Saturday, April 30, 2011

A Gift from My Mother - Meal Memories

Mother's days is next week. You know that.
Did you know my daughter is expecting a gift?
She asked for a red rose.
We shall see.

But, I see her point.
Mother's Day is a time to be grateful  to ones who made you a mother.
A gift from the mother is legitimate.
I'm not asking for a gift from my mother, though.
I'm gonna tell you about gifts my mother has given me.
Familiar food.

My mom has never liked cooking fancy food.
She made familiar food.
We had routine.
(& we ate together at the table.)

There is something really comforting about having "regulars" in the menu.
And there is the memory making aspect of the regulars, too.
You know,
"my mom always made really great pizza, or chili, or stroganoff, or whatever."

I lean toward trying to cook different stuff.
My standard way is to try the new recipes in the latest magazine.
And I don't have a good recipe organizing system.
Sometimes Scott & I will reminisce about how good some dish was.
But, I never make it again, cuz I don't know where I got the recipe.

I sometimes don't think to cook a "regular" until I feel really stressed or busy.
The good news is, that happens more & more often now days.
So, we are getting some regulars around here.

Hainanese Chicken
Minestrone
Salty Herby Grilled Chicken
Pizza (learned from Mom & big sister & brother)

And now a fairly new, but major favorite is Chicken in Creamed Coconut Sauce.
Ever kid likes it.
And the mommy & daddy LOVE it.

I first had this when my little sis Anna made it.
It is SO good.  I add extra chicken broth to make it soupier.
I add potatoes, too.
Sometimes I add green beans.
Or I serve it with sauteed greens.

Try it.  

Do you have family regulars?  Share with us.

4 comments:

Nicola said...

Hey Erin, I remember having fondue at your house a lot on Wendnesdays when we would have piano lessons and then we would head off to AWANAS. My family as Friday night pizza, though most people don't have bear sausage on it. We also have popcorn every Sunday evening, which the girls look forward to all week. And I try to have tacos once a week. My husband is the kind of guy who like good home cooking, but I try to do it in a more healthy way.

Stef said...

I think I cook like your Mom :)
I love the fancier, newer tasting foods and with I could be a bit more "inventive" with my cooking, but I genuinely find comfort in the types of food we eat. I like that it doesn't consume my time all day and long and I love that our kids eat it heartily. Maybe someday I'll branch out.

I love the look of your banner!!

Moments and Impressions said...

This sounds tasty... and I bought a can of coconut milk the other day on a whim... dinner? yes please. Thanks for sharing.

Charlotte said...

That recipe sounds really yummy! I really want to try it. I am kind of between you and your mom with my cooking....I love experimenting with different dishes, but I do have my favorites I like to fall back with on a busy day.