The Waller - Warren Family Cookbook
Becky Waller

Becky Waller was a child of the 50s. Her favorite foods are bagels and mozzarella cheese. Her favorite pizza is extra cheese, and she loves chocolate chip cookies.

When asked what she'd like to be (other than human), she said she'd like to be "light".

BIRTHPLACE: Knoxville, TN

EARLIEST FOOD MEMORIES: Pork chops, lots of spaghetti, apple sauce, salads ... Mom was a home economics major and took feeding us balanced meals seriously.

FAVORITE FOODS GROWING UP: Chocolate chip cookies

WHAT FOOD WAS HOME-GROWN: The only garden I remember was in Batavia, IL. I came home from college and Dad had a little vegetable garden. Mom said he would go out to the garden every day to check. He would report on every tomato and cucumber. One day Mom went out before he came home and took a huge store bought cucumber and stuck a straight pin through the cucumber vine and in to the big cucumber so that it would appear attached when Dad picked it. All the previous days the cucumbers were about an inch long and suddenly there was this enormous cucumber. Mom said his eyes were wild with farmer's zeal when he came in to show her his agricultural prowess.

TYPICAL EASTER MEAL: I remember baked ham, Kubie salad, mashed potatoes, ????. Kubie (named for Uncle Bruce whose nickname was Kubie as a little kid) had pineapple, coconut, marshmallows, cool whip etc.

TYPICAL THANKSGIVING MEAL: Turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, dressing, green beans, two or three kinds of pie.

TYPICAL CHRISTMAS MEAL: Really the same think as Thanksgiving. For breakfast, she would bake Pillsbury cinnamon or orange glazed rolls.

TYPICAL BIRTHDAY MEAL: Always whoever's birthday ... their favorites. When we would come home to visit, she would bake our favorite cake. Mine was banana spice cake.

NORMAL DAILY FARE: Again Mom really cooked us balanced meals though I remember a lot of spaghetti and apple sauce crossing our plates

SEASONAL TREATS I LOOKED FORWARD TO: Kubie salad, banana spice cake ... lots of stuff. Banana spice cake had very ripe bananas, cinnamon + ? in a pretty heavy cake. It didn't have icing. It was a lot like spice cake if you have ever had that and it had the bananas.

FOOD & DRINK MOM & DAD LOVED: Mom used to like to break up cornbread in buttermilk and eat it like a pudding out of a glass. Dad was appreciative of food, but I'm not remember his favorites. Dad liked to cook too and was famous for his chili and corned beef ...

FOOD & DRINK GRANDPA & GRANDMA LOVED: I guess you are talking about my grandparents ... I never knew any of my grandfathers. Mamaw (Mom's mother) like good old southern food, fried chicken, green beans, pecan pie ... and I really don't remember much about food and my dad's mother. I remember Dad saying when he was a kid his mother would get the kids up in the morning for school by opening the silverware drawer and making a huge racket shaking it back and forth. I don't think Gramps was very crazy about that alarm clock.

I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I HAD .... a smoothie that mom made with bananas, other fruit, a few nuts and orange juice ... really great

During a chat in 2002:

Becky: I remember Mom said you could have anything you want to eat. And I'll make each individual person whatever they want. I remember saying I wanted a TV dinner.

2002 Interview with George and Becky Waller

SIBLINGS
George Waller
Blake Waller
Bruce Waller

Profiles of the Waller - Warren Family Members
The Waller - Warren Family Cookbook