𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐤𝐞

Momma was a practical woman. Living through the Great Depression made her keenly aware of the basic needs of her own family and how to economize, lest this event ever happen again. Her parents were simple farmers whose hard life became even more difficult during that period. The motto of those years was “Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without.” Momma didn’t believe in waste. The present-day term “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” was in her lifestyle long before it came in vogue.

Momma frequently referred to the Joad family. I assumed as a young child they were our relatives. Then I read Grapes of Wrath and realized my error. Click here for the Cliff Notes version through Amazon. My sons insist too many words give them a headache so this is for them.

As children, frugality was a way of life. As teenagers in the 60’s, it was sometimes embarrassing. When I became a parent of three children, I was busy working full time and definitely did not follow her example. It was not until my children were grown that I became fully aware of the sacrifices she made for her family. Thankfully, we spent many of her final years together and I was able to express my admiration and appreciation.

Over the years, her frugality has been a hot topic of conversation. Here are a few examples:

• Tin Foil: This was used until it literally disintegrated. After it had been in the freezer wrapped around a few pork chops for a few months, it found new life in covering bits and pieces of onion, celery in the fridge, that is, until it could no longer hold anything and it was not even recognizable as tin foil.
• Ziplocs: I was sure we would all die of botulism when she kept reusing plastic bags that contained raw chicken. Nope, she just washed them out and put Daddy’s lunch sandwich in it after it drip-dried on the counter. Not even a bellyache did any of us contract. My kids were horrified but could never convince her that raw chicken was dangerous.
• Crisco Can: An empty Crisco can sat on the counter right next to the sink. There, all scraps, coffee grinds, eggshells and the like were kept until it was overflowing. It made me queasy when it was my turn to wash dishes. But the dishwasher’s job was also to toss the scraps in one of her many flower beds. I would hold it way away from my body, pinch my nose, and run as fast as I could to dispose of the contents.
• Plastic Catfood Containers: We didn’t have a cat but Momma’s friend saved all of her gallon-sized dry cat food containers. They became Momma’s new canister set for her staples. I loved to sit back and watch the expression on her visitor’s faces when she was dipping sugar out of her cannister for their coffee.
• Pill Bottles: All flower seeds were kept in the freezer in pill bottles. If the DEA would have ever raided that place, they would have found about 100 bottles filled with tiny black poppy seeds – her favs.
• Cool Whip and Margarine: Every container had an afterlife. When you opened one of these containers from her fridge, it was seldom Cool Whip or margarine.

In much the same way, she found a small notebook that had been used for random information. It became her personal recipe file. Some had no title. Some had no instructions. Since it was her notebook, I guess she did not feel the need to enter details. After all, if you had made as many dishes and desserts as she had in a lifetime, she would probably tell you it was all common sense. One of her recipes was “Good Chess Pie” so I supposed she may have eaten a bad chess pie. There was “Ellen Bliss’ Glazed Nuts”, “Mrs. Folds Applesauce Cake”, “Mary Janes Broccoli”, “Diane’s Pecan Pie”, “Mae Chemin’s Pumpkin Pie”, Mrs. Lee’s Cupcakes and so many more. Now you may be able to understand her system.

As I was leafing through, I came across her German Chocolate Upside Down Cake. Below is her version in her little notebook. I have added a few details that may have been omitted since I knew and understood her baking techniques. My Nordic Ware Tube Cake Pan was used to bake this beautiful cake. Click here to see the pan. It’s one of my favorite tube cake pans.

Momma was a trailblazer for her time in many ways. Organization was not a strong point. We had much in common there and my adult children will attest to that. Continuing with perusing her recipes, I see Mrs. Welsh’s dessert (no title) next to Corn Pudding. I guess in Momma’s thoughts, pudding could have been a dessert.

Thanks Momma for the walk down memory lane.

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