Thanks, Mom!

(She'd put chopped fruit in it like browning apples (or did they brown in the jello?)). She made great butterscotch.

We weren't big fans, to say the least.

Last edited Tue Oct 1, 2024, 03:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Bran in burgers. Oatmeal in chocolate cake. Fruit in jello. We were lucky she cared so much for our health.

Think brown sugar fudge with nuts - the best ever!!!

She was a genius with her Singer sewing machine.

Even if she doesn't like pineapple and refused to place the ingredient crushed pineapple into her version of Watergate Salad.


All the same, it was still delicious. 🤤

I have her recipe but it it never comes out as good as I remember.

My mom was not the cook in the family; my dad was.

One time, when mom was babysitting our kids, she needed to come up with dinner.

She opened the fridge and looked for something to make dinner. All she found was some leftover hotdogs and mashed potatoes.

She tossed in chopped-up hotdogs and all the leftover mashed potatoes in one frying pan. Stir and brown.
In that one act of desperation.... She created a family tradition that her grandchildren and now great-grandchildren call.....Gramma's Hotdog Hash

My mom worked, she could not cook. When she tried it was awful. Chicken Al La king with skim milk is gross, pork chops on an electric skillet, awful, meatloaf was almost edible. She would roast about 4 chickens a week. We ate chicken with frozen vegetables like it was our job. Occasionally a boiled hot dog or hamburgers cooked in the black iron skillet but the house would smell of burnt hamburger for days. We were happy when hamburger helper went on sale.

It was either that or fish sticks on a hot dog roll. Friday was his night to cook.

Apparently they didn't have decent pizza in West Chester, PA at that time. He'd always get Shakey's. Shakey's isn't around any more, but I'm always on the lookout for a copy cat recipe that works. Haven't found it yet though

I haven't perfected any of the 3 (although I'm close on the mac/cheese). She and my gmom didn't really use recipes.

Truth: mom was a great cook.

She'd have four crepe pans going at once to make the wrappers. And they always turned out perfect. Then she'd fill them with a farmer cheese mixture and make little rectangular packets of them and fry in butter. Heaven.

I normally don’t like absolutes when it comes to food - put whatever toppings you want on your pizza - but it must be bread stuffing, in my opinion.

her stuffing is the best

Also macaroni salad, meatloaf, pumpkin pies, pie crust, cream puffs.

Crocheted afghans, perfectly, evenly stitched. New mothers in our extended family and among her friends always got a baby afghan as a present. Knitted colorful mittens for children, connected with a strand of yarn so we wouldn't lose one.

Music. She did not write it or play an instrument, but she sang while cooking, doing laundry, etc., from Gershwin show tunes to holiday songs like Santa Lucia. She had a strong soprano voice and sang for people's weddings and for local benefit concerts as well as in the church choir.

the extent of her good qualities. I had my share of arguments and disagreements with her when I was growing up. But when I look back on those times and realize what it was like in her generation to be a woman, wife, and mother, I see that she did more than I used to credit her with.

Wayback in the 1960s my mom would cook chicken Cordon Bleu, Curried Shrimp, and lots of casseroles.
Playmates would stay for dinner and were always surprised with something that they had never heard of that was totally delicious.

EVERYTHING she made was from scratch. Pasta, cakes, gravies, sauces, you name it. I had the best food ever!

Beef stew

Sausage gravy and homemade biscuits

She made all of our nightgowns with matching caps for our long hair and many of our dresses and skirts.

We only had it around the holidays, but damn was it good!

Plain, old white bread made in bread pans.

On Sunday mornings, our mom would get up extra early and make croissants so that they could rise while we went to mass. She’d pop them in the oven once we got home. She put a light glaze on them and they would just melt in your mouth, so buttery and light. Just a special treat for all us fasting so we could receive communion. After church it was reading the Sunday funny pages and eating croissants, a perfect Sunday morning!

hahaha!

Actually she made the best flour tortillas......and her mom made the most amazing corn tortillas, totally from scratch....I mean she milled the corn herself to make the masa.

It was the best. I cannot duplicate it no matter how many times I try. She didn’t measure her ingredients, she just knew how much. My dressing is edible but not that great.

with toasted meringue on top.

She's been gone for many years, but I still have the recipe.

My family is fortunate to still have her with us. She is 88 and still makes the dressing every Thanksgiving. It is the absolute best!

And, the gene that her mother had for confections missed her. However, she could do one thing correctly.

Lemon squares! Hers were the best.