Momma, Do You Know Me? - A Poem

I was thinking about my mother the other day and this poem began to flow out of me.  I loved her so much!  I cried with almost every line I wrote, so I had to wait a few days to edit and finish this one.  I feel anyone with a spouse, mother, or father suffering from a form of dementia can relate; regardless if their symptoms were related to Alzheimer's, Brain Injury, Huntington's, Hydrocephalus, Parkinsons, or something else.   For all those going through this, remember although sometimes it may be hard,  there are times they recognize and know you.  At those times, you can really feel the love coming from them back to you.

I often felt sorry for my brothers when they visited Mom at the end of the day, because she was too tired to communicate.  Sometimes they thought she did not know who they were, but I know she did.  If she was looking intently at somoene or smiling  when they spoke, that was an indication she knew them and was happy they were there even if she never said a word.  If she did not remember or know someone, she acted shy or had a quizzical look on her face as if to say "Do I know you?"  

Momma, Do You Know Me

by Shirley Fine Lee (Copyright 02/19/2025 all rights reserved.)

See the clock?
What time is it now?
Tick, tock,
Wish it would stop.
Look at the calendar,
What month is it?
What date is today?
Don't be flustered!
You are a blessing each day,
So it doesn't matter anyway.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know my name?

Put one foot in front of the other
Then do another.
We're walking now.
We're walking now.
Right foot,
Left foot,
Keep mov'n along
Singing this song.
Then repeat
Til we're in our seat.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know me?

Someone peeking in the window?
Man standing in the door?
Don't be frightened anymore,
No one is there.
No need to be scared!
I'm right here,
Always very near.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know my name?

Last week, you laughed.
Yesterday you cried.
Some days, you just stare.
Today, you have angry glare.
Every day, we try for uniformity,
Yet every time is unpredicatbilty. 
Favorite meals are a charm.
Taking pills rasie alarms.
Sometimes long talks,
Others tears or giggling.
As the day fades away,
Your attention span wanes.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know me?

Sharing laundry chores,
Doing puzzles and therapy,
In the kitchen or cleaning,
Or just talking,
You and me.
You read or do coloring book.
Instead of TV watch,
Let's take another look
Through photos and memories.
Oh, the stories you tell!
One might think you're well.
Tired? Take a nap.
Finish later will we.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know my name?

A kiss on the head.
A peck on the cheek.
We say "I love you."
All may seem bleak,
I know you love me.
It is no time to be weak.
As things slowly slip away,
Life goes on
And so do we.

Momma, do you hear me?
Momma, do you see me?
Momma, do you know me? 

FYI:  If anyone is wondering why thar weird little stepping song is in the poem, it was a song I made up to sing when she was learning to walk with a walker at home  Sometimes she would laugh at me and say "You're silly." once she was sitting down.  But if I stopped singing during her walking time, she stopped too and looked back to be sure I was still there.  So that sill song means a lot to me!

Grandma's Recipe Box: Banana-Sour Cream-Walnut Loaf Cake with Glaze

 

I love homemade banana bread!  The recipe below is good any time of the year.  However, if you love banana bread and are looking for something different to share during the Christmas season, try out this old recipe from my Grandmother's recipe box.  In her recipe below, I added a note in brackets for adjusting loaf pan size and baking time.  

Banana Sour Cream Walnut Loaf 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup margerine 
1 &1/3 cups sugar 
2 eggs 
1 & 1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed 
2 & 3/4 cups sifted flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 cup sour cream 
1 cup walnuts

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In large bowl, cream margerine and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs and bananas and beat well. 
4. In another bowl, sift dry ingredients together. 
5. Add dry mix alternately with sour cream sstirring into banana mixture. Then stir in nuts. 
6. Pour into greased and floured Spoon batter into loaf pan [1 - 9x5 standard or 3 - 5x3 mini].
7. Bake 45 minutes [or 30-35 minutes for minis using toothpick to test for done]. 
8. Let stand 20 minutes, then remove from pan.

Banana Glaze (optional)

Ingredients:

1 cup bananas, mashed 
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Steps:

1. Combine bananas and sugar in pan and bring to a boil.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring for 5 minutes,
3. Remove from hear  and add lemon juice.
4. Cool and the use as a glaze on cake.

