There are few dishes I crave more around Christmas-time than Grandma Eldredge's holiday cheese loaf. For me, Grandma's cheese loaf is the greatest symbol of my youthful Christmas Eves.
I remember one year, I happened to be in Grandma's kitchen when the cheese loaf was being created. I was curious about how it was mad
e and Grandma was more than willing to teach me. As she cut the crust off the first unsliced bakery loaf and sliced it three times long-ways, she asked me to stir the diced pickles into the ham mixture. She had already prepared the egg salad and the chicken salad mixtures and had set them in the fridge to chill. The step that intrigued me most was the final pouring of cheese sauce over each stacked loaf. After mixing graded cheese with a bottle of Cheeze Wiz in a pot over low heat, Grandma expertly spread each of the three sandwich mixtures on the stacked slices and prepared to pour. I remember he
r lean, sturdy hands holding the handle of the pot and pouring the orange sauce over each tall loaf. These were the same hands that would later clean up after everyone had had their fill..the same hands that occasionally tied a scarf on my head when there appeared to be a cold breeze outside (she was seemingly unaware that boys shouldn't wear scarfs)...unpretentious hands that commanded little attention but constantly moving to serve others and always at the center of hard work. Having completed the final step, we carried the five or six loaves into her pantry. She explained that the cooler temperature in there would help the loaves become firm and ready before the family arrived.
I was there when she sliced the first piece that evening. A perfect portion of holiday cheer, a wedge of Grandma's kitchen, a sliver of Grandma herself. Many years la
ter, I attempted to recreate this famous holiday cheese loaf my wife and kids had heard so much about. The reception was less than thrilling. It didn't take me long to realize that Grandma's holiday cheese loaf was only a small part of the magic. The greater part was that slight, apron-clad
woman who had shared a special recipe with her grandson one morning. Although she has now been gone for ten years, I still see her moving about her kitchen, laughing at others' jokes, exclaiming, "Oh grab!" or "Good night!", always serving, always fixing food, always cleaning up.
I am looking forward to another attempt at making Grandma's cheese loaf this holiday season and will honor her memory as I stir in the pickles and pour the cheese sauce...and as I cut the first slice, I know I will miss those hands and the Grandma I love so much.
.I remember one year, I happened to be in Grandma's kitchen when the cheese loaf was being created. I was curious about how it was mad
e and Grandma was more than willing to teach me. As she cut the crust off the first unsliced bakery loaf and sliced it three times long-ways, she asked me to stir the diced pickles into the ham mixture. She had already prepared the egg salad and the chicken salad mixtures and had set them in the fridge to chill. The step that intrigued me most was the final pouring of cheese sauce over each stacked loaf. After mixing graded cheese with a bottle of Cheeze Wiz in a pot over low heat, Grandma expertly spread each of the three sandwich mixtures on the stacked slices and prepared to pour. I remember he
r lean, sturdy hands holding the handle of the pot and pouring the orange sauce over each tall loaf. These were the same hands that would later clean up after everyone had had their fill..the same hands that occasionally tied a scarf on my head when there appeared to be a cold breeze outside (she was seemingly unaware that boys shouldn't wear scarfs)...unpretentious hands that commanded little attention but constantly moving to serve others and always at the center of hard work. Having completed the final step, we carried the five or six loaves into her pantry. She explained that the cooler temperature in there would help the loaves become firm and ready before the family arrived.I was there when she sliced the first piece that evening. A perfect portion of holiday cheer, a wedge of Grandma's kitchen, a sliver of Grandma herself. Many years la
ter, I attempted to recreate this famous holiday cheese loaf my wife and kids had heard so much about. The reception was less than thrilling. It didn't take me long to realize that Grandma's holiday cheese loaf was only a small part of the magic. The greater part was that slight, apron-clad
woman who had shared a special recipe with her grandson one morning. Although she has now been gone for ten years, I still see her moving about her kitchen, laughing at others' jokes, exclaiming, "Oh grab!" or "Good night!", always serving, always fixing food, always cleaning up.I am looking forward to another attempt at making Grandma's cheese loaf this holiday season and will honor her memory as I stir in the pickles and pour the cheese sauce...and as I cut the first slice, I know I will miss those hands and the Grandma I love so much.
Christmas Eve Cheese Loaf
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1 - Make three different sandwich spreads (recommended: egg salad, chicken salad, ham & pickle)
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2 - Make cheese sauce (add 1/2 can evaporated milk, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 cup graded cheese and 1 bottle of cheese whiz - bring to boil, cool until "right" pouring consistency)
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3 - Cut unsliced bakery bread into four pieces (long ways). Spread each of the three fillings and stack bread while cheese sauce is cooling. Pour cheese sauce completely covering the loaf. Let stand in cool place to firm up, then serve.
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Grandma taught me this tricky dish, but we used velveeta cheese! The difficult part is not letting the horizontal layers slide, and I've used everything from skewers to butcher knives to hold this loaf straight! Love Val
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