When I was growing up, my family rarely celebrated Memorial Day. My father owned his own company, which meant he worked most holidays.
For the last several years, Jen and I have established a family tradition of loading up the car and driving to Hubbard with our son, Cooper. I have a buddy from college whose wife's family is from this small Texas town. Since 1992, the Hubbard Chamber of Commerce has hosted a Memorial Day celebration complete with craft vendors, rodeos, a parade and service honoring the nation's veterans. Of course, the thing I look forward to the most is the food.
My buddy's in-laws, Jenny Lou and Wayne Taylor, host the biggest potluck luncheon you will ever see. Everyone in town brings their favorite dish. You can expect the traditional fried chicken, barbecue, potato salad, burgers and hot dogs. However, no Memorial Day picnic is complete without a healthy portion of sweets.
In Sweet on Texas: Loveable Confections From the Lone Star State, author Denise Gee features must-eat desserts with stories about local Texan bakeries sprinkled throughout. Recipes like homemade funnel cakes with spiked whipped cream and Jenay’s famous lemon bars caught my eye.
I'm giving away this beautiful cookbook to one lucky reader. To win, leave a comment letting me know what you will be cooking up this holiday weekend. Be sure to comment by 5 p.m. CST today (Friday, May 24). Check back Wednesday to find out if you won.
Aside from the food (Did I mention deviled eggs and mac n' cheese?), the most important thing this Memorial Day is to take a moment and remember what it means. It’s a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. This year, I am going to take a moment to also remember those who have endured heartbreaking tragedy in West, Granbury and Oklahoma. Like I said, food is always top of mind. You can donate $10 to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma by texting the word FOOD to 32333.
Catch you next week.
Russell Kirkpatrick is AGM at Reata Restaurant and Founder of the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival
