Preparation for the holidays always involves me asking myself the question, “what should the menu be this year?” I always have great aspirations of preparing a wonderful gourmet meal like a standing rib roast or rack of lamb, roasted Brussels sprouts and bok choy salad with a side of sherried pears. Sounds very Bon Appetit, wouldn’t you say? Then I remind myself I am a Georgia peach married to a Mississippi man. We have what’s better known as a country food palette and the menu rarely ever varies, regardless of the holiday.

My daughter, Amy, and family as well as my other daughter, Meredith, will be fending for themselves this year without mom’s country favorites. And since Amy doesn’t really cook much, I was a little surprised when she called the other day telling me she was going to prepare one of the dishes that I always cook. Yes, she thought she had the recipe somewhere. Well … the phone rang this morning and it’s my six year old granddaughter, Selena and her sweet voice said, “Grandy! Momma needs your crack potato recipe!” My “crack potato” casserole is actually my mother -in-laws recipe and it’s not called crack potatoes. It’s called Ozark Potato Casserole. But regardless of the name it is addicting! Anyway, I laughed and said I’d text the recipe to her momma, all the while thinking, oh dear God, this extroverted little girl is gonna go to school Monday and tell her teacher they ate crack potatoes all weekend. Aah!! I thought it might be good to explain what “crack” is so she would indeed not tell Mrs Gresham that, but then I also thought, how do you explain cocaine to a six year old? You don’t!! Anyway, I texted the recipe and that was that.

A little while later I get a call from Amy and she said she had called her grandmother (you know, the one with the crack recipe) to see if she could borrow her croquet set for the kids to have an activity to do after church Easter Sunday. My mother-in-law replies, “Why are you asking me about cocaine?!” Oh Lord! At 94 years of age she wears a hearing aid and it appears the battery needs changing or she has wax buildup in her ears again! …. Wait! What the heck does a 94 year old woman know about cocaine?!?!

So me and Amy got to talking and I said there seems to be a theme going today and I don’t like it. Nope. Don’t like it one bit. What mom? Cocaine! I say. What do you mean? .. she asked. I said Selena called for that Crack Potato recipe. She died laughing and said, mom, she asked for the CRACKED Potato recipe … you know, like a crack in the sidewalk or a cracked egg. Oooohh … ruh roh! Me thinks me gots earwax buildup too. I mean I’m way too young to need a hearing aid!

I am SO glad we got all this settled and straightened out before Monday and hoping someone finds this story funny lest they think we’ve all cracked up or that the story was not all it was cracked up to be! Bon Appetit!

Ozark Potato Casserole

2 lbs frozen hash browns, thawed

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

Can of cream of chicken soup

8 ounces sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Optional: 2 cups crushed corn flakes mixed with 1/4 cup melted butter

Mix all ingredients, pour into 9×13 dish and bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour