The Way My Mom Cooked

My mom cooked very basic American food. Actually, these days you might call it "Comfort Food" since some of her knock-out meals were Meatloaf, Sloppy Joes, Fried Chicken, Pork Chops with Apples, Beef Roast, Beef Stroganoff, Barbecued Ribs. Most nights she baked rolls, did gravy, had a great salad ready. Mmmm ... I can remember some amazing stuff. Strawberry Shortcake from scratch in early June. Peach Cobbler late August. And Apple Crisp in the fall, like I made tonight.

She grew up in Oklahoma, then Detroit, finally settling in Connecticut. She just knew how to make a great dinner and have it miraculously appear every night on the table around 6:00pm. You could count on it.

When my older brother went off to college and had to manage without her cooking, it was a tough row to hoe for him. When he'd drop back in for a visit, there was one refrain after every meal, "Do you have any idea how much this would cost in a restaurant?!?" and he was right, not only was my mom a great cook, but cooking saves a great deal of money. I was talking about that over here.

Anyway, I am so glad I learned so many recipes from my mom. It's something that will be passed down through my family and way beyond. Every now and then, when I forget the certain way she did her barbecue sauce from scratch or the yeasty cinnamon rolls she called "Saturday Treats", I call one of my sisters and they remind me. By the end of the phone call, we're all drooling remembering some of her best meals. Thanks, Mom.