The Source of My Addiction AND my ADD Problem

Some are addicted to drugs. Some are addicted to booze. Others, maybe gambling is what they crave. Me, I am addicted to food. And I am addicted to food blogs, which then feeds (PUN intended) the addiction I have for food.

I have always loved food. I was raised in a good German, Lutheran family that prided themselves on their cooking. We loved to get together, have fun, drink beer, and eat! Even as a small child, everything in my family revolved around food. Holidays--food! Birthdays--food! Funerals--food! Confirmation--food! Weddings--food (and, of course, beer, bands, and celebration)!

Growing up, my family had this birthday sandwich tradition. If it was your birthday, everyone would bring homemade sandwiches to your house, and the host would provide sides, desserts, beer, although most BYOB, and we would have a good ol' family get together. It didn't matter who in the family had a birthday--aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma....everyone had a birthday sandwich night. (BTW, this was on my mom's side of the family.) We even combined some of those birthdays if several had a birthday within a day or two of each other.

There were TWO very obvious exceptions: My Grandpa Graf and my Aunt Gladys--those two were extra special!!

On my granddad's birthday in August, he would have a fish fry. It was always on the exact date, every year. He expected ALL his kids and grandkids to be there, no matter where you lived! Most of us lived close by--one aunt and her family lived about 100 miles. It was SO-O-O much fun. I had 12 cousins and 10 aunts and uncles, and numerous great aunts and uncles and second cousins. We ate deep fried catfish that my granddad had lovingly caught ‘til we were sick. I don't remember many of the side dishes because they varied from year to year. Plus, the sides were just superfluous--the fried fish was the star. We ate outside, ran wild out at the family farm, sneaked drinks of Lone Star Beer, and would top the wonderful evening with what else: BIRTHDAY CAKE!!! Never any "store bought" version, like the kind with the writing all over it. This was something my grandma or an aunt would make from scratch--like German Chocolate or Red Velvet. It was Heaven!!

The other special day was my Aunt Gladys' birthday in mid-December. She was my mom's younger sister (the one my mom and her twin both said was "spoiled"! Teasingly, of course). We would have a wonderful early Christmas/Birthday party with the family. Our mom's would bring pot-luck dishes and Grandma or Aunt Gladys would supply the drinks and main meat. In the winter, we were much more sophisticated, so every adult would bring their favorite bottle: Jim Beam, vodka, Jack Daniels, rum, Wild Turkey, etc. We are GOOD southerners! We love our whiskey--especially bourbon! There would be the occasional bottle of gin or a bottle of Morgan David sweet table wine. On a rare occasion, someone would decide to be particularly rebellious (at least for December) and sneak in a couple of six packs of beer. I never saw one single person in my family commode-hanging drunk at any celebration. Once or twice I saw someone REALLY happy, but no drunks. We were a fun, classy group! We would mingle and eat; sing Christmas Carols and eat; sing "Happy Birthday" plus "God's Blessings to You" and eat. Then the doorbell would ring, which meant Santa was making an early stop to Aunt Gladys' house. He would be all dressed in red, jolly as ever! Each one of the grandkids would get to climb on his lap and tell him what he or she wanted for Christmas! Boy, did it take me a long time to figure out that THAT was how my parents always knew what to get! Then Santa would give each of us a small gift or a bag of goodies--give us a hug and all was right in the world. We would laugh and cut up and for a brief moment in time, each child had a captive audience of over 25 people listening to the honest and insightful words of a child. It was wonderful! During the evening, we would all plan the upcoming family Christmas Party, draw names, so we could fret over what to get them, and quibble about the spending "limit" for each guest. It really got the Christmas Season off in full swing! Lastly, we would end with my Aunt Virginia or my cousin Kenneth playing the piano and singing all the wonderful hymns we knew by heart. Then we would wind down by singing "Oh Holy Night" and "Silent Night" (both in English and German). It still moves me to tears when I think of it!

Now we all know the SOURCE of my addiction--now we also know I am ADD (Attention Deficit DISASTER). I started by wanting to write about my love for food--then I talk about childhood memories. Oh well! Those that know me, know about BOTH problems. In fact, I get teased mercilessly about it! Just ask my kids! My daughter is the same way. When she and I get together, my husband calls it an “ADD Convention”!

So to commemorate my Aunt Gladys, who was the second greatest cook in my life (Grandma Graf was #1), I want to post her "Red Velvet Cake" with traditional icing recipe. Don't get me wrong, cream cheese icing is one of my favorites. But this icing is what I remember about Red Velvet Cake and somehow it just goes with it. This cake is NOT too sweet and has a unique taste all its own. So take your cream cheese icing and put it on your carrot cake, your chocolate cake, your whatever cake--I want the traditional stuff--WITH CRISCO!! Yea, that's right Crisco and flour cooked together and then whipped with sugar for a taste you won't find just anywhere. Enjoy!

And to all my Graf family members, I Love You!! PS I don't know why they called it $300--Next time I see Aunt Gladys, I'll ask!)

$300 Red Velvet Cake with Traditional French Icing
Ingredients
1/2 cup Crisco
1/1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
2-4 T. cocoa
2 oz. red food coloring
1 cup buttermilk
1 t. soda
1 t. vinegar
1 t. salt
1 T. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease, flour, and line with parchment paper 2 8" cake pans. Cream crisco and sugar at medium high speed in mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Mix soda and vinegar together and add to buttermilk. Stir in flour alternately with buttermilk mixture. Mix in cocoa and half of the coloring, then after combing, pour in the remainder. Mix well. Pour into cake pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick just comes out clean. Cool completely and frost with Traditional French Icing.
Traditional French Icing
1 cup milk
5 T. flour
1 cup Crisco,
1 cup sugar
1 T. vanilla
Cook flour and milk in a double boiler, stirring all the time until it becomes a thick paste. Set aside and cool until cold. Put into small mixing bowl. Add crisco, sugar and vanilla. Beat at high speed until it looks like whipped cream. Frost cake. Enjoy!