Welcome to the Lemons' Family Cookbook
... or as Grandma Lemons more accurately titled it, the Lemons' Family Favorites.
I encourage you to take a look around, try out some of the recipes, and leave as many comments as you like.
If you find a typo -- and I'm sure there are plenty -- just send an email to joeljohnson@gmail.com and I'll fix it up.
When I think of the Lemons Family, more than anything, I think of food.
Entering in these recipes has been an opportunity for me to reminisce about the times we all gathered in the old house on the highway over the years, times that were almost invariably tied in some way to the tastes and smells of the food that was around.
Pushing blankets down in the morning to the smells of biscuits, ham, and gravy; meals so large they overflowed the countertops to cover the tops of the freezer, the washer and dryer, and whatever surface was spare; engaging in heated arguments spirited discussion about god-knows-what over coffee and pie (or cake, or ice cream, or cookies, or brownies).
I always presumed that every family ate so lavishly and with such frequency. It was years later (coincidentally, nearly the same time I had to start cooking for myself) that I realized what effort and concern had gone into preparing it all.
These foods are as much a part of my experience of 'family' as anything, and for Grandma to have taken the time and effort to catalog them was a remarkable gift. Being able to pass these recipes and stories on to family and friends is important, even though it will just be an echo of those times, at best.
It's hokey to say so, but every time I typed in a new recipe I spent a little time in that kitchen, remembering, and I hope that as you go through some of these recipes (and hopefully make some of the food!), you can remember some of those times, too.
