My Favorite things

Today I chosen to share with you some of my favorite foods from some folks who were very instrumental in my life.

I'll start with my mom who went on to glory when I was just 5wks.I dont have very many of her things to hang on to.One of my favorite things is a cute little pink & flowered small notebook that she wrote recipes in.This notebook has been monumental as far as helping me get to know my mother on my own terms.Out of that book the thing I love the most is the cheesecake recipe.Actually its a combination of 2 of her cheesecake recipes.Though my father always raved about allll of her food the cheesecake was clearly his favorite.It has become my go to cheesecake recipe,I may not always put kahlua in it like she did but its my homebase for any cheesecake.

The second thing would be my grandmothers spaghetti and lemon icing.No we didnt typically eat them together,LOL.My grandparents house was the only place I was encouraged to be in the kitchen and I loved it!My grandma used to make her own spaghetti sauce,the recipe of which I still dont have.I remember after I'd been in college for about 2months,I called my grandma and told her how much I missed her spaghetti.Sure enough the next wknd I came home she had a big pot of it waiting,I ate some there and then took like a pound back with me. I just loved that her spaghetti always tasted like it was....un-manufactored and just for us.It was full of love and trust me,you can taste that.Now the lemon icing.All of 4 ingriedients.My grandmother lived thru the great depression and she knows how to stretch a dollar.This icing was sooo good,I couldn't wait for my grandfather to bake the cake,let it cool, and ask her to make the icing.Whatever leftover icing there was I got the biggest soup spoon I could find and went to town!

My grandfathers catfish,nuff said,but I'll give you more.My grandfather has not eaten fish since hmmm the 1940's?he ate too much during the war and never ate it again.But he can fry the hell outta some catfish.It was not un-common for us to have catfish and grits on July 4th.My grandad a true southern from Eastman Georgia(never heard of it have you?),still believes in breading the catfish in a paper bag then frying.It is sooo good.What are some of your favorite hand me down recipes?