At My Grandmother’s Table

Author FAYE PORTER (Nashville, Tennessee) shares, “My paternal grandma was MARY GLADYS THOMAS PORTER, born and raised in Pennsylvania. While I was just eight when she passed away, I do have a few remembrances that I mentioned in the book’s introduction. I am fortunate that some of my older cousins—Carol, Karen, Susan, and Ruth Ann—have more vivid memories, recalling Grandma’s old coal oven and stove that she used to seemingly produce fabulous meals out of thin air. Of particular note were Grandma Porter’s noodles from scratch, tall angel food cakes, emerald green bread-and butter pickles, orange rolls, tomato sauce, and her homemade bread—reminding one cousin of a gigantic cupcake it was so high. A favorite treat could always be found in her pantry—graham crackers sandwiched around a filling of homemade powdered sugar icing mixed with peanut butter until fluffy. Grandma never had a refrigerator when she lived on the farm, so she kept food cold or made Jell-O by placing them in the springhouse drain. The water was so cold exiting the deep-dug well, and when it got full it spilled out into a drain. Grandma would place a brick or stone in the drain and set prepared Jell-O on the brick for the cold water to set it. Whoever was visiting would make the trip to the springhouse with Grandma to retrieve cold items that would be served for dinner and then would go back after the meal to leave the leftovers for safekeeping. My parents recently came across an old cookbook that was Grandma Porter’s—it was published by the Rumford Baking Powder Company (copyright 1908, 1918). Inside, Grandma handwrote some of her favorite recipes on the blank pages. This ‘chilla’ was found in that book in her handwriting.”

2 pounds ground beef

2 cups chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 (29 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

¾ cup water

1 teaspoon sugar

2 (16 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion and sauté until the beef is browned and the onion is tender. Drain off any excess fat. Add the garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes, water, and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.

2 Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the beans are heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

NOTE: If you prefer a spicy chili, before boiling the mixture add 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin, ¼ cup chili powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and chopped jalapeños to your taste.