Christmas Treats from Mini Bread Loaf Pans

 For the Christmas holiday, I occasionally make fun bread baskets using different types of loaves in miniature versions to give away.  Although sometimes I do the traditional cookie buckets, I like to offer an assortment of loaf flavors when holidays are rushed.  Making the different bread loaves  require less preparation - especially if you choose to use a mix instead of "from scratch" recipe.  I also like to make sure each loaf is a different flavor, color, or shape.  This way people can easily tell the difference in loavrd the get to pick from.  Most min-loaves are considered two servings, so they work great to give to inviduals or couples.  

Examples of big bread baskets I have made included 4-flavor combinations for people I worked with to choose two they preferred from the basket. In the past, I have offered: eggnog bread (or banana) using a snowman-shape pan, strawberry bread (or pumpkin or gingerbread) in rectangle pan, zucchini bread (or apple) in a tree-shaped pan, and orange-cranberry bread (or fruit with raisins or chocolate chip) in a bundt pan to represent a wreath.  I wrapped the shapes in colored cling wrap: red for rectangle, clear for snowman, then used geen for tree and wreath.  

Tioa for making mini loaves:  

• For most recipes, you can adjust the cooking time by reducing it by 1/4 for mini loaf pans or use the time listed for cupcakes/muffins.  
• Be sure to grease and flour any pans you use so the loaves will come out easily.  If using shaped pans that may be hard to cover well, you may try a baking spray that mixes the four and oil by shaking the can before spraying.
• Do not top or glaze mini loaves, since it would cause sticking when you put them in cling wrap for stacking and storing.  
• If you plan to make several different types over different days/nights, freeze the wraped loaves in freezer bags to keep them resh.  Then thaw the ones you are giving away by setting them out the night before the day you plan to deliver them.
• If you are not bothering to do special shapes, consider using decorative mini-bakng dishes that you can give as part of the gift.  Or consider little disposable loaf pans so you do not have to worry with removing loaves from pans.

Cousin Brenda's Sugar-free Pecan Pie Bars

 Last weekend, one of my cousins made this yummy-gooey dessert bar for our Thanksgiving family gathering  It was really sweet, so everyone was questioning Brenda calling it a "sugar-free" dessert.  She told us the primary ingredients and offered it up as one of her dessert alternatives for our diabetic relatives. Brenda brought three desserts, of which two were sugar-free.  

I asked her if I could have this recipe and share it here on my blog.  Brenda informed me the original version of the recipe came from Aunt Bertha, an excellent cook who tolerated no nonsense in the kitchen and  followed recipes.  Anyway, this particular recipe is easy to put together and only requires seven ingredients.  Try it out and see if your family will love it too.  

Recipe short link for sharing = tinyurl.com/2nc2js8m 

Cousin Brenda's Sugar-free Pecan Pie Bars

Shortbread Crust Ingredients:

1 sugar-free yellow cake mix
1/2 stick of butter, at room temperature

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients together until crumbly. 
2. Press into a 9x13 cake pan. 
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While crust is baking , mix your pecan filling (below). 

Pecan Filling Ingredients:  

1 cup Honey Tree sugar-free honey 
1 cup brown sugar Splenda
1 teaspoon butter
3 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans 
1/4 teaspoon salt 

Steps:

1. Mix well all ingredients.
2. Pour into pre-baked crust (above).  
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  
4. Cool and then cut into bars.

Two-minute Pineapple Pie

Feeling hurried over the holiday? Got surprise visitors staying with you?  Is it too hot to cook in the kitchen?  Keep the below ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator for a quick and easy pineapple dessert anytime.  If you like pineapple and have more time, you may also want to try the cold pie with baked crust recipe for Pistachio Pineapple Pie with Coconut Crust or the links to other recipes it provides.   

2-minute Pineapple Pie

Ingredients:

1 can heavy syrup crushed pineapple
1 large box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 - 8 oz. sour cream
1 Graham Cracker pie shell 
1 - 8 oz. Cool Whip, thawed in refrigerator when ready to make pie

Steps:

1. Mix pineapple, sour cream, and pudding mix.
2. Pour into pie shell.
3. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.
4. Spread top with Cool Whip before serving.  

Optional Tip:

If you want to make it seem fancy, call it Pina Colada Pie and add some coconut flakes on top of the Cool Whip.

