Sunday Dinner at Grandma Reed’s House

Growing up in the mountains of West Virginia in the 1970’s there was one thing that was always a constant source of family for me and that was Sunday dinner. I’m sure this holds true for many families all over the country; for me Sunday at Grandma Reed’s house was an event I never missed. There was nothing fancy to the meal, just the love that she poured out on the food, knowing her beloved family would soon be gathering to celebrate just being “us”. We did this every Sunday; my aunts, uncles and cousins would gather to spend time together and to partake in Grandma’s simple but always delicious cooking. I lived nearby then with my dad and brother; my parents had divorced and for me I needed the stability of family. I would walk to her house early in the morning always following the same path always entering the kitchen and never going in the front door. I would almost always be the first to arrive and she would greet me at the stove and direct me to fridge, where if dessert that day was pudding or jello parfaits, I would get first dibs on which parfait cup would be mine. She didn’t always make parfaits, many Sundays it would be her delicious and dense, sugary glaze covered lemon pound cake. Today when I stop at a Starbucks – I simply can resist getting the lemon loaf, because it reminds me of her so much and puts a smile on my face. Grandma would make plates of pork chops, shake-n-bake chicken, meatloaf or whatever other meat she had and she accompanied it with mashed potatoes or fried potatoes, wieners and kraut, green beans, lima beans, corn, cucumbers in oil and vinegar, sliced tomatoes, macaroni or potato salad and either cornbread or what we called splatter bread. Nothing was ever pretentious or fancy, just plain delicious filling our souls with love. The tableware was just her everyday dishes and there was always a table cloth on the table, usually one that she had painted using cloth that was pre-printed with a design and she would fill in the prints. Reminds me of the adult coloring books that are popular today. The grandchildren would eat last, because we were taught respect for our elders or we could choose to eat “in the house” – that’s what they called the living room or out on the long front porch. There was never any fear of her running out of food, she always cooked for an army – the Reed Army. Dish washing duties would be a grandchild and an aunt, usually with the aunt washing and the grandchild rinsing and then drying and putting away, many fun times and conversations happened at that kitchen sink. After dinner we would rest a spell then dive in to a game of Gin Rummy or a board game like Trouble. I miss so many things about those dinners and being in that wonderful house where there was always a drawer hiding Hershey Miniatures, a package of Pinwheels in the cupboard and usually Cracker Jacks for us grandchildren. Oh to just spend one more Sunday in that house on a ridge down a gravel road in West Virginia! Rest in Peace Grandma – we miss you