Corn+Pudding

Some traditions are just too important to abandon. Serving corn pudding at holiday meals in my deep south family is one. Each generation of our family- including those raised on faster versus slower meals - always has at least one child who asks, "We're having corn pudding, aren't we?" The predictable answer from their grandma matriarch in her molasses drawl? "Honey, of course, we are."

Traditions represent the stories of the past of our families. In today's world, I worry about the ephemeral nature of family - the fraying of the warp and weft of a tapestry that's woven from family heirlooms, letters, books, photos, recipes, gardens, and stories. My mother brought much of her family's history with her to her new marriage; her mother's and grandmother's recipes, a Peace rose and a flowering almond,daguerreotypes, a book of poetry gifted to her mother from her father upon their engagement, her great- grandmother's gold wedding bracelet, given family names for her children, and a barrel of dishes that belonged to her family. Each year, we extract her ancient china from the cabinet and serve the holiday feast of the day in dishes that have served our family, in some cases, for well over one hundred years. Each generation that comes to the dinner table represents a weaving together of the hand me downs of prior generations with the stories, recipes, and artifacts of the new. The tapestry continues to unfold...even as the ghosts of generations past take their place at the table with us.




 * Corn Pudding**

3 eggs 1 c milk 3 T. flour 1/8 t. pepper 2 cups cream style corn (can or make your own which follows) 3 T. sugar 1/2 t. salt 2 T. butter

combine it all together and place in a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake 1 hour at 325 degrees. Easy to fix


 * Cream style corn by hand**

5 ears of sweet, uncooked corn stripped from cob 1 T butter 2 T bacon drippings ( for the carnivores in the group) 1/4 c milk 2 T flour 1/2 t salt

combine corn, butter, drippings, salt and enough water to cover- cook until tender. Mix milk and flour. Add to corn stirring constantly. Bring to full boil and remove from hear. You will need two cups for the corn pudding - what's left is good for breakfast, lunch, and supper.