Grandma's Recipe Box: Apricot No-Bake Cheesecake

 I do not usually do cheesecake on this blog as it often seems like a lot of work for something I can buy ready-made for yum-to-go.  However,  I do have an easy mini-cheesecake recipe with vanilla wafer bottom and pie filling topping that my son and nephews often ask for,  since they can eat it without a plate or fork.  I found the below recipe in my Grandmother's recipe box and thought it would be good addition since I shared Grandma's recipes for apricot fried pies recently and her famous Apricot Nectar Cake a few years ago.

If you really love cheesecake, you may want to also check out the video recipe for Caramel Topped Gingersnap Pumpkin Cheesecake on this blog. 

Apricot No-Bake Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients: 

1/2 cups margerine
1/2 cups sugar
1 & 1/2 cups corn flake crumbs (reserve 2 Tablespoons full for garnish)

Steps:

1. Cook margerine and sugar in small saucepan until mixture boils.
2. Mix in cornflake crumbs [excluding garnish amount].
3. Press remainder in 9-inch pan.
4. Chill.

Filling Ingredients: 

1 (30 oz.) can apricot halfves, drained (reserve 1 cup syrup/juice and 4-5 apricots for garnish)
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
2 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 (4.5 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Steps:

1. Combine 1/2 cup reserved syrup and gelatine.  Stir over heat until gelatin dissolves.
2. Blend [remaining] apricots in blender at high speed. Combine both mixtures and set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add milk and lemon juice.  Mix well.
4. Stir in apricot mixture [into bowl]. Fold in whipped topping. 
5. Pour into chilled crust.
6. Chill 3 hours.

Glaze Ingredients: 

1/2 cup apricot juice [from reserve]
1 teaspoon corn starch

Steps:

1. Mix ingredients, Cook until thick.
2. Allow to cool.  
3. Spread over cheesecake. 
4. To garnish, place cornflake crumbs and sliced apricot halves around edge.
5. Return to refrigerator until ready to serve.

Southern Living Fall and Holiday Recipes

Do you love Southern Livig magazine and their seasonal recipes?  If you do, then try out some of theses wonderful recipe ideas featured in the October - December 2024 issues and available on their website.  From quick and easy soups to main dishes, along with bread and desserts, surely you will find the perfect dish for your family and friends to enjoy during get-togethers for football games or upcoming Winter holidays.  For even more recipes, check out the magazine or do a topic search on their website to find something that may fit your group entertaining need.

Appetizers/Breakfast/Brunch

• Apple Cinnamon Rolls - or check out our Coffee Cake 
• Bacon-Egg-Cheese Croissant Sandwich - or check out our Big Daddy Breakfast Puff
• Riesling-Gruyere Fondue

Breads

• Buttermilk Cornbread 
• Heavenly Angel Biscuits - or check out our large-batch Angel Biscuits and if you prefer rolls over biscuits, try our Overnight Dinner Rolls or Yeast Buns 

Lunch/Dinner/Supper

• Butternut Squash Salad
• Cottage Cheese & Meat Lasagne
• Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup - or check out my Chicken and Rice Soup 
• Fennel-Butternut Squash Gratin
• French Onion Turkey
• Mashed Butternut Squash with Bacon - or check out our Acorn Squash
• Roast Pork with Crackling
• Smoky Pork and Greens Stew - or check out our Green Ham Soup 
• Sourdough Stuffing (Dressing) - or check out our Corn Sausage Dressing
• Stuffed Butternut Squash
• Vegetable Beef Soup - or check out my Vegetable Beef Soup
• White Chicken Chili 

Desserts

• Apple Cider Bundt Cake - or check out our Apricot Nectar Cake 
• Chocolate Bundt Cake - or check out our Dr Pepper Cake 
• Cranberry-Orange Cake Filling uses: between white or yellow cake layers frosted outside with buttercream, as surprise center of vanilla or chocolate cupcakes, or central topping between sheet cake and whipped cream
• Eggnog Snickerdoodles
• Hot Cocoa Cookies
• Pumpkin Bundt Cake - or check out our Sweet Potato Cake 
• Spiced Cream Cheese Bundt Cake - or check out our Brown Sugar Pound Cake 

Grandma's Recipe Box: Raisin Honey Drops

Getting ready for the traditional holiday cookie swap?  Why not try a different take on a family favorite?  The recipe below is is a different take on traditonal Crispy or Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that Grandma made.  It is for anyone trying to do healthy alternatives by reducing white sugar using a little honey as a recipe sweetner instead.  If you are not into raisins in your cookies, then you may want to try using craisins, chocolate chips, or other flavored chips in the recipe instead.  Another option is to make my Mom's no-bake Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies recipe instead, that is if you do not have a nut or chocolate allergy.

