My mom's friend invited us to a Day of the Dead party tomorrow. We are supposed to bring a photo of a loved one, and some of their favorite food. Nguyen is bringing a picture of his mom and some of her famous spring rolls. I am bringing a picture of my grandmother. I had a hard time thinking of her favorite food. Truth be told, it would be the pope's nose (the tail) from a roasted chicken. But by golly, that is a tough thing to bring for a potluck. (Same with lamb shanks!) My grandmother had very funny taste in food. She was Canadian, and of Scottish decent, so there was a lot of meat at the table. But she also was a housewife in the 50's and had a certain appreciation for the foods of that era. (Toad in the hole, for example, which was basically hot dogs in a dough wrapper.)
She cooked a few things consistently well. Short bread cookies, rhubarb pie, and cheese biscuits. I have decided to bring the cheese biscuits. They are easy and delicious, especially when served with a stiff cocktail, which is how Granny enjoyed them.
Granny's biscuits:
1 cup flour
1 stick butter (slightly softened)
1 tub sharp chedder cheese spread. (She used Old English... I am guessing a 5 or 8 oz tub.)
I mixed these in a cuisinart and it took about 3 seconds. You could do it by hand though. Her recipe says to start with a whisk and then graduate to your bare hands.
Roll the dough into a snake and chill till stiff. Then cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, dust with cayenne pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until golden.
I'll be tilting a glass of wine with these tomorrow, Gran. I know they will bring back all kinds of memories of parties long past. I sure do miss you sometimes.
Love,
Rachel
PS: isn't this photo amazing? My aunt Betsy took it a couple years after Grandpa died. I think it shows just how complex my grandmother was. The first time I saw this photo was at Granny's memorial party. I was in her bedroom with Betsy and she showed it to me. I took one look at it and burst into tears.
1 comment:
a great pic and a great story to match
Have never heard of a party for the dead, but you made it sound lovely and not sad
thanks
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