Momma Melton came for a visit this weekend with her son Derrel and daughter in law Sherri. She arrived in the form treats she sent along with them for the weekend we shared.
Derrel and Sherri are friends we met this summer while beaching in Marco Island Florida. Derrel is one of the biggest football fans I've ever met, and he pulls for Georgia Southern. We could tell this from his tshirts, his beach umbrella and everything else you could put a college logo on. Turns out, his team would be playing the spousal unit's Rebels in November. We befriended each other on FB, and initial plans were set for them to join our tailgate!
During our time at the beach, I shared some of my cheese straws. Sherri mentioned that her mother in law was famous for her catering, which included her cheese straws.
During the summer, the Spousal unit finally got her condo in that town up north (Oxford). We finalized plans for Derrel and Sherri to join us during their stay.
Sherri challenged me to a taste test, my cheese straws vs Momma Melton's special catering recipe. I accepted the challenge, and prepared three different versions, knowing at least one of them would be the eventual winner!
I use a food processor to mix it all up, them squeeze them out of a pampered Chef cookie press. A lot of love goes into every twist of that press!
Sherri brings out a small metal tin. It's lined with shrink wrap, and filled with cheese straws filled with more love than you could ever imagine. We pretty much used the same ingredients, with the exception of my excessive use of cayenne pepper. The biggest difference was apparent from first sight. This little ole lady had hand piped these creations. It takes a special hand to do this because of the strength needed to push the cheese dough through the press!
Momma Melton won hands down, not only for the taste, but for the love that she passes on through her handiwork. But she didn't stop at just cheesestraws!
Prior to the trip, Derrel mention that he would be bringing some of her apple tarts. OMG! These were made with the simplest of ingredients. But wow. Hand made crust, individually cut, stuffed, folded, crimped and baked.
She also sent her bacon wrapped cocktail weenies coated in brown sugar. Saturday morning, these little puppies were the first thing to disappear!
Each sample of the items she sent reminded me of my grandmother. She also delivered her love through the goodies she prepared in her kitchen. I so remember her hands, not soft and tender, but rough and firm from all those years spent gardening and cooking at home and the school cafeteria.
Derrel's momma's cooking brought all those childhood memories back to me in a flash! For that, I will be forever grateful :-).
Derrel and Sherri left for Georgia early yesterday morning. Thankfully they left behind the leftover cheese straws and apple tarts. And this was my breakfast treat:
Man, oh man, was it good!
So, next time you meet a stranger or two on the beach, invite them over for a football Saturday weekend. You never know what they might bring! Thank Derrel and Sherri for bringing Momma Melton to me!
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