The Mountain Kitchen

Thinking back to the early 70s, I recall the excitement I felt as my mother’s station wagon bumped down the unpaved road from Hwy 117 to the cottage on Lake Lahusage where we spent many summer weekends. Martha Ann and Sanford “Bubba” Dunson were close family friends, and they loved their lake haven. My sister and I loved jumping off their dock and floating all day on inner tubes. One summer a group of us, parents and kids, swam from the cottage dock to the giant rock out where two channels of the lake intersect — a feat indeed. If you’ve been on Lahusage, you know this rock. We took a canoe out to it last year after not having seen it since 1975. Two things struck me: first, my late-50s heart and lungs couldn’t conceive of making that swim; second, the size and shape of that behemoth were just as they’ve lived in my memory for decades. It’s impressive.

Back then, we swam all day and were starving by late afternoon. Cookouts were big events, with the men grilling in the pavilion and Martha Ann and my mother laughing and reminiscing about their shared high school days in the kitchen as they filled in the menu around the steaks or burgers soon to be brought in.

Recently, I found one of the recipes I remember eating many times at the big table in that cottage kitchen. In fact, I have a vision of my father staring at my mother as she upended a bag of sweet onions onto the counter and announced we were having “pie” as a side dish. This recipe is so delicious, even my father asked for it over and over. Buttery and mellow, it goes with anything. The sum of its parts are sublime. Both my mother and Martha Ann have passed on, but I hear their laughter and smell the smoke from the grill whenever I think of this dish. I’ll be making it for my household regularly.

Summertime Onion Pie

Summertime Onion Pie

(Actually you can make this year round.)

• 1.25 cups finely crumbled Ritz crackers
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 cups thinly sliced sweet onions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Paprika
• Chopped fresh parsley (or dried parsley
• flakes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix crumbs with 3 tablespoons melted butter. Press into a lightly greased 8-inch pie plate.

3. Saute onions over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons butter, stirring frequently, until translucent. Spoon into crust.

4. Whisk eggs with milk, salt, and pepper, and pour over onions. Sprinkle cheese over top.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or lightly browned. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.

Kathy and Linda’s family cookbook, with their father, Sand Mountain native J.T. Griffin, on the cover.

Dessert, please!

Recently I was reminded (because I ate one) of a classic dessert my Mentone friend Kathy Casler and her sister Linda Stephenson love to make together, splitting the batch to take a plateful home to their loved ones. Let’s face it: lemon squares can be good, and they can be a bland disappointment. THESE are the ultimate celebration of the sunny, tart citrus fruit! Kathy gave me the recipe several years ago from her family’s own cookbook (a treasure if you can get your hands on a copy).

Linda and Kathy insist that fresh squeezed lemon juice and real butter make them special.

Sisters Lemon Squares

Sisters Lemon Squares

Crust:

• 2 sticks butter, melted
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Filling:

• 4 eggs, beaten well
• ½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

• Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare crust by mixing melted butter, flour, and sugar. Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly browned, about 20 minutes.

While crust bakes, whisk filling ingredients together until well mixed. Pour over hot crust, and return to the oven to bake 20 more minutes.

Remove pan from oven and sift powdered sugar over top while still hot. Cool before cutting into squares. Serve chilled or at room temperature.