My Grandma's Kitchen

This month, my Grandmother will be celebrating her 91^st birthday.  At 91, she is a picture of health and she really doesn’t look a day over 80.  There are many things my Grandma would say have contributed to her longevity.  She doesn’t drink alcohol or anything with caffeine, she spent most of her life living on a farm and she has a strong faith in God. Although I am a direct descendent of hers, I’m batting zero for three on these three significant markers of a long and healthy life.

I spent a lot of time at my Grandparent’s farm growing up, in particular, in my Grandma’s kitchen.  I watched her spend most of her time there, the hub of a very busy working farm.  Together (well, I was of some small assistance), we would prepare lunch for the men who were working in the barns, sheds and fields. These men were my uncles, my Grandpa and my father.  It was as if I were getting a glimpse of the life they lived as a young family working their family farm.

The table would be prepared, in my recollection anyway, in the same way each time.  Plates of pickles, vegetables, sliced meats and cheeses, homemade bread and a hot bowl of homemade soup with crackers would be set out, a banquet for the hungry men.  Grandma would then send me out to find them all in the barns, sheds and fields and call them in for lunch. The smell of fresh straw and farmer’s sweat filled the kitchen air. We would all take our seats around the table, wait for grace and then eat, what seemed to be, the most delicious food ever made.

I have always seen my Grandma’s strength. I have always known how hard she worked for her family and how she did it without complaint or need of praise. For a long time I assumed that the work she was doing in running that kitchen and home was something she had to do, not something she would have chosen to do. But now, I understand that this was how my Grandma loved and took care of her family. Those meals fed her families appetites and their souls.

The generational differences between my Grandma and I are great. And there is not much in my life that would resemble the life that she lived.  But those days in her kitchen, watching her and helping her, became a part of me. It all just stayed with me and when I’m in my own kitchen cooking and baking for my family and friends, I know that she is always with me.

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Here is the recipe for my most favourite cake she has ever made.  You’re welcome!

Grandma Bowman’s Banana Cake with Penuche Icing

½ cup soft shortening

1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup buttermilk (any milk will do)
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 bananas)

I use my mixer for this cake. Cream together until fluffy, the shortening and sugar; beat in the eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and stir them in alternately with the milk and bananas. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Penuche Icing

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla

Bring the first four ingredients to a boil and continue boiling for 3 minutes.  Turn down heat, and whisk in icing sugar and vanilla. Pour over cooled cake.