Ok...so i figured out a temporary solution to my crapped out computer screen...if i zoom to like 500% (exaggeration) i can almost see the words (this is true).
Im making my brother-in-law, we'll call him BiL for short, my grandmother's cheesecake. See he had some minor surgery and instead of being all needy and sickly, hes been looking out for ME and my kids. (I mean come on, we know you're super awesome, its palpable from a mile a way, but even this was a little too cool for me.) So, i decided i would try my grams most excellent Cheesecake (cuz i know its one of the few treats he likes) And its kinda funny but im totally intimidated. I mean this is a family recipe, no cookbook, just history and memory. And you know what, it might even be her mothers, or her mothers mothers....you know, legendary and deeply personal to my family. TRADITION! That's the word. Ok, and my mom has started making it lately, even she was too afraid i think to attempt it 'til recently, and of course, She Nailed It (no jokes please). I dont even like cheesecake so i have no clue what it should taste like, never made one myself, and NEVER attempted any recipe that is straight from the family archives. Can anyone relate to this? There is a lot riding on this...we Italian women are kinda identified by our cooking prowess. (So, i dont necessarily agree with this but it doesnt make it any less true). There is a bit of old school in me that believes this counts for something..that my gram hanging on by a thread these days, her hands too arthritic to hold a utensil, would be proud and pleased. Ok, i admit it is her i will be channeling during this endeavor, and im not at all too pleased with our last few years we spent together. The "good years" left of her life, i was a snotty teenager with little patience and a blind eye that was sometimes downright cold, or worse, oblivious. And i need to make it right, but she doesnt even know my name anymore and if i can do this, YES IT SOUNDS STUPID, i will have done something in homage to her. Because she was an Italian Mama, if nothing else, with a gift to love and care, and that included keeping her house tip top and her cooking, meticulous and filled with all her heart.
But hey, its only a cheesecake - so no pressure.
~Kim
Loved this. :) Cheesecakes, from my experience, are not easy to make but somehow always manage to turn out alright (even when I screw something up, which I tend to do with cheesecakes for no apparent reason). I think it's a wonderful nod to your Gram and your history.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience when I made sausage rolls for the first time by myself this past Christmas. It was a nod to my Dad, and I pretty much made it from memory alone. They came out brilliantly, though not quite as brilliantly if he had been there to guide my hands.
BTW, I tagged this post "Kim" and "cooking" for ya.
~Katy
Kimmybobimmy.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, his coolness IS palpable, isn't it? Gosh I just love him.
Second of all, the ass of that cheesecake is going to be owned by you. Owned 100%.
Third of all, I WANT A BLOG NICKNAME PLEASE!!
Love,
Me