Recipes: A Window to the Past

Everybody has one. That one thing that makes you sigh with relief because you know comfort is there. Wonder what I am talking about? Well you might have guessed...comfort food. Comfort food is a way for people to relax and get comforted. The comfort food might be anything at all. It could be a recipe passed down through the years or something discovered during life. Some recipes are like a foundation for families. They are traditions passed down through the years to generation after generation. Many families have their secret recipes that no one wants to share because they are sacred to that family for many reasons. Recipes have always been a huge part of my family because to me recipes are the windows into my past and my families past. One of my favorite family recipes and my comfort food is Apple Betty. Many people have their own comfort food(s) that remind them of a time or a place. The first time I tried Apple Betty is still a vivid memory to me.
We were at my Grandma's house having a normal dinner with the family. Everyone was gathered around the table having warm melt in your mouth pot roast, creamy yet chunky mashed potatoes, and crisp buttery asparagus. All the smells were intoxicating and left my family craving more. Soon after we sat down to dinner a smell started wafting into the dining room. It was the smell of warm crisp apples baking in the oven. Granted the adults knew what it was, but none of the kids knew what that delicious sweet aroma was. None of us could ask fast enough what the delicious smell was. My Grandma simply said,"It's Apple Betty." All of a sudden everyone was miraculously full of dinner and ready for dessert. We all waited and waited and waited for that oven timer to go off, the Apple Betty to be pulled out, and be cool enough to be eaten. Finally, when it was done and after my Grandma had clinked and clanked the spoon against the pie plate to scoop out the Apple Betty, it was time to eat. We were finally able to eat the scrumptious looking dessert in front us and no one hesitated to dive into their plates. The first bite I put in my mouth made me melt. The sweet crumbly topping mixed with the gooey crisp sweetness of the apple made me drift into a coma. All the flavors swirled in my mouth making my taste buds explode like fireworks. Immediately I related this Apple Betty to my family and its past.
The history of this dessert is like my family history because it has been passed down from generation. I am not sure who wrote this recipe or if they got it from another person, I do know that this recipe has been in the family for a long time. My Grandma who first made this dessert for me is my Father's Mother. She received the recipe from her Mother who got it from her Mother. This recipe goes back more generations and describes the type of family we have. Our family is the sharing kind and we love to help anyone we can. This recipe to my family is like the biggest comfort food for us. Where as someone might go for a piece of apple pie as their comfort food, or I should say comfort dessert, my family goes for Apple Betty. Apple Betty has always been in our family and has always been one of favorite desserts. We have it every year when my Grandma's apple tree out back has apples. Some of our past family members use to live on farms and have apple trees to make Apple Betty. The structure of the Apple Betty, meaning how it is made, is like the structure of my family.

The structure of this dessert is the best part of the entire dessert because it reminds me of my family. The components of Apple Betty are the pan, apples in the center, and the topping. Obviously there is more to it then that, but these are just the basics. To mean this dessert is very symbolic of how my family is structured. The pan is the support of friends and how they help the family stick together through everything. Friends are always there when they need to be, should be, and can be. Friends are an important part of any family. The center is the family and even though every family has their problems they still come together when needed. While making Apple Betty you have to sprinkle orange juice on the apples so they do not turn brown. This shows that every family has their problems because not all the apples will stay the same. Families grow and change over time, but they still stick together when they need to. The center of the Apple Betty is gooey, warm, sweet, and crisp. Which describes our family because we are warm, stick together, loving/sweet, and strong. Then we get to the topping which for me symbolizes the people that are going to come into our lives. It might be who we are going to marry, new friends, or new family members. The new people are like falling angels because the topping is sprinkled on. The topping is sweet, savory, and warm. Which hopefully describes the kind of people that will enter into the family whether they are new friends, a significant other, or a new family member. This is why to me Apple Betty's structure relates to my family's structure. Different recipes remind different people of something. They remind them of someone, something, someplace, or some time in their life. Everyone has that one special dish they hold near and dear to their heart. Mine happens to be Apple Betty because its what I have grown up on. Whether you realize it or not you have different dishes that you relate to a person, a place, or a time. A dish may have reminders of a passed family member because the recipe is from that person or they made it all the time so it was their dish. While visiting a certain place even if its away or just a family members house a dish may have a certain amount of impact making that dish special. There could have been a certain time in life where a dish was made and something happened causing the dish to bring back memories of that time. There is always a dish that brings back memories of a certain time, place, or person. Everyone also has a certain food that is a comfort food.
Comfort foods have been a part of every one's diet. Imagine not being able to have that food that is comforting in a time of need. Not being able to eat that particular food when it is needed because of something that happened would be like not having a steak with potatoes. Comfort foods are just that, they comfort someone in a time of need. Like a Mother's hug when a little kid falls and skins their knee. Some traditional comfort foods are macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, apple pie, chicken noodle soup, chili, meatloaf, and fried chicken. Every family has their own comfort foods and they are not all the same. My family's comfort foods will vary from someone elses comfort foods. Comfort foods may come from past generations, magazines, TV shows, or other friends. Recipes are all around us.



Recipes do not have to be all about food, there can be recipes for just about anything. Food is a major staple in our society today. Food is what brings a family together. It gathers them all around the table for family bonding time. My favorite recipe that brings the whole family together is Apple Betty because that is my comfort food. Food is not just something to eat because your hungry it is something to eat to help you in a time of need. Recipes are traditions in families, whether its something you make once a week, once a month, or once a year. That recipe is the one thing you can always rely on. Recipes are the window to the past.