Tastes of Tradition
By Sandy Williams
While serving as her family historian, Sandy Williams discovered a treasure box of the handwritten recipes – writings she immediately recognized as her mother’s and grandmother’s. Having her own granddaughter now, the cherished recipes made her realize it’s not only enjoyable to have a recipe that brings back the memories of yesteryear, but by sharing grandma’s recipe with her own granddaughter, they can create new memories and a deeper sense of connection that we will both cherish and appreciate for years to come.
“Tastes of Tradition” is a column that will share some favorite childhood memories and recipes from the table of Sandy’s family – to yours. If you are lucky enough to have parents or elders in your family, Sandy encourages you to take the time to sit and listen to their stories. Recipes are beautiful reminders of traditions, familiar smells and memories we can all forever cherish. And if you have a recipe, please let us know at Unconditionally Her. We would LOVE the opportunity to feature your memories along with Sandy’s.
Dolly Parton’s Dirt Road Martini: A Toast to a Beautiful Legacy
Raise a glass to Dolly Parton with her Dirt Road Martini, a wonderfully Southern blend of vodka, iced tea and savory giardiniera brine.
Coconut Layer Cake
Low Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe (A Family Tradition)
A cherished spring tradition, this simple strawberry freezer jam recipe has been passed down through generations—made even sweeter this year by an 82-year-old mother and her daughter using perfectly ripe, local strawberries.
Mama Spivey's Cornbread
This traditional cornbread recipe began in the 1940s when families grew and ground their own corn. A simple Southern staple, passed from one generation to the next.
Taste of Traditions: Grandma Myrt’s Pink Salad
A sweet, nostalgic family favorite passed down through generations, Grandma Myrt’s Pink Salad blurs the line between dessert and tradition. This unapologetically pink dish is less about rules and more about love, memory, and savoring life slowly — preferably with a small spoon and people you adore.