I learned her recipes quickly and started making dinner for my family. My dad and sister liked my cooking better than my mom's and my mom was quick to take advantage of that. When my mom cooked, she would always label it "Emily's sauce" or "Emily's Meatballs". I guess she thought they would just eat it anyway once they heated it up and figured out that they'd been duped. Fortunately, I was never fooled.
My mom's theory when cooking was to multi-task. She was known to