Gravy Lesson with Grandmother
It was thirteen years ago this month, but it does seem like yesterday.
It was pre-kids, pre-homeowners, and even pre-Alaska.
We were driving on our way to our new military assignment – Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK.
We weren’t even supposed to be in the military anymore!
We had been separated when I was evacuated from Clark Air Base in the Philippines from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo; and Wade had to stay behind to help close down the base. In fact, he was only going to have 2 months left of his enlistment when he got back to the states – and we had already decided that he would get out.
Or, so I thought.
I got a phone call one day – man, we had huge phone bills during that six months. I wish we had the low rates back then that you can get now.
Anyway, he was all excited. They all had to get new orders or whatever – I forget how the process went – but in any event, Wade was before someone who said, “So, where would you like to go?” with pen and blank orders in hand.
That’s right – no dream list. No waiting to find out where you’d be going.
So, Wade did the unthinkable!! He said, “I’d like to re-enlist and go to Anchorage, AK.”
“Okay,” the guy said; and within 15 minutes, Wade had typed copies of all his orders.
And he was calling me to tell me the great news.
“YOU WHAT?” I’m sure I screamed it so loud that he didn’t need a phone to hear me in the Philippines…
So, the day finally arrived when Wade and I were re-united.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Top New Recipes added for members of the Kids Recipe Club at http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
1. Chocolate French Silk Pie (with step by step photos)
2. Smiley Tooth Mouth Sandwich (with step by step photos)
3. New Category: Special Diets
4. Sponge Candy
5. Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars
6. Rocky Road Fudge
7. Snickers Fudge
8. Warm Turkey Spread
9. Snow Cones and Snow Cone Syrup
10. Snow Ice Cream
11. 3 more “gift in a Jar recipes” for a total of 14 easy, heart-felt gifts for friends and neighbors
12. Article: How to Make Perfect Lump Free Gravy
Not a member? Join now and still have opportunity to use these recipes, holiday edible crafts, and gift ideas http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
--------------------------------------------------------------
After two weeks of visiting with our families, we were on our way to Anchorage.
We had everything we owned packed in the back of the Suzuki Sidekick I had just bought – except for our Doberman that we were going to fly up when we got a place to live.
And, we decided to drive through Texas and visit my Grandparents.
It was so nice to see them, and it was the first time that they got to meet Wade. Back then, they still had a lot of land with a fishing lake, horses, cattle, and a four wheeler.
I still remember one morning my Grandmother was making biscuits and gravy for us. She did make them soooo good.
And I told her my plight.
“Grandmother,” I explained, “I have tried and tried to make biscuits and gravy; but my gravy never turns out.”
“Oh?” she commented
“It either tastes like flour, or it doesn’t thicken, or it’s lumpy….”
“Well,” she said, “let me just show you how to do it…”
I did try to watch intently – I thought I had it down. It just looked so easy and so perfect when she did it.
But it wasn’t until several months later that we were even settled in a place that I could even attempt. And by then, I wished I had a video – or at least photos – or just exactly what she had done.
My gravy was awful. But I was too proud to let anyone know! And, I didn’t want my grandmother to know that I still couldn’t do what she considered to be the easiest thing to make!
So, I struggled on my own for years. Learning a trick to solve one problem, taking more time to figure out another.
It may have taken me longer than most – but I doubt that you will ever find someone more determined than I am!!!
But the one thing I did learn from the experience was the value of having photos or something later to use and refer back to – because you never remember as much as you think you do when you just watch someone cook something.
That’s why I make the kids recipes with the step-by-step photos. You can always see exactly what is being done…exactly what it’s supposed to look like. It’s fool proof!
If you’d like to experience the benefit of recipes with step-by-step photos, then you have a few more days left to try one for FREE. Get your FREE Christmas Simmering Scent Recipe right now at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
Then, when you experience how easy cooking new recipes can be, you’ll want to take advantage of one of these two options:
1. Get your own hardcopy of the complete Homeschool Cooking With Kids System in a Box at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
2. Get your exclusive Kids Recipe Club membership with digital access to the complete cooking system, at least 4 new recipes a month with step-by-step photos, and instant access to the holiday recipe database – http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
Imagine the fun your kids will have making Christmas recipes – and making them on their own. Reading their own directions…giving them confidence and pride in what they can do. Experiencing the joy of sharing with others…
It will be a holiday of building memories and bonds that will last a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Laura Bankston
P.S. Get your free Christmas Simmering Scent recipe now at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com and while you’re there, give the gift of cooking joy with either the Cooking With Kids System in a box or a gift subscription to the online Kids Recipe Club at http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
P.P.S. When you get your copy of the Homeschool Cooking System or the Kids Recipe Club, type “Gravy” in the “how you heard about us” box and I’ll also send you a FREE copy of the exclusive, out of print, antique book “Eat and Grow Thin” that proves just how long low carb diets have been around successfully. Yours FREE until midnight tonight – while supplies last. http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com or http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: Homeschool Cooking in a Box and the Homeschool Cookbook. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
Copyright 2004, Abundant Learning Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Reprint Permission Requirements: Intact bio, Active hyper-link, and notifiication (click here) of article name and reprint location link.
It was pre-kids, pre-homeowners, and even pre-Alaska.
We were driving on our way to our new military assignment – Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, AK.
