pan of cornbread is a lot for just the two of us, and I have no willpower where cornbread is concerned. I realized that I could make a half batch of drop biscuit dough and bake just four small biscuits.

The biscuits have become a staple, not just with chili, but with other stews that Ken loves to cook. He made Kentucky burgoo last evening, and we ate the leftovers tonight. I made a fresh batch of biscuits both evenings. Fresh from the oven, they’re delicious, but that yellow box of Bisquick always takes me right back to Nana’s kitchen. We didn’t plan our menu with her birthday in mind, but we couldn’t have picked a more appropriate day to stir up those special memories.