March 27, 2009
By Rebecca Gladden
A quote attributed to Beethoven asserts that "only the pure of heart can make good soup."
If that's true, then Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s grandma - Mamaw, as he calls her - must have a very pure heart.
Her special vegetable soup, a recipe called, "Monday Night Soup," is not only one of her favorites, but one of Dale Jr.'s as well, and an Earnhardt family tradition for Monday night supper. "I made some of that soup one time," she recalls, "and Dale Jr. said, 'Mamaw, this is so good! I have to take some of this home to my buddies.'" So she packaged up the soup - made with hamburger, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, okra, corn and baby lima beans - and sent it home with Junior to share with his friends.
'Mamaw's' homemade soup is just one of hundreds of treasured family recipes in the book, "Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen - Two Moms of Racing Legends Serve Up Stories & Recipes," by Martha Earnhardt and Carol Gordon Bickford.
Martha, of course, is Dale Earnhardt's mother (Junior's grandma), and Carol is Jeff Gordon's mom. I recently spoke with both ladies about the book, as well as their famous offspring.
But make no mistake - this is not just another cookbook.
While it's packed full of scrumptious, family-friendly recipes, some dating back generations, it's equally a collection of intimate family stories and photos offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at the home lives of two of NASCAR's most celebrated drivers.
"People come up to me at cookbook signings and are very happy when they read the stories," said Carol. "I think that the stories are a very big part of the cookbook - a bigger part than the actual recipes are."
Accompanying the stories and recipes are many cherished photos that make you feel like you're flipping through each family's personal photo albums. There's a photo of young mom Carol holding Jeff as a baby and feeding him a bottle, and another of Martha with … President George H.W. Bush?
"Yes, that's him. That was when they inducted my husband (Ralph) into the Hall of Fame in Talladega, and the President was there," she told me. "He was a really nice man and I enjoyed meeting him."
While the stories and photos could easily make a stand-alone book, the recipes in the collection are just as enticing and represent various members of both drivers' extended families. The book's introduction notes that while Martha is a traditional southern cook ("homemade biscuits at every meal"), Carol is a California cook with "a strong affection for artichokes and fresh mushrooms." The result is an eclectic collection of mouth-watering recipes that offer something for every appetite.
Along with Martha's famous Monday Night Soup, there's Jeff Gordon's favorite - his mom's lasagna, made with Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, and her no-longer-secret ingredient - sour cream. You'll find Martha's Homemade Biscuits, Carol's Gorgeous Grape Salad, and delectable desserts like Banana Split Cake, Fresh Fruit Cobbler, and Double-Layer Chocolate Pie.
Each recipe is marked with an "M" for Martha or a "C" for Carol, and includes a personal note - like the one accompanying the Banana Split Cake. "It really does taste like a banana split," Martha wrote. "Dale and (brother) Danny always managed to get extra helpings when this was around."
Jeff and Dale Jr. each wrote a forward for the book, and it's obvious how proud they are of their mom and grandma. Jeff writes that Carol is "an amazing person" and a great cook, while Dale Jr. describes Martha as "the glue that holds our whole deal together."
The ladies confirmed that both drivers received a copy of the book, and Martha even autographed one for Junior.
"I personalized a book for him, but I really don't know if he read it or not," she laughed.
And she's not the only one signing cookbooks.
"Jeff called me from Daytona before I got down there," said Carol. "He said, 'Hey, mom, I've signed a lot of those cookbooks!' I think he was really proud of it."
Both ladies told me how much they enjoyed working together and getting to know each other better. Though they had seen one another in NASCAR circles for years, collaborating on the book allowed them to develop a deeper friendship.
"I just enjoyed being with Carol and getting to know her better," said Martha.
"We had a lot of fun hearing each other's stories," added Carol. "Martha is a very special lady."
Along with promoting the book, Martha, now age 78, is working hard to recuperate from a broken leg - visiting the doctor and attending physical therapy.
"My cat got under my feet and I got tangled up with the cat and I broke my leg," she explained. "I'm doing a little bit better. I took the brace off and I'm getting around a little better now. It's uncomfortable, but not a whole lot of pain. I'm getting better, but it just takes a while."
Martha told me that "as far as looks go, I think Dale Jr. looks more like his mother's side of the family," adding that she sometimes sees similarities between her son and grandson behind the wheel.
But, as the mother and grandmother of famous racecar drivers, was she ever tempted to offer them driving advice?
"Oh, no," she said. "But, you know how kids are. Once you get my age, they think they know more than you do. It sort of reverts back to you being the child and they're the grownup."
Martha has lived in the Earnhardt family home for more than 50 years, although Dale Sr. used to try to convince her to move into a new house. Martha says she thought about moving, but it was a young Dale Jr. who talked her out of it.
"He said, 'Mamaw', you can't sell this house! This is what holds our family together.'"
The Earnhardts still have holiday gatherings there, including Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner every year. "For Thanksgiving, I do the turkey and everybody brings a dish," she said, adding that she prefers to cook her turkey without stuffing.
Meanwhile, Carol, now a grandmother of five, is enjoying watching her own grandchildren grow up, including Jeff and Ingrid's daughter Ella, whom Carol tries to visit as much as possible, often at the racetrack.
Does anything about Ella remind her of Jeff at that age?
"Everything!" Carol said. "It's amazing. Her looks, the color of her hair, her mouth, her eyes - everything. I didn't see it at a few months old, but as she got to be seven or eight months old, that's when it really started to come out."
As the mother of one of the world's most recognizable athletes, Carol says she sees a different side of her son than most NASCAR fans see.
"Most of the people who see him, see him in a different environment than when he is with his family. But I think it's that way with anyone who is any kind of celebrity. I think that Jeff is true to who he is. He's a wonderful husband, a wonderful son, and a wonderful dad."
Whether you're craving a hot breakfast, a hearty casserole, or a heartwarming story about two legendary racing families, "Pit Stop in a Southern Kitchen" is sure to satisfy.
And if you want to know more about the time Ralph Earnhardt haunted Martha's kitchen, or the connection between Carol Bickford and Elvis Presley … you'll have to buy the book.
You can contact Rebecca at.. Insider Racing News
You Can Read Other Articles By Rebecca
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
