20 Comments
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Kathryn Sollmann's avatar

I love when a special food or recipe evokes such great memories of family members. Deedee surely jumps off the page in this great story and her photo shows such lovely spirit. This 4th of July I made blueberry muffins from the original Jordan Marsh recipe (which was featured in the New York Times recently). I jumped on it immediately with memories of shopping trips as a child with my mother and grandmother that were capped off by a box of blueberry muffins from the Jordan Marsh bakery (which we ate before we got home!).

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Deborah Way's avatar

Now you're sending me down department-store memory lane. When I was little, my grandparents sometimes took me to Hess's in Allentown, PA; after shopping we'd sit down for a white-tablecloth lunch at their restaurant, the Patio, and models would come through as we ate, modeling clothes from the store. I thought it was the fanciest!

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Ruth Stroud's avatar

So many old favorites came from recipes on the side of a boxed cake or ingredient. But the love that was put into them and the person creating them is what made them special. Thanks for a great story.

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Deborah Way's avatar

For sure. It might say Betty Crocker, but it was definitely Deedee Cake

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Jan Burns's avatar

Your story brought me to tears...and then tears of laughter when you discovered DeeDee's recipe card. But it was the extra love that she added each and every time she baked that cake that elevated it beyond a packaged recipe. I am sure you add that to your recipe too!

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Deborah Way's avatar

❤️❤️❤️

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Miss DP's avatar

Oh man. I love this so much. Thank you for sharing her story.

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Deborah Way's avatar

💓

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Ginevra Blake's avatar

I could taste the cake! She was a beautiful woman who loved well.

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Deborah Way's avatar

I love her smile ❤️

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Sharon Senkiew's avatar

Thank you for sharing your wonderful grandmother with us!❤️

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Deborah Way's avatar

thank you for reading 💓

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Lisa Maguire's avatar

what a beautiful story and lady! I loved the twist at the end, which has occurred in so many of our families when we look into a departed loved one's recipe box!!!

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Deborah Way's avatar

I love thinking of my grandmothers trying a recipe and deciding it was good enough to cut out and save—or paging through a newspaper or magazine and cutting out a recipe that looked intriguing. It really brings them back to me ❤️

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megan's avatar

the ending of this story is perfection! beautifully written

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Deborah Way's avatar

❤️❤️❤️

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Nanette Madding's avatar

This story made my day ❤️ and brought back so many memories of my grandmother. She was a diner cook and although I never lived near her, whenever she would visit she always made a big bowl of rice pudding. That’s been over 50 years ago and I’ve made it many times but it’s not the same. She never used a recipe for anything so I continue my search.

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Deborah Way's avatar

I love rice pudding. (It was the dessert at my wedding 😋)

Your grandmother's must have been especially delicious 💓

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purl2.knit1's avatar

Perfect that you found her "secret" recipe. Made me remember my 2 great aunts who were great bakers but many desserts died with them as they hadn't used a written recipe for years and would gladly make them for you but never gave out the recipes, even to their daughters or daughters-in-laws. Plus one used a glass for measuring and when her glass broke the treats were never quite the same. Thank you for brining my memory back to the surface and sorry you did not get to have her at your bootcamp graduation.

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Deborah Way's avatar

To think of all the desserts throughout history that died with their makers. 💔💔💔 And that broken glass!!

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