Nannie's Namesake

I am Nancy Carolyn the third.  I was named for my great grandmother, called Carrie, and my grandmother, called Nannie. Folks call me Nan. I didn't have the privilege of knowing Carrie but I knew and loved Nannie well.

I don't try to remember death dates. I prefer to think of long gone loved ones on their birth dates. If Nannie was alive today she would be celebrating a birthday so my thoughts are of her and the many memories I have to keep her presence living in my heart.

My parents divorced when I and my brothers were very young. It was necessary to move in the house with Nannie and Gramps. Like many others of that day, the house was divided by a long hall. One half of the house was an apartment which was where we lived. While Mama worked for Gramps in his small grocery store, Nannie looked after us.

We lived close enough to Atlanta to receive television stations from there. Cartoons, like The Flinstones and The Jetsons, were prime time programs on Friday nights. My brothers and I would get up early on Saturday mornings to watch Tarzan. Other shows followed like Sky King, My Friend Flicka, Fury, Lassie, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Is this jogging anyone's memory?

When these shows were over it was lunchtime and we headed for Nannie's table. Sometimes we had hamburgers or hot dogs. But there was something she sometimes served I bet you've never had...fried Spam on toast with cheese sauce poured over it. I know you are asking yourself what kind of cook would put something like that on the table in front of children. Hey! don't knock it until you've tried it. Three hungry children thought it was pretty darn good!

One of Nannie's lunchtime dishes I still prepare today. We called them "scrambled hamburgers" back then. It wasn't until I found the recipe in a cookbook that I realized the concoction wasn't original to Nannie. The book, "Best Recipes from the backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Jars,"called the dish "Souperburgers." It was developed in 1959 in Campbell's test kitchens.

I can just imagine that Nannie found the recipe on the back of a can of Campbell's chicken gumbo soup and thought that would be a quick and easy lunch to offer us. Just why chicken gumbo soup is used, I can only guess. Maybe because the okra in the soup helps to thicken the meat mixture. And before you turn your nose up at the thought of okra, it completely cooks down and pretty much disappears after doing its duty. So, unless you tell it, no one will know its there

I serve the meat mixture on warm buns with a slice of cheese. Add extra catsup and mustard if you like even though you add it to the meat mixture. French fries are always preferred at my house but occasionally I can get away with serving potato chips. Oh, and a pickle spear on the side rounds out the plate perfectly.

Nannie's legacy to me would fill many pages. She was a remarkable woman and, apart from my mother, the most influential person in my life. She was faithful, selfless, and devoted to her family, church, and her Lord. Nannie left big shoes I will never be able to fill.

Happy birtday, Nannie! I love you,
Nan

Souperburgers
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can Campbell's Chicken Gumbo Soup
2 tablespoons catsup
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Hamburger buns
Sliced cheese (optional)

Brown beef and cook onion in skillet until meat is done and onions are tender. Drain of any fat.
Add soup and seasonings. Heat, stirring often until mixture has thickened. Serve on warm buns.
Makes about 3 cups.

Happy cooking!
Nan