MMMm Homemade

A couple of years ago I decided to start making things from scratch. I realized that I had been blessed to know my great grandmother (she died in my late 20's) and my grandmother (died in my mid 30's). These were women from a generation that didn't know what a box cake mix was. They wouldn't DREAM of buying a cake from a bakery or grocery store. They made their own bread.
I remember going to my great grandmothers house and she would be FURIOUS if my grandmother had not called first. She came flying at us, arms outstretched for hugs, fussing the whole way "I don't have ANYTHING fresh baked!!!!" The old "If I'd have known you were coming I'd have baked a cake" was a real philosophy in her world and not just a song.
Biscuits were from scratch EVERY morning.
Pie crusts were made with two hands and some elbow grease.
Cakes were multilayered and sweetened with pure cane sugar and fresh fruit. Sometimes hand picked.
Bread dough was always rising somewhere.
Who LIVES like that anymore??!
I could never stomach hostess treats or pie from the store because I had eaten the REAL DEAL my whole life. I still can't.
So..I decided that homemade would be a gift I gave my daughter.
My husband and I bought numerous books. Tried numerous methods. Spilled, burned and destroyed the oven more than once. But out of all this chaos came some AMAZING food.
This led to us trying other things I'd grown up with and was clueless on how to make.
Authentic creole food. Cooked all day and then lavished with seafood at the end.
Fried chicken that looked straight from a Baptist picnic.
Chicken and Dumplings that made my grandmother smile down on me from heaven.
The funny thing? No one here GAINED WEIGHT.
I don't know what is so healthy about butter, lard, and sugar but it's apparently better for you then whatever it is they are putting in all that prepackaged fast food crap.
My husband's theory is that you don't eat as much because each bite is so satisfying you need less.
The best thing of all? On my daughters' last birthday we were at the store looking at the colorful, cartooned, theme cakes. I asked her which one she wanted. She said "Eww. None. I like your cakes mommy. Can't we just make our own and stick a tinkerbell on it?!"
I LOVE this girl. ;-)