It started years and years ago when I was maybe 3 1/2 to 4 years old and my Grammy Grace decided I was old enough to start learning the family secret Apple Pie Recipe. I had to stand on a chair to reach the table but she taught me how to measure all the ingredients and make everything (including the crust) from scratch. By the time I was 7 she handed over the recipe and told me that I had to promise that I would never share the recipe with anyone who wasn't family, this was our secret. She told me I could tweak it a little as I wanted, but the basics were all right there and as long as I followed her recipe I would always be able to make a pie that anyone would love to eat. She died the following summer, victim of alzheimers, I am so thankful she shared that recipe with me!
And she was right!
Over the years I have tweaked the recipe to my own tastes a little, added a little something to make it mine and now I am teaching my secret family recipe to my son just like Grammy taught me. We started years ago when he was 3, teaching him how to mix ingredients, chop apples and exactly what kind of apples to use. Every year he gets to do more, until this year when he did all the work except for peeling the apples and mixing the dough because he has this thing about getting his hands sticky lol This year he did GREAT! He measured everything, rolled out his pie crust and even cut the slits in the top of the pies.....all 4 of them so far and we have 2 more to go!
See it started in kindergarten, we took a pie into school for his kindergarten teacher. Her son ate the entire pie so we had to make her a second one....which we happily made because Orion loved her so much! In 1st grade we made another pie for her and we also made one for his 1st grade teacher. In 2nd grade we made one for the Kindergarten teacher, the 1st grade teacher and the 2nd grade teacher (you see a pattern forming yet?) In 3rd grade I tried to cut him back a little, I told him we would of course make one for the kindergarten teacher (because she actually expects it and looks forward to it every year) and then he could pick out his favorite teacher from previous years to make a second pie for. Last year we made one for the kindergarten teacher and the 1st grade teacher because his 3rd grade teacher at the time was a substitute, his regular teacher was out on maternity leave, so he didn't know that one very well.
This year he wanted to make one for the 3rd grade teacher to make up for her not getting one last year, another for the kindergarten teacher, and another for his current teacher so he wouldn't hurt her feelings when she saw him come to school with pies for previous teachers (is he a thoughtful kid or what!) AND SO I have made one pie for the kindergarten teacher (already delivered to her house since she lives right around the corner) a second pie for his "girlfriend" and her family (also already delivered), a third pie for the 3rd grade teacher from last year, and a test pie for home which has already been consumed and enjoyed! We still need to make a pie for this years teacher and another for my in-laws because they won't let me in the door without a pie lol
This is what I do for thanksgiving, this is our family tradition. We make each pie thinking about the person we are making it for and why we are thankful to have them in our lives. We make our pies with love and thankfulness and it makes the pies all the sweeter for it.
I hope everyone out there has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. However you celebrate, whatever your traditions, be sure to pass them on so that down the road your kids and grandkids can look back and have fond memories to share with their kids.
No comments:
Post a Comment