Laura’s Grandma was an excellent cook.
Her specialties were apple and cherry pies, sugar cookies, mashed potatoes, and cucumbers and onions soaked in vinegar. She followed time-tested recipes with tried and true ingredients. It was the kind of food that tasted so good it almost made you forget about the lard, the cheese, the salt, the cream and the butter. Fortunately it was also the kind of food that was rich and easily enjoyed in small portions.
At Grandma’s funeral, Laura’s great uncle shared about the wonderful creations that came out of her kitchen. He pointed to one time in particular when they enjoyed the best fried chicken he’d ever tasted. He complimented his sister on this fact. And she took the credit in stride.
Later that afternoon he’d taken some garbage out to the trash can in the garage, and upon opening the lid he saw several freshly empty buckets from Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Laura’s Grandma, self admittedly, was also a little ornery.