Made With Love

1977. The best slice of heaven, my first memory of my grandmother’s homemade chocolate cake.

I loved sleepovers at my grandparents, my own room, my own cozy bed, a tranquil peaceful retreat.

Memories as follows…. There are stacks of Reader’s Digests and National Geographic magazines waiting for me to explore! A little candy jar with humbugs and peppermints, grandpa and grandma reading in bed enjoying a little sweet treat, I followed suit. The comfy homemade, made with love, quilt. Years of scrap material sewn together with a depth of history. I cuddle the precious blanket that makes me feel warm and secure. My bed had this neat hidden compartment in the headboard, you could slide it open if you knew the secret. I always was looking for a little hidden treasure that I had left from the previous visit.

Growing up right next door allowed me to come and go whenever, which looking back was an amazing gift. Afternoon tea parties, endless amounts of card games, Rummie being my favorite! Supper time always guaranteed the 6 o’clock news, perhaps Lawrence Welk or The Carol Burnet show…always music or laughter filled the room. My grandpa took great pride in a hearty meal, roast beef or lamb chops were a special treat. Believe it or not, my grandma put shake and bake on the lamb chops, it was delicious! Mashed potatoes, perhaps beans, carrots or beets from the garden. The food seemed endless and always so delicious. Then dessert!

More memories…I smell it, I can still remember the scent of their home…every once in a while I catch a whiff of that powerful scent sending me back in time…

I awake and make my way to the kitchen, small but practical. I sit at the table for four,the high back chairs on rollers, all the rage for the 70’s. Grandma is gathering baking supplies. I watch with curiosity. She has all of the raw ingredients and I realize it is a special baking day, I will learn to make a cake…from scratch! She gets a sifter, she says this makes the cake extra fluffy, pouring the flour thru while turning a small handle. I watch carefully. Next, the sugar, white grains of sweetness. Whisking together, not stirring, I guess there is a difference. Baking powder, baking soda, salt. I was never good in science but grandma tells me that baking is really a science experiment. These ingredients, mixed together, create a chemical reaction causing the cake to rise perfectly, if done correctly…pay close attention she gently reminds me. Cocoa powder, I taste it but it is not sweet..hmmm…Now for the wet ingredients. Buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, sour cream?! Sour cream, she says, it is the secret ingredient to her ”famous” chocolate cake. We giggle. She has a little bit of flour on her cheek, makes me smile. She continues to blend our ingredients, folding with love. I am told that now we wait, it has to sit for a bit before baking.

Memories…the cookoo clock chimes, it is almost 12. Small town sounds, the fire alarm rings through the streets at twelve o’clock sharp, everyday, including Sunday. Grandpa will be home for lunch soon. Grandma prepares a few slices of homemade bread and grates cheese on top, placing them into the toaster oven. She lovingly prepares homemade tomatoe soup, another one of my favorite comfort foods!

Multitasking, the cake batter is ready to pour into the cake pan. The oven is heated and the learning continues. It’s in, timer set, we wait.

Grandpa’s home for lunch. We eat our yummy meal. As simple as it may seem but to me a gourmet meal, made with love. After eating he jumps up and leaves for work. He owns a little town grocery store. He takes great pride in having the townsfolk shop there, they trust him, our family, he loves his job!

Beep, beep, beep, the cake is done! The smell is everywhere in the house, this house full of love and now the smell of chocolate, does it get any better? It is perfect. Our science experiment was successful. We look at it with great pride. Now, the icing. Chocolate, of course! Grandma’s icing was the best, some secret family recipe..sorry. The cake cools, we sculpt the icing onto the cake and she sprinkles more love on top, dusting the top with a wee bit of icing sugar. It almost looks like a heart shape; however, that was not planned. We giggle again.

Today is baked chicken day, mashed potatoes, green peas….and dessert!

Grandpa gets home from work, it was a good day for the store, busy.

We eat our supper and then we clear the table for dessert. The first mouthful, taste buds explode, we did good, real good. Grandpa says this is the best chocolate cake ever, we maybe should have gotten grandma to open a bakery, we could have been millionaires! We laugh. Grandma says that we are already rich, we have each other, good health, food on the table and don‘t forget the world‘s best chocolate cake! We laugh some more and gobble down more cake.

Memories are a great thing…chocolate cake made with love…a day I hope to never forget…the day I realized that I had won the lotto!