<img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3667" style="margin: 8px;" title="Grandma Mary" src="http://writingtosanity.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/grandma-mary.jpg" alt="picture of Grandma Mary" width="141" height="179" />Mary Ellen Snider Finch was (and, truly, always will be) my grandmother. My mother remembers her as a strong, fair and patient woman. I remember her being all of that but then I also remember her smile, Thanksgivings and Christmases with both of my grandparents and that Grandma Mary would eat a bologna sandwich and drink a Coke at breakfast.  She was an avid crocheter and she was a devoted grandma, too.  At the time she passed away (the day before her 62nd birthday), she had 13 grandkids.  I can't recall a time that my family wasn't at her house at least once or twice a week.

She was so beloved in our family, in fact, one of my cousins called her "Grandma Cookie" because she always had Keebler cookies in the freezer for all of her grandkids.  She always had something special for us -- in fact, one of my last memories of her before she passed away is the night my brothers and sister and I stayed at her house while my parents went out.  Grandma made us chocolate brownies that were so gooey and rich, my mouth could barely open and shut.  They were so delightful, I ate and ate and ate until my stomach couldn't take any more.  It's quite possible that my face turned a bright shade of green, but I didn't care at the time.  It's a shame I don't know what her secret was!

Ah, well, even though I don't have the inside scoop on how to make the brownies, here are two more reasons why my grandma will always be better than your grandma (straight from her recipe box!):

<strong>Pineapple Upside Down Cake
</strong>
Melt 1/4 cup butter in 8 in. square pan.  Add 2/3 cup brown sugar.  Over this, arrange pineapple slices with maraschino cherry in the center of each.  Make half of a boxed cake for top or double recipe and use whole cake in a loaf pan.  <em>[I'm assuming you bake the cake according to the box directions; just be sure to keep an eye on it the first time and, when a toothpick comes out clean, you're golden!]
</em>
<strong>Banana Bread
</strong>
3 Tablespoons banana, crushed
3 Tablespoons water
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening or oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla<em>
</em>
Mix thoroughly bananas, water, eggs, sugar and shortening.  Add other ingredients and mix well.  Pour in 2 loaf pans, greased and floured.  Bake 375 degrees.  <em>[Again, keep an eye on it the first time and, when a toothpick comes out clean, you're golden!  Add a little butter to the warm bread, and it's heavenly]</em>

What kinds of recipes has your grandmother passed down?  Who will you remember during this holiday season?

<em>This was originally posted on Yahoo! Shine on November 29, 2010.</em>