The strainer, the small aluminum cup, and the child's cup were $.25 each; the grater, the sifter, the set of 6 star molds, the set of 3 measuring cups, the Calumet cookie cutters, the gingerbread cutter, and the set of 4 gingerbread men were $.50 each; the Roseville pitcher was $.99; and all 9 of the measuring spoon sets came together in a bag for $1.
If you take a look at yesterday's post, you will see a photo of my baker's rack. It is where most of these make their home.
So many of these remind me of my paternal Grandma. She was the best cook and baker! Her freezer was always stocked with homemade shortcakes and her countertop always held some type of freshly baked treat. When we would walk beans each summer, we could always count on an old-fashioned farmer's lunch. Roast beef or fried chicken, cooked potatoes, gravy, homemade bread, green beans or sweet peas with puff, applesauce, and some kind of homemade dessert. Everything Grandma made was homemade ~ never from a box ~ and the vegetables were always fresh from the garden.
She also made sure that we had our morning and afternoon coffee breaks. There was always a bottle of pop for me, my brother, and my mom, a glass jar of coffee for my dad, fresh baked cookies, and 3 types of sandwiches cut diagonally ~ cheese, summer sausage, and cheese with summer sausage. Grandpa would be waiting on the headland for us at exactly 9am and 3pm. Those breaks never seemed to last long enough! Dad and Grandpa would spend the 20 minutes discussing the crops while we would devour Grandma's goodies. I never did understand how my dad could drink steaming, hot coffee when we were out in 90+ degree temps.
Grandma has been gone for 10 years now and sadly most of her recipes went with her. She seldom used a recipe or wrote one down. By the time I was old enough to want copies, she wasn't able to cook or bake much and the memory of how she made certain foods was gone. My aunt has tried to make the sweet peas with puff but hasn't had much luck re-creating it. When we were cleaning Grandma's kitchen after she had passed away, we did find a few recipe cards written out in her handwriting for several of our favorite treats. Those are treasured possessions!
The majority of my memories of Grandma revolve around her in the kitchen. That's where she always was when I would visit. I was very fortunate that this set of grandparents lived straight across the gravel road from our home. There weren't many days that I didn't see them. I think that's why I love these old kitchen utensils and gadgets. They bring back such great memories of my Grandma!
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