We weren’t even supposed to be in the military anymore!
We had been separated when I was evacuated from Clark Air Base in the Philippines from the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo; and Wade had to stay behind to help close down the base. In fact, he was only going to have 2 months left of his enlistment when he got back to the states – and we had already decided that he would get out.
Or, so I thought.
I got a phone call one day – man, we had huge phone bills during that six months. I wish we had the low rates back then that you can get now.
Anyway, he was all excited. They all had to get new orders or whatever – I forget how the process went – but in any event, Wade was before someone who said, “So, where would you like to go?” with pen and blank orders in hand.
That’s right – no dream list. No waiting to find out where you’d be going.
So, Wade did the unthinkable!! He said, “I’d like to re-enlist and go to Anchorage, AK.”
“Okay,” the guy said; and within 15 minutes, Wade had typed copies of all his orders.
And he was calling me to tell me the great news.
“YOU WHAT?” I’m sure I screamed it so loud that he didn’t need a phone to hear me in the Philippines…
So, the day finally arrived when Wade and I were re-united.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Top New Recipes added for members of the Kids Recipe Club at http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
1. Chocolate French Silk Pie (with step by step photos)
2. Smiley Tooth Mouth Sandwich (with step by step photos)
3. New Category: Special Diets
4. Sponge Candy
5. Peanut Butter & Chocolate Bars
6. Rocky Road Fudge
7. Snickers Fudge
8. Warm Turkey Spread
9. Snow Cones and Snow Cone Syrup
10. Snow Ice Cream
11. 3 more “gift in a Jar recipes” for a total of 14 easy, heart-felt gifts for friends and neighbors
12. Article: How to Make Perfect Lump Free Gravy
Not a member? Join now and still have opportunity to use these recipes, holiday edible crafts, and gift ideas http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
--------------------------------------------------------------
After two weeks of visiting with our families, we were on our way to Anchorage.
We had everything we owned packed in the back of the Suzuki Sidekick I had just bought – except for our Doberman that we were going to fly up when we got a place to live.
And, we decided to drive through Texas and visit my Grandparents.
It was so nice to see them, and it was the first time that they got to meet Wade. Back then, they still had a lot of land with a fishing lake, horses, cattle, and a four wheeler.
I still remember one morning my Grandmother was making biscuits and gravy for us. She did make them soooo good.
And I told her my plight.
“Grandmother,” I explained, “I have tried and tried to make biscuits and gravy; but my gravy never turns out.”
“Oh?” she commented
“It either tastes like flour, or it doesn’t thicken, or it’s lumpy….”
“Well,” she said, “let me just show you how to do it…”
I did try to watch intently – I thought I had it down. It just looked so easy and so perfect when she did it.
But it wasn’t until several months later that we were even settled in a place that I could even attempt. And by then, I wished I had a video – or at least photos – or just exactly what she had done.
My gravy was awful. But I was too proud to let anyone know! And, I didn’t want my grandmother to know that I still couldn’t do what she considered to be the easiest thing to make!
So, I struggled on my own for years. Learning a trick to solve one problem, taking more time to figure out another.
It may have taken me longer than most – but I doubt that you will ever find someone more determined than I am!!!
But the one thing I did learn from the experience was the value of having photos or something later to use and refer back to – because you never remember as much as you think you do when you just watch someone cook something.
That’s why I make the kids recipes with the step-by-step photos. You can always see exactly what is being done…exactly what it’s supposed to look like. It’s fool proof!
If you’d like to experience the benefit of recipes with step-by-step photos, then you have a few more days left to try one for FREE. Get your FREE Christmas Simmering Scent Recipe right now at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
Then, when you experience how easy cooking new recipes can be, you’ll want to take advantage of one of these two options:
1. Get your own hardcopy of the complete Homeschool Cooking With Kids System in a Box at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
2. Get your exclusive Kids Recipe Club membership with digital access to the complete cooking system, at least 4 new recipes a month with step-by-step photos, and instant access to the holiday recipe database – http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
Imagine the fun your kids will have making Christmas recipes – and making them on their own. Reading their own directions…giving them confidence and pride in what they can do. Experiencing the joy of sharing with others…
It will be a holiday of building memories and bonds that will last a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Laura Bankston
P.S. Get your free Christmas Simmering Scent recipe now at http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com and while you’re there, give the gift of cooking joy with either the Cooking With Kids System in a box or a gift subscription to the online Kids Recipe Club at http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
P.P.S. When you get your copy of the Homeschool Cooking System or the Kids Recipe Club, type “Gravy” in the “how you heard about us” box and I’ll also send you a FREE copy of the exclusive, out of print, antique book “Eat and Grow Thin” that proves just how long low carb diets have been around successfully. Yours FREE until midnight tonight – while supplies last. http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com or http://www.kidsrecipeclub.com
Laura Bankston is author of Internationally selling Cooking with Kids Curriculum: Homeschool Cooking in a Box and the Homeschool Cookbook. She currently home schools her three children, maintains home school support websites, and manages their family-owned service business. For information on her curriculum and free home school support services, please visit http://www.homeschoolcookbook.com
Copyright 2004, Abundant Learning Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Reprint Permission Requirements: Intact bio, Active hyper-link, and notifiication (click here) of article name and reprint location link.
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