Raisin Honey Drops

Makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey 
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup margerine
1 egg
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups uncooked oats
1 cup seedless raisins

Steps:

1. In large bowl, cream together honey, sugar, margerine, and egg.
2. In separate bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.  Then stir into creamed mixture.
3. Add oats and raisins. Stir until well blended.
4. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake on upper shelf of moderate hot oven for 12 to 14 minutes till lightly brown.  
6. Cool before serving.

Grandma's Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Icing

  This recipe was labled " good cakes" by my grandma at the top.  It does sound pretty good to me too, but I must admit I have not tried it. Her cakes were often the first ones to be gobbled up at family gatherings and I sometimes missed out seeing it or getting a taste. Also, as a kid I would have turned my nose up at the thought of eating anything made with sweet potatoes.  Since I loved pumpkin bread, I probably would have liked this cake too - if only I had been willing to try it.  

I can not remember my Grandma ever making an elegant 4-layer cake (2 or 3 layers, but not 4) using an 8-inch pan.  I assume she more than likely made it as 2 shorter cakes, or did 3-layers with 9-inch pans, or did it as sheet cake.  As two cakes, it would go further for her large family gatherings or allow her to share it with someone needy at church or with her beloved pastor.  

I found online Bundt cake versions which baked about 50 minutes using grated sweet potatoes or 30 minutes using pre-cooked mashed sweet potatoes. Many of the easy recipes for frosting on-line used marshmallow fluff instead of mini marshmallows, but the other ingredients were different for Grandma's so you would need to do a search if you want to try that instead.  

Sweet Potato Cake

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups [peeled] grated sweet potatoes
2 cups chopped pecans
3/4 cup buttermilk

Steps:

1. Grate sweet potatoes and chop pecans before prepping cake mix.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. In large bowl, beat oil, sugar, and eggs about 5 minutes thoroughly.
4. Stir in sweet potatoes and nuts.
5. In another bowl, sift flour with spices and soda.
6. Combine sugar [wet] mixture with flour [dry] mxture, alternating with buttermilk.
7. Bake in 4 layer pans [greased and floured or coated with baking spray]. Bake a 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 300 degrees and bake until done [maybe a total of 40 minutes] or when toothpick put in center comes out clean.  
8. Allow to cool.

Marshmmallow Icing

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 - 8 oz. package mini marshmallows
Optional: Chopped pecans for granishing top

Steps:

1. Cook sugar, cream, and maple flavoring to soft ball stage.
2. Add marshmallows and beat until spreading consistency.

Travel and Storing Tips:  

• If you are planning to take the cake somewhere, place it in the refrigerator until icing hardens so you can cover the cake without it sticking to wrap.
• If you want to freeze the cake whole, it may be best to not to frost it until it is thawed.  However, a frosted cake may be frozen in slices to bring out individually when desired.

Grandma's Recipe Box: Baked Acorn Squash

In the south, baked sweet potatoes are a familiar side dish at holiday gatherings.  The dessert at these family gatherings is often pumpkin pie too.  Many people are not aware that they can  switch these tow items (sweet potato pies) or subsitute Autumn  squashes like Acorn and Butternut in some of these favorite recipes or just serve them instead.  An easy substitute for sweet potato preparation is the baking of Acorn Squash.  

The squash can be served individually by giving each person half on a salad plate or the insides may be removed and mashed into a dish to pass around the table. If you need more than 6 servings, adjust the ingredients to match the number of halves you bake.  If serving buffet style, consider including optional toppings of mini marshmallows, chopped nuts, syrup. or bacon bits that people may top their portion with to customize to their tastes.

Baked Acorn Squash

Serves 6

Ingredients: 

3 Acorn Squash
3 Tablespoons melted butter
6 Tablespoons brown sugar

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut each squash in half, lengthwise; remove seeds.
   
3. Place in baking dish, cut-side down.
4. Bake 35-40 minute.  
5. Turn squash over. Brush butter inside each halfm then add a tablespoon of brown sugar to center of each.
6. Continue baking 20-25 minutes more.