Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Come home, it’s suppertime

In these modern times we hear many political pundits, social experts and yay, disgruntled people telling us how to get back to the “good ‘ole days.” I don’t  know which of the “good ‘ole days” they’re referring to.  
It is my opinion that their image of those days is anytime other than the present. I wonder if they realize that one day down the road, they’ll be remembering fondly the times we are presently living in as those “good ‘ole days.”
Past history has taught us that time has air-brushed our memory to remove any disharmony or unpleasantness from what we think of as those hallowed times.  
I have my own idea of what would give America the calm, stable Norman Rockwell-ian country we envision it once was. And it’s a simple one, no talk of political controversy or religion. My vision is to bring the focus back to the family by returning to the practice of “Suppertime,” sitting down at the kitchen table together like we used to.
Jim Reeves sang it so poignantly in his recording of the classic “Suppertime” several years ago. It may bring a tear to your eye.
“Many years ago in days of childhood, I used to play ‘til the evening sun would come.
Then winding down that old familiar pathway, I heard my mother call at set of sun.
‘Come home, come home, it’s supper time.  The shadows lengthen fast. Come home, come home, it’s suppertime.’
We’re going home at last.”
I remember when suppertime was a set time of day when we would hear our mothers call us home to supper. We abandoned our play sometimes grudgingly but most often willingly because we would be starved thinking of the supper waiting for us. It may be only beans and cornbread, but we knew it would be a hot and satisfying meal.  And our mothers made sure that all of her nestlings were present and accounted for before she took her own place at the table.
For me, time has woven the realization that this was an important factor in giving us a sense  of  security and togetherness. As we ate, we talked, and sometimes our conversations reached a note of serious proportions, but mostly we left room for humorous disputes and poking fun at one another and rising to defend ourselves.  Everyone had a different point of view and was eager to expound upon it. If only that old kitchen table could talk.
Like my mother, I practiced the suppertime ritual with my own family when I got married. And my son and his wife are carrying on the same tradition with their family. It’s a large part in building a solid foundation that has and will serve us well for the rest of our lives.
At least, it’s a start.

I love corn pudding as a side dish for Thanksgiving.  This one is quite different and yummy.

Corn Pudding
Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine

Beat 4 ounces softened cream cheese, a 15-ounce can creamed corn, 3/4 cup thawed frozen corn, 1/2 cup cornmeal and 1/2 chopped onion. Stir in 2/3 cup milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 beaten egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, and salt and pepper. Spread in a buttered 1-quart casserole dish and bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.