Memaw's Potato Soup

I don't have a photo for this one yet, but this dish has been on my mind so I wanted to share the recipe now. I'll add photos as I get them taken.



I've always been a fan of potatoes. I love them baked, fried, mashed, and especially in a thick creamy soup topped with crispy bacon bits. It's the latter version that is featured here. When I was a kid, as soon as the first cold front would hit, my mom would make a huge batch of this soup. She would keep it in a big tupperware tub in the fridge and she and I would serve it up 3 meals a day for as long as it lasted.

When I left home for college, this meal was among those that I missed the most. When I came home for Thanksgiving, my mom made a special batch for me so that I could take it back with me to my little dorm room. And for as long as I can remember, each time I got sick or had a rough day, I would call my mom and petition for a special delivery of a bowl of my favorite comfort food.

Memaw's Potato Soup

Ingredients:

3 - cups peeled, chopped potatoes

1 - small onion, chopped

1.5 - cups whole milk

1 - Tbs all purpose flour

1 - cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

cooked crumbled bacon (optional)

Instructions:
1. Boil potatoes and onions in water under tender (about 20 minutes).
2. Add flour to milk, mixing until well blended.
3. Add milk mixture to potato/onion mixture
4. cook on low heat until thickened, stirring constantly.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. Spoon into soup bowls and garnish with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon, if desired.

It wasn't until I had moved off to college that my mom shared that this recipe had been handed down from her mom. I shouldn't have been surprised. I think my Memaw served potatoes at almost every meal. I remember well fighting with my cousin, Sharon, for the first helping of Memaw's mashed potatoes at every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

I don't need to tell you that I adored this lady. Just look at the smile on Logan's face as he played with her in her back yard on a fine fall afternoon! I honestly do not ever recall being down in the dumps in her presence. I remember trips to the 5 and Dime (seriously!) to pick up craft supplies before the start of a sleep over. I remember long, drawn-out games of scrabble and spades. And I remember clouds of perfumed after-bath powder, Chanel No. 5, to be exact. I remember her big fluffy bed and giggling late into the night. I remember the basketball hoop in the parking lot of their TDC housing complex as well as countless games of "horse" with my cousins. And I remember her smile, always her smile.

My mom had a bright, sunny disposition and I'm quite certain she inherited that from her mother.

It's kind of funny. I strongly favor my father's family in appearance. My mom was the same way. She greatly favored her paternal grandmother in looks. But as I sit here and think back, I can see how much of her personality was a direct influence from my Memaw.

DJ's Hawaiian Dream Cake

To start things off, I pulled out one of my all time childhood favorites, my mom's Hawaiian Dream Cake!


My version isn't nearly as pretty as hers, but it did taste the same!

I remember mom serving this cake mainly during the summer time like at Fourth of July gatherings and family reunions. The cake is chilled, so it was the perfect treat to beat the terrible Texas heat. I also routinely requested it for my birthday in the fall despite the fact that I was a huge fan of everything chocolate.

This is an easy, "semi-homemade" recipe. It uses a box cake mix, for example. But there is nothing boxed-tasting about this cake.

DJ's Hawaiian Dream Cake

Ingredients:

1 - box pineapple cake mix (I like Duncan Hines Signature Pineapple Supreme)

3 - large eggs

1/3 - cup vegetable oil

1 - 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

2 - 8 oz. tubs Cool Whip (I use Cool Whip Lite, but any variety will work)

1 - 3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 - jar Dole Mandarin Oranges in 100% juice

Instructions:
1. Open the can of crushed pineapple and drain, reserving the liquid.
2. Set the pineapple aside and mix the cake according to the package instructions (put mix, eggs, oil and liquid in a bowl and beat according to directions) EXCEPT replace the called for water with an equivalent amount of the pineapple juice drained from the crushed pineapple.
3. Once the cake is done, cool completely before icing.
4. Take the two tubs of Cool Whip, place in a large mixing bowl, and stir in the pudding mix.
5. Next fold in the crushed pineapple.
6. Use the Cool Whip/pineapple mix to completely ice the cake.
7. Drain the mandarin oranges and use to decorate the cake.

Keep the cake cool until you are ready to serve it.

Note: you could also use a regular yellow cake mix. The pineapple juice will give it a nice flavor. I prefer the pineapple cake mix as that is what Mom always used, but she used yellow cake in a pinch so it's definitely an option.

My mom has been on my mind a lot as I have contemplated the start of this project. Regardless of the origin of any particular recipe, when I am in the kitchen, my thoughts always gravitate back to my mom.

I suspect this has a lot to do with the fact that she was the source of almost all of my nourishment for the first 18 years of my life.

My mom could COOK! Especially, when it came to preparing what you might call traditional southern cuisine. I didn't take advantage of her pleas to spend time with her in kitchen. I was too busy for that. But I never failed to appreciate the food she cranked out.

I'm thankful that my boy doesn't mind hanging out in the kitchen with me. And I'm hoping that he will have similar fond memories when he finds himself in his own kitchen one day.