ARIZARD-L Archives

Archiver > ARIZARD > 2001-01 > 0979271930


From:
Subject: Re: OFF SUBJECT- [ARIZARD-L] Regina's Gram's Dressing-
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 22:58:50 EST


In a message dated 1/11/01 5:40:21 AM Central Standard Time,
writes:

<< Your grandma's cornbread dressing is
making me hungry! :)
>>

Goodness, Regina and Jean,
This brought back so many memories, I was just laughing til I hurt.
I remember Mother, Juanita Peck and Grandma, Alba Peck cooking for the crowd
of Miller and Walker relatives that came to Grandma's at one occasion (could
have been thanksgiving) but we had chicken and dressing. I will never forget
the two of them going to the hen house, getting the chickens they chose and
then to the lend-to shed to wring their necks.

It was a big enough occasion (and expected crowd) that they were prepared and
had the water in one of those big black wash pots over a fire out by the
shed. They just plucked all those hens on the roof of the root cellar as it
was just the right height to make a wonderful outdoor counter. As they
finished each one, they just walked over and let it drop into that huge pot
of boiling water. (Grandad Herbert had made a roaring fire for them--Remember
Grandma complaining that he'd gotten a little carried away but guessed he was
hungrey for chicken and dressing and she couldn't blame him for being over
zealoused. (but didn't use those words, of course!)

I'm like Regina, I was pretty impressed with all that neck-wringing and
chickens running around without heads until they plopped over. It was really
strange. (Maybe that's why it took me so long before I could cook raw chicken
and then eat it, huh?)
Anyway, those two gals fed between 20 to 25 people, I think but you know----I
think there was a picture taken at the old high school building on Sunday
afternoon! I'll bet you I can tell exactly who was there!

Hadn't thought about this in years! You all are so great, thanks for
reminding me to write all this stuff down and pull out the pictures (if I can
only find them in the tons of boxes in the basement------I'm absolutely
wearing out de-humdifiers here! Wonder how many I will go through before I
get this all sorted and stored properly. Goodness it is a problem putting a
big house full of stuff into a condo and storage. Really a chore!)

Regina, thanks so much for sharing the dressing and the companion story!
and Jean thanks for putting it back up again because I just missed this and
whatever responses there were. Thanks all for reminding me of the Spring
Creek Peck Farmhouse gatherings! Goodness that's been eons ago!
Beth Peck Cooper

This thread: