Long Distance Grandmothers and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a long distance grandmother as I only see my grandchildren two or three times a year.  Sometimes I feel as if I am some kind of misfit when I mention that to a grandmother that lives in the same town or even the same neighborhood as their grandchildren.  That look they give me reminds me of the look I would get from stay-at-home moms when I was a working mom in the 70’s and 80’s. It is almost as if they do not know how to relate to me and sometimes I think they really feel sorry for me. It was very hard for me at first when I realized there were so many everyday things that I would miss.  However, I have accepted this situation and try to make the best of it.  I think a lot of that comes from the wisdom of being 69 years old.  If I whined or complained about the situation, it wouldn’t change a thing.

Our grandchildren came for a visit at Christmas and we had a good time with them.  I have a granddaughter that is five and a grandson that is 8.  We will probably not see them again until sometime next Summer.  We have a good relationship with our grandchildren as we send them packages for holidays when we aren’t together.  We usually Skype with them to watch them open their birthday gifts from us.

I wanted to share a grandmother recipe with you today.  So I tried to think of something I would like to make for my grandchildren if they lived down the street.  I chose this recipe from Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen for chocolate chip cookies.  Nothing smells any better than chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven and nothing tastes better than warm chocolate chip cookies. Miss Kay is a grandmother too and her children live close to her so I am sure she has made these cookies many times for them.

I would be thrilled if my circumstances would change and our grandchildren would be nearby.  That isn’t the way things are now and I enjoy watching them grow up from a distance.  Last summer they went on vacation and decided on their on to buy little mementos for me and Mr. D.  And at Christmas my daughter told me she made deviled eggs for Thanksgiving and when my grandson tasted them he said he knew who made the best deviled eggs.  She asked him who was that and he said Grandma.  That made this Grandma very happy.

I am thankful that I have two grandchildren and they live in the US.  My grandson lived in Africa the first two years of his life and my granddaughter was born in France.  However, now I think they will stay stateside so you can see that I am pleased they are somewhere in the USA.  I think being a long distance grandmother helps me to see my grandchildren more objectively.  They are typical normal kids and I try not to put them on a pedestal and I don’t share pictures of them all the time.

However, I do believe pictures are worth a thousand words and here are some pictures of our grandchildren from their last visit. Mr. D got a selfie stick for Christmas and we had fun taking pictures with it.

Before I post this, I want to say my heart goes out to grandmothers and Grandfathers everywhere that for any number of circumstances are raising their grandchildren.  I see examples of that everyday and I see Grands that have postponed retirement and many other luxuries of retirement because of that responsibility.  They are truly dedicated and wonderful Grands.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ms. Kay’s Grandmotherly Recipes: Blackberry Jam Cake – Nutty Good Oatmeal Cookies

On Monday, I shared a few recipes from Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen Cookbook.  As I read through her cookbook, I saw how much she loved her grandchildren and how much she loved her Granny.  That really touched me and I wanted to share a couple of recipes from the cookbook relating to Grandmothers.

The first recipe is for Nutty Good Oatmeal Cookies and Miss Kay talks about how her grandchildren and children raid her cookie jar when they come to visit.  I think this recipe looks wonderful and I can see why her family always looks for cookies when they visit.

 

 

The next recipe is for Miss Kay’s Granny’s Blackberry Jam Cake.  It sounds wonderful and has more ingredients than the blackberry wine cake that I am familiar with.  I think this recipe is a real keeper. I also love the way Kay remembers her Granny with so much love and happy memories.

 

I am so thankful for Grandmothers that have close relationships with their grandchildren.  We are only able to see our grandchildren a couple of times a year and many times I envy my friends that see their grandchildren on a consistent basis..  I don’t think there is any relationship more special than the one between a grandmother and grandchild.

I enjoyed this cookbook and I have to say that I admire Miss Kay and think she is a loving caring Southern lady that loves to cook.

By the way, I know Memorial Day is fast approaching.  I will share a few of my favorite summer cookout recipes tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by.

Grape Salad and Crawfish Pie – From Miss Kay’s Kitchen

When you collect cookbooks, your friends know it and help you to find new recipes  for your blog.  My friend Barbara told me last week she had two new cookbooks that she wanted to loan to me for my blog.  Today, I am featuring recipes from Miss Kay’s Duck Commander Kitchen.  Kay is matriarch of the Robertson clan that has an A&E TV program Duck Dynasty. The family lives in Louisiana and many of her recipes have Cajun influences.

At first, I wasn’t real sure I wanted to feature her recipes.  I have seen the show a couple of times and I wasn’t sure it was my style.  However, when I started reading her cookbook I realized she loves to cook and she loves her family.  I have enjoyed reading about the traditions that have been handed down to her and that she is passing on to her children and grandchildren.  There are beautiful quotes about food and family laced within the pages of the book and she has such wonderful stories about the recipes she has included in this collection. Here is one of the quotes in the book:

The first recipe is for crawfish pie and it does sound good even though I don’t really know what a crawfish looks like. I understand it is a member of the lobster family so I guess it could be Southern lobster.  She does say that you can use frozen crawfish and I am not sure whether it is available in the freezer section of our local grocery store or not.

Another recipe I was very happy to find was the one below for Grape Salad.  I remember eating a version of this at bridal or baby shower and absolutely loving it.  Kay mentions recipes in her book that are for the “girlie” occasions of our life and I think this salad would be a perfect choice for that type of occasion.

The one thing that convinced me to share Miss Kay’s recipes with you was when she shared recipes from her Granny.  As I had a Granny too, it really helped me to understand how we are very similar.  We are both Southern, love to cook and love our families.  On Thursday I will share a recipe from Miss Kay’s Granny and one she shares with her grandchildren.

A special thanks to my friend Barbara for sharing her cookbook and thanks to you for stopping by.