In Memoriam

My mother died suddenly from a brain aneurism 8 years ago.  She died exactly as she would have wished, working on the beef cattle farm that she had lived on for over 50 years.  It was definitely a shock when I received the news, my mother was in excellent physical condition and she could outwork a lot of men I know.  My father was who I had picked to die first as he had Parkinson’s disease, but life rarely goes according to my plans.

My mother was the middle child of a family of three girls.  She was always a hard worker and a definite tomboy when she was growing up.  I heard more than one person tell me that when teams were chosen for a neighborhood game of football, some boys wouldn’t play if my mother was on the opposing team as they said she played too rough.  My grandmother told me a story about how my mother punched a boy who had taken her bike for an unauthorized ride.  She chased him all the way home and he hid inside his house.  When his mother asked him why my mother was standing outside on their porch, he confessed what he had done.  His mother told him to go outside and apologize to my mother.  He did so and at the point where his mother thought my mother would gracefully accept his apology, she punched him so hard that she knocked him out.

My mother’s grave is about 150 yards from my house, but I rarely visit it.  A few times in the spring and summer seasons, my granddaughter will pick some flowers and we will place them on her grave.  My granddaughter cannot remember my mother, she was very young when she died, and she wishes that she had more time with her.  Actually, my granddaughter is a lot like my mother, tough and resourceful, but with a kind and caring heart.  Last year when my granddaughter played basketball in a mixed league, a lot of the boys said she was too rough under the basket when she blocked out or fought for rebounds.

Anyway, rather than visit her grave regularly, I prefer to remember my mother for the things she did, and one of her talents was the wonderful special dishes she made.  The following is one of her regular offerings around this time of the year, and it is definitely what is referred to in these parts as a “hubby pleaser”.  The variable amounts in the recipe are for making a regular or a large sized dish.  Enjoy.

German Potatoes

3-5 lbs. Potatoes

6-10 slices bacon

¾-1 cup chopped onions

2-4 tablespoons flour

2-4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon celery seed

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¾-1 cup water

1/3-1/2 cup vinegar

 

Boil potatoes in salt water, drain and set aside.

Fry bacon until crisp, remove from skillet.

Brown onions in bacon grease, stir in flour, sugar, salt, celery seed and pepper.

Cook over low heat until bubbly, remove form heat, stir in water and vinegar.

Return to medium heat, stir mixture constantly until boiling for one minute.

Slice potatoes thin, crumble bacon over potatoes, pour mixture on top.

 

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