Usually family recipes are passed down by relatives that you personally know, and (sometimes) love. However, one of the recipes in our repertoire was a complete mystery to us until recently.
The recipe was for rolls, which seems harmless enough. But the name on the hand-written card was Gram Hamlin.
First of all, not my Gram. Second of all, not the Gram of either of my parents. None of us knew who she was, or how she was connected to our family.
It turns out, my grandma’s sister’s late husband’s grandma made some good dinner rolls. Yes, Gram Hamlin was real and her rolls have become a go-to staple for large gatherings, due to the fact that her recipe yields some 6 dozen rolls.
In the era of quick breads and frozen biscuits, the idea of putting forth time and effort into something that could easily be substituted by a product from Ingles seems ridiculous. But there is something to be said for biting into a warm, doughty, soft roll, and tasting the flavors that only homemade cooking provides.
The beauty of Gram Hamlin’s recipe lies in its versatility. Over Christmas break, my Grandma Abby made a large batch of the rolls, but experimented with the dough itself, instead choosing to make homemade cinnamon rolls and a new-recipe for her- an almond pastry ring. We ate some of the cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven, and the rest went into the freezer to be consumed when we were yearning for a taste of sweetness.
That day came last week, when I was in charge of bringing breakfast for our weekly newspaper board meeting. In search of a tasty treat that all eight of us would enjoy, I dug through the freezer and found the cinnamon rolls and almond ring that Grandma Abby had made. On a cold, early morning, they absolutely hit the spot, and two pans were instantly devoured. Well done, Grandma, well done!
This recipe has shown me an entirely new side of our family history. Without stumbling upon the mysterious name, I never would have found out that Gram Hamlin was from German descent, that she lived to be an old lady with enormous strength and perseverance, and that her best quality was that she always told the truth to those around her, regardless of how it might sound. She made all of her breads by hand, and had a massive garden for produce.
Although I never met her, hearing stories like this recounted by my own grandmother proves just how important recipes can be. Who would have thought that the rolls that we eat on a regular basis could have such interesting connotations, and could become so easily adaptable in our modern lives? Though I live a very different life that Gram Hamlin did, each time I eat one of the rolls, I feel a sense of connection after learning the truth about the lady behind it. The mystery of the unidentifiable name is solved, and so is a portion of my family history.
The recipe was for rolls, which seems harmless enough. But the name on the hand-written card was Gram Hamlin.
First of all, not my Gram. Second of all, not the Gram of either of my parents. None of us knew who she was, or how she was connected to our family.
It turns out, my grandma’s sister’s late husband’s grandma made some good dinner rolls. Yes, Gram Hamlin was real and her rolls have become a go-to staple for large gatherings, due to the fact that her recipe yields some 6 dozen rolls.
In the era of quick breads and frozen biscuits, the idea of putting forth time and effort into something that could easily be substituted by a product from Ingles seems ridiculous. But there is something to be said for biting into a warm, doughty, soft roll, and tasting the flavors that only homemade cooking provides.
The beauty of Gram Hamlin’s recipe lies in its versatility. Over Christmas break, my Grandma Abby made a large batch of the rolls, but experimented with the dough itself, instead choosing to make homemade cinnamon rolls and a new-recipe for her- an almond pastry ring. We ate some of the cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven, and the rest went into the freezer to be consumed when we were yearning for a taste of sweetness.
That day came last week, when I was in charge of bringing breakfast for our weekly newspaper board meeting. In search of a tasty treat that all eight of us would enjoy, I dug through the freezer and found the cinnamon rolls and almond ring that Grandma Abby had made. On a cold, early morning, they absolutely hit the spot, and two pans were instantly devoured. Well done, Grandma, well done!
This recipe has shown me an entirely new side of our family history. Without stumbling upon the mysterious name, I never would have found out that Gram Hamlin was from German descent, that she lived to be an old lady with enormous strength and perseverance, and that her best quality was that she always told the truth to those around her, regardless of how it might sound. She made all of her breads by hand, and had a massive garden for produce.
Although I never met her, hearing stories like this recounted by my own grandmother proves just how important recipes can be. Who would have thought that the rolls that we eat on a regular basis could have such interesting connotations, and could become so easily adaptable in our modern lives? Though I live a very different life that Gram Hamlin did, each time I eat one of the rolls, I feel a sense of connection after learning the truth about the lady behind it. The mystery of the unidentifiable name is solved, and so is a portion of my family history.