My mom (we called her Nonnie) didn’t use recipes very often that I can remember. She had a few cookbooks but mostly just made everything from memory. I can remember her starting dinner around 6 pm each night…she would get the preparations underway and then go and sit down for a bit while everything cooked. She was big on fresh vegetables…butter beans, okra, and sliced tomatoes in the summer and in the winter, we ate green beans that she had canned during the summer, cornbread (we ate cornbread all year long), Bisquick biscuits, fried chicken, and pinto beans. She also made the best meatloaf, homemade French fries and fried chicken livers (which I still love to this day).

In 1973, I was 10 years old and I guess by that time, processed foods such as Jello and Cool Whip were common ingredients because I also remember lots of Jello Salads and Cool Whip on desserts. Jello salads were a big thing at our house…they were served first as an appetizer. I remember one in particular called Otumwa Salad (not sure I spelled that correctly), that had cheddar cheese sprinkled over the top but that’s about all I remember about the ingredients. It was the name that got me…

Anyway…to make a long story short(er), my mom didn’t make dessert for every meal, but she did love desserts. The ones I remember most are a chocolate sheet cake with chocolate icing, peanut butter fudge, apple pie (my dad’s favorite), a dessert called Sweet Country Cheese with Strawberries…I’ll be making that one soon, and this Blueberry Dessert (possibly my favorite). There were also special things for the holidays…divinity candy (not a fan), and meringues with chocolate sauce. Nonnie occasionally served dessert after meals, but her favorite way to eat these treats was in the afternoon, around 3 pm. She also had what she called a mid-morning snack every day - usually a piece of toast with butter and another cup of coffee. She wasn’t a big lady at all and she never worried about her weight.

I’ve been going through some of Nonnie’s recipe cards for a while now and came across the very much used card for Blueberry Dessert so I decided to make it! It’s so funny how the memories came back…from her mixer and pyrex dish that she used to the smell of the crust baking in the oven. When I put the first bite in my mouth, it tasted exactly like it did when I was a child. This is one that I’ll pass down to my girls and I hope they make it.

Of all the things that I have of my mothers, the recipe cards are the most special because they are in her handwriting and they bring back so many memories. My family, like all families had it’s issues, but we did sit down as a family to eat a homemade dinner every single night and I’m so glad we did.

This dessert is so delicious, but didn’t photograph particularly well…I tried to make it as pretty as possible and love it served on my pink dessert plates from Haand.

Do you have food memories from childhood? What were your favorite recipes? Leave a comment and let me know! Thanks so much for reading today and sharing my special memories!