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Friday, September 23, 2016

A teeny-weeny recipe & my love affair with cupboards

                1/4 cup of brown sugar
                  1 Tbsp. of cinnamon
                                  Mix

\
                 A simple treat that goes great with tea or coffee.

My love for cupboards started, not from my own home as a child, but from my grandmother's summer kitchen in her little two story clapboard farmhouse.
This turn-of-the-century step-back cupboard reminds me of the one that stood as the focal-point of her humbly-decorated kitchen with the wood-stove and the large kitchen table.
My grandmother's cupboard  almost reached the ceiling, was painted dark green and it held her glasses, tea-cups and saucers, glass jugs and the much-loved porcelain cookie jar loaded with home-made hermits on the top shelf. Hermits were made with nuts, raisins and lots of brown sugar.
The little drawers held a mish-mash of cutlery and baking tools.
It had the smell of tea, cookies, kool-aid and sugar all mixed together. To a child it was heaven.
But it never held candy because, well, that was in a different cupboard. :)))
Each of the grand-kids had a special tea-cup that was sought out and used only by them when visiting gran. Mine was red with a dragon on the side and a rim of gold on the cup. I couldn't tell you how many cups of tea and coffee I drank from it but it was more than my mother knew. ;-)

I wish today I still had that cup and saucer to drink my tea from but unfortunately my grandmother lost everything in a fire in the early '70's while she was recuperating at her daughter's from a fall. They said it was the old electrical wiring that caused the fire but to this day I'm really not sure what happened. It was one of the saddest days I remember.

So to this day I think about that old cupboard when I see photos like the above or this one which I would love to find in an antique shop. Goodness, that is gorgeous. :)



Now, with grands of my own, I like to let them find little treats or special tea-cups in my step-back cupboard when they visit. 






I've never met a child that doesn't love to discover the unexpected so I enjoy their excitement just as much as they do.

Hopefully, I'm making memories.....
and
I'd better get baking again.

Another post on this old cupboard...http://justcats-deb.blogspot.ca/2015/07/the-old-green-cupboard.html


hugs, Deb





17 comments:

  1. Such wonderful memories you have of visiting your grannie! Thanks for sharing them.

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  2. I haven't had that on toast in ages YUMMY ! Lovely memories and story of them . It has dropped fast in temps here quite chilly but refreshing now Fall is here for sure . Thanks for sharing , Have a good weekend !

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  3. Those are beautiful cupboards and they bring back so many memories of a time that seems more peaceful and rewarding than what we find in our current world. My grandmother was a tea drinker, too. Her teabag had to last for at least two cups. Very frugal! She always wore a full apron over her house dress, with her long hair braided and pinned around the top of her head.
    Like your grandmother, she was my favorite person. She always took the time to teach me something new. Crocheting, making pie crust, stories.

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  4. I have the Hoosier cabinet which stood in the kitchen of my g-grandparent's home--later my Grampa Mac's house next door to the little house my parents built when I was 5. I remember a much varnished cupboard with glass doors in the dining room. It held a mish-mash of 'good dishes.' I've acquired 2 painted cupboards which have moved around with us and served varying purposes.
    In memory I often walk the rooms of my grandparent's house--it burned to the ground a few years after it was sold out of the family.

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  5. Especially for Audrey!x

    Monster in My Cupboard...

    There's a monster in my cupboard,
    peeking out the gap,
    I think I hear him breathing,
    I think I hear him tap.
    Bet he will come creeping out,
    if I try to have a nap!
    So I will have to trick him,
    and make him scared instead.
    I'll just let out the monster
    that I keep beneath my bed! :).

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  6. I love the memories you share and are making with your Grands. I love little surprises for my Grands when they visit also. I love some cinnamon sugar toast! Happy Saturday!

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  7. Lovely cupboards, Deb!

    Since I like both brown sugar and cinnamon, I'm sure the two mixed together would suit me.

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  8. I just love your cupboard, how you change it up, and how it adds meaning to your life. It's beyond wonderful!

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  9. I agree with you, Deb, that cupboards are wonderful... especially when they are full of good old memories and the making of new. I too used to serve my grandkids what we called 'pink tea' when they'd come over... in tiny teacups. And our 3 year old grand daughter knows that there are usually surprises somewhere in the cupboard (like chocolate money in a special teacup).

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  10. Sweet memories and how nice that you are making the same memories for your grandchildren! So sad that your Grandmother lost her home to a fire.
    Love all of your treasures in your cupboard!

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  11. Hi Deb! Thank you for visiting my blog! I LOVE your blog! I love cupboards, too!
    Oh, the kitties! They are wonderful!
    I'll be back!

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  12. I'm with you on the old cupboards. There is just something about them that speaks to my heart. The old ones were very tall, in fact that's why my old cupboard sits on the little front porch. I would love to bring it inside. The brown sugar and cinnamon sounds good. I plan want to try it. Please thank miss Audrey for posing for the pretty pictures in your last post.

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  13. It must indeed have been a terrible day when your grandmother's house burned. What a loss. But I like the idea of letting your own grandchildren discover things in your kitchen and dining room. I remember when I was a child, it would be like finding buried treasure. What fun memories.

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  14. My mum always made me cinnamon toast when I was sick--love it! Your cupboards are so organized; will you come to my house:-D

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  15. Wonderful memories, Deb! You have these treasured memories and that is what makes you such a wonderful Grandmother yourself! Too bad about the fire......such a tragedy. Your cupboard is so lovely and filled with so many sweet things. My Grandmothers had pantries that I would love to recreate, but not enough room here. I moved cross-country as a newlywed, so never inherited anything from my Grandmothers except a couple of things passed down to my Mom. But I still have the memories......Sending hugs xo Karen

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  16. Dear Deb, wish I could tell you how much I love your blog. Your photos, your great cat commentaries, the birds and chipmunks fill my heart with beauty. I can feel so well the deep connection you have to all the small and wonderful things in the world. I think your step-back cupboard tradition is great. My own grandmother had a hanging wall cupboard in which she kept bone china cups and saucers and each visitor had her/his own favorite set. One I particularly remember was for the Great White Father, the Episcopal priest of her local church whose last name was White. I wish I had her teacup collection and her buttons which she kept in a match box. I'm sure that one day your grandlittles will have similar special memories! Thanks for sharing them with us, too.

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  17. I love every word, photo and memory in this post. Every single one. (And cinnamon toast -- which I'm having for breakfast this morning -- what's not to love there?!) China, a cupboard, the warmth and love.

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