Wednesday, April 14, 2010

THEME THURSDAY: LUNCH






Some of my most memorable lunches came after church at my Grandmother Coleman’s house. She referred to them as Sunday ‘dinners’ and they were always around 12:30 PM, just enough time for everyone to get to her house after their various services. Lunch for her was hardly what one might have every day. We had Sweet tea, lemonade and coffee to drink (no soda pop at her house). The meal consisted of at least two different entrees. That was usually fried (always prepared in a deep black cast iron pot) or baked chicken with dressing (sometimes turkey), a roast of some sort and even meatloaf as well. She had two huge vegetable gardens so in the summer we always had fresh vegetable dishes, at least six-eight to accompany the main courses, and then of course two or three desserts to choose from. Of the latter, cakes, pies and cobblers were always on the sideboards to tease us throughout the meal. I will say that in spite of the massive “lunch” on the table, we always had room for my Grandmother’s famous apple pie. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. It amazed us all that she managed to have feasts like this every week and refused to have anyone bring a dish. It would have been an insult to her to do so and she truly lived to prepare those meals. For her, it was a way to insure that the entire family would always at least be together once a week to fellowship. Needless to say, after these huge lunches/dinners, no one seemed to have much of an appetite for supper and if we did eat later, we usually took leftovers home from Grandma’s.

These days Sunday lunch usually consists of a salad and soup or a sandwich and some fruit with a cup of tea. That’s quite a far cry from those wonderful Sunday afternoon feasts, but much kinder to my waistline.

15 comments:

Zuzana said...

My mouth is watering too, when I read your post and see the pictures.;)
I can totally understand why these were your favorite lunches.;)
Beautiful childhood memory.;)
Have a lovely day,
xo
Zuzana

Brian Miller said...

oh my...its too early for me to be this hungry...sunday afternoon lunches were magical thinks at grandma's...all the cousins and our adventures and the marvelous food...

Tess Kincaid said...

Scrumptious memories!

Betsy Brock said...

OH yes...yum is right! Sounds like a buffet restaurant!

Anonymous said...

Your Grandma's dinners sound delicious and fun. We used to go to my Grandma's for Sunday dinners in my early years. Fried chicken and chicken noodles were my favorites.

moondustwriter said...

Oh the memories. How did they manage when they were gone all morning to put something together that wasn't "left-overs?"

cheers
moondustwriter
P.S. love everyone's different perspectives on lunch

C.M. Jackson said...

amazing spread--Grandma was quite the cook--what a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Happy TT

Dreamhaven said...

wonderful memories that continue to feed the soul long after the food is gone.

La Petite Gallery said...

Everything looks so great..
Your Grandmothers dinners and family are wonderful memories.
No one can ever take them away.

yvonne

PattiKen said...

Oh, yum. What's not to like in that spread? (Well, except for the calories, of course.)

I'm guessing that your Grandma was a southern lady. Did she serve you coconut cake for dessert?

Jaime said...

grandmas make the best feasts. no matter how hard the rest of us try, we can't make brisket like she can

Michael said...

Oh, I love this Rebecca. So yummy and what good memories. And to think, I didn't even know either of my grandmother's and even if I did, in this regard it would have mattered little--neither of them cooked! One had servants (just as well as she was mad as a hatter) and the other was a horrid drunk. sorry to say. Yes, I think I'll stick to your memories in stead. Can I just adopt your family? Hee.

Anonymous said...

oh my! happy memories of yummy Sunday dinners... thanks for bringing them back.. your post is so warm and inviting! :) The Bach

Rebecca said...

Thanks everyone...Yes, happy memories, indeed...

Pattiken, yes, grew up near the KY/ VA border actually. Fairly southern.:)

MMM, adoption, eh? Hum...Now, that's an interesting thought... :)

Bach,
Thank you so much. I love it when you and Lady Cat come over here for a visit..adds even more warmth around here:)

ChaChaneen said...

Those are wonderful memories you have! I remember years ago as a child, we traveled back east to visit relatives and having Dinner at lunch time. ha ha I couldn't believe the spread even then as a kid! Makes sense to me though to eat the larger meal at noon-time as you'd probably eat less at dinner-time and not go to bed so bloated with food. Hmmm, I'm gonna think more about this for my weekend cooking.