Made with Love

DURING THE HOLIDAYS when my children, Dallas and Hannah, were growing up, they always had their own favorite recipes when it came time to plan the meal. I always asked my husband, George, first, “Anything special you want for Christmas dinner?” Sometimes, he’d offer a suggestion or two. Other times, he’d just say, “Whatever you think, Mama.” Dallas and Hannah, on the other hand, always had a list: butter beans, green bean casserole, Squash Alabama, biscuits, cornbread, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and dressing, honey-glazed ham, turkey, and on and on. If I cooked everything they asked for, I would have had to put two dining room tables end to end just to fit it all!

“I wanted my family to know the meal was intended to be ‘from me to you.’”
—BRENDA GANTT

I always asked my family because I wanted them to know that my cooking was a labor of love and my gift to them. Sure, on most days, I just cooked what foods we had or what I wanted