Dinner with Dad

My parents were divorced when I was around 5 or 6 and my Dad would get my little brother and I every other weekend when I was younger. One of the things I remember most about Friday night dinner after my Dad would pick us up was that dinner was almost always waffles. My Dad had two go to meals and he did them well. Waffles and Spaghetti. Then on Sunday before we would return home we almost always went to my Grandma’s for Sunday dinner. My Dad’s family is German. Very German. My Grandma would have polka on the radio and she and my Dad would talk in a mixture of English and German from the Bavarian region of Germany, that I later came to know as Bayerisch. Supper with my Grandma was something I didn’t appreciate until I was older. She was an amazing cook and I wish I had spent more time learning from her.

My Dad had a larger family then my Mother’s side so Holiday’s were always more fun with my Dad’s family. I had lots of cousins and there was so much food. There was wine decanted on the table. There was always turkey and chicken and some kind of pork or beef. Numerous side dishes, breads and salads and the desserts! I still vividly remember two of my favorite desserts. One was my Aunt Alice’s peanut butter balls, they melted in your mouth and were better than any peanut butter cup on the market today. The second was called Church Windows or Stained Glass Cookies. They were chocolate and had multi-colored mini marshmallows melted into them. They were so yummy! I have never found a recipe for them and I have looked high and low. I’m not sure if one of my Aunt’s or my Grandma made them, but I loved them.  My Dad always contributed a 7 layer Salad. It was so yummy. He knew he had to bring something or his sister would give him a hard time. As I have gotten older, my siblings have spread across the country and family has passed on. My Grandparents on both sides are gone and the big family gatherings don’t happen very often. But I will always have the memories. And the Waffles! ♥