My mom’s side of the family is one of traditions- backyard
volleyball, the deer hunt, Christmas Eve Bingo, camping and four
wheeling, birthday dinners on the first Sunday of each month- but
there’s one tradition that my family holds dear above all others, our
week at the lake during the summer. This tradition has been around as
long as I can remember, and as long as my mom can remember. One week
during every summer, the family plans a week where we all go camp at the
lake. When the tradition began, and up until a few years ago, that lake
was always Bear Lake. But, with low water levels, and a far distance to
travel, my grandma decided we’d try something new: Yuba. These past few
years have had intermittent Yuba trips, instead of Bear Lake, but it’s
all the same. My cousins and I still sleep in our tent, and wake up just
after dawn when the sun heats our tent like an oven. We walk along the
water and play in the sand until my aunts finish making a huge breakfast
of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and anything else they thought to
bring.
After eating, we start heading out on the boat. If the
water’s nice, the older cousins and the aunts and uncles will head out
to ski and wakeboard, but usually the water’s rough and my uncle hauls
anyone who’s daring enough around on the tube or our beloved Wavecutter.
The Wavecutter has been around since my mom was young. There used to
be two, one red and one yellow, which they’d pull together in the
vicious sport of Wavecutter wars, but the red one has since been
retired, and our yellow one is approaching retirement as well. After a
couple hours out on the water, my cousins and I come back to our mom’s
right where we left them- sitting on the edge of the water in the sun
watching the kids play. Grandma is waiting for us to come back, and
pulls out chips and salsa and stuff for sandwiches.
We play in
the water and boat again until dinner. Dinners are by far the best meals
of this trip. They’re especially delicious and needed after a day of
playing in the sun and water.
Nights are filled with fire,
stories, jokes and stargazing. Grandpa tells the best stories- some of
his childhood, some of things he made up about his childhood, that seem
to get better and better each time he tells them, including the story of
how he met my grandma in the seventh grade.
One afternoon of the
trip, we all tie-dye t-shirts, keeping them in bags until the next
morning when we get up and rinse them out. These shirts serve as mementos for each of our lake trips. This tradition of trips is
important to me and to my family because it brings us together, and
gives us opportunities to laugh and play together. I love these trips so
much, and my summer would never be complete without them and the
adventures they bring.
Sour Cream Twists
2 c. sour cream
4 T. shortening
2 T. sugar
½ t. salt
2 eggs, unbeaten
2 yeast cubes (packets)
6 c. flour
2/3 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Instructions:
Bring cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add shortening, sugar, and
salt. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast. When yeast is dissolved add 5 or 6
cups flour. Knead for a few minutes. Roll out on floured board. Cover
with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Fold in
half. Cut into strips 4 inches long. Twist and put on cookie sheet. Let
raise for 1 ½ hours. Bake a 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Frost.
Informant: Mary Jensen
Collector: Kristen Sommerville
Background and significance:
This
recipe comes from my great-grandmother, Mary Jensen. Born in Emery
County, Utah, she grew up in a poor community with a stern mother, and
many brothers and sisters. She was closest with her sister Jane; they
married a set of brothers, and stayed close throughout their lives. Mary
raised a family in Carbon County, Utah, and was very involved in the
lives of her grandchildren as they grew up. Mary and her sister, Jane,
both enjoyed baking and had many great recipes. My dad, his siblings and
his cousins have many fond memories of their favorite baked goods of
both Mary and Jane. Their favorite recipe of Jane’s is her homemade
brownie recipe, and their favorites of my grandma Mary’s were her
cinnamon rolls and sour cream twists. My dad recalls that every time he
visited his grandma’s house, she’d fill the bottom drawer of her kitchen
with delicious treats, including his favorite: sour cream twists. I
also have many fond memories of these treats. My great grandma enjoyed
teaching me how to bake when I was
young, and though she was
blind, she succeeded in teaching me to make her sour cream twists and
cinnamon rolls, from the recipes she had committed to memory. I remember
she would always feel the dough as we added the flour to see if it was
the right consistency yet, a skill she had developed throughout her
life, and tried to teach me to master.
As both my grandma
Mary and aunt June aged, and stopped baking, my aunt Kristen decided to
write down the recipes they had made so frequently, since there were no
written copies and they were only committed to their memories. My aunt
recorded the recipes by hand, and gave anyone who wanted a copy one.
