Year of Living Intentionally #4

Walking Down Memory Lane

What better way to live intentionally than to walk down memory lane? My mother told me that she baked Aunt Syl’s Apple Cake a few weeks ago. It reminded me of picking apples in my Grandmother Nannie’s, backyard for her to can apple butter, make apple pies and of course share with the neighbors including Nannie’s sister-in-law, Aunt Syl. As I picked apples from the tree, I ate as many as I put in the bucket. It was no surprise that I had a “green apple tummy ache.”

Thinking I would like to make the famous Apple Cake, I looked through my grandmother’s recipe box that I had decoupaged for her more than 35 years ago. I laughed at the faded recipes in her distinctive handwriting on the back of Dutch Made Cookie order forms from the local distribution center. Oddly enough, there are yellowed blank recipe cards that were never used in the back of the box.

As I thumbed through her recipes, my mouth watered as I remembered her incomparable refrigerator rolls, scrumptious mozzarella pie and “never fail” one dish pie crust. Then I remembered . . . my grandmother never baked from a single recipe! She made it up as she went along. It amazes me how she knew the exact amount of every spice, milk or lard to put in the recipe. And I never recall a single dish that wasn’t delicious.

In my quest, I did not find the famous Aunt Syl Apple Cake recipe. So, Mom came to the rescue. The cake, and all the memories that came with it, is in the oven right now. By being intentional I was able to slow down and posthumously honor Nannie and Aunt Syl. But what was even better was being able to share cooking across the miles with my Mother.

Raw Apple Cake

Aunt Syl’s Recipe

4 cups chopped apples

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Sprinkle sugar on apples. Let stand one hour. Sift dry ingredients. Add apples. Add oil. Add beaten eggs. Add Vanilla and nuts. Stir to mix. Bake 350 about 45 minutes.