The Recipe That Tastes Like Saturdays At My Grandmother’s House

This is an excerpt from Ivy’s new cookbook, My Southern Kitchen.

One of the things I’m most thankful for about my childhood is that we lived in the same town as my mama’s parents.

They came to every piano recital, choir performance, award ceremony, and even the few sporting events I reluctantly tried as a child. (I quickly learned sports were not my strong suit and I should stick to more artsy endeavors.) I went out to eat with Papa on Tuesday nights and played bingo with Nana at the country club on Thursdays.

So many of my happiest moments involved the two of them, but my most cherished memories are the ones from their house. I spent many Friday nights over at Nana and Papa’s. I can remember waking up to the smell of bacon frying and grits bubbling on the stove.

Every time I make bacon in my own house now, which has original heart pine flooring like Nana and Papa’s house did, there is something about the smell that takes me back to Saturday mornings on Faison Road.

The Golf Channel would always be playing in the background; the soft claps were the soundtrack to our slow Saturdays. We’d play out in the yard or in the playhouse Papa had built just for his three grandchildren, while Nana made a lunch of pimiento cheese, salad, fried chicken, and sliced tomatoes.

In the afternoons, we crowded around the breakfast table to make tea cakes or made pot holders on antique red metal looms. Nana taught me to cross-stitch and tat; Papa taught me how to hit a golf ball and drive a lawn mower. So much of who I am today is because of afternoons with them.

Papa passed away a few years ago, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him. When I wrote this story a year ago, my Nana and I were both looking forward to seeing her debut in Southern Living magazine. She (reluctantly) agreed to come to Birmingham to cook with me in my own kitchen for this photo shoot. We made tea cakes (pictured above), still one of my favorites from her recipe collection. Even though it took a few glass bottle Coca-Colas to convince her to smile for the camera, she ended up having (almost) as much fun as we used to on our treasured Saturdays together. 

Sadly, one week before her big magazine feature, my Nana passed away. At the time of the photo shoot and writing this story, I knew capturing these memories with her would be special, but now, I’m even more grateful that they’re forever living in print. She’d be even more proud to see the story come to life in an even bigger way in my new cookbook, My Southern Kitchen (learn more below). Had I known it would be the last time I’d make tea cakes with my Nana, I would have savored every minute. But instead, I’ll cherish this recipe and the memories we made rolling out cookies at her table and mine. 

My Southern Kitchen is available for pre-order at Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, Books-A-Million, Amazon, Bookshop.org, and more!

Must-Try Recipes From My Book

Sample a few recipes straight from my kitchen before your copy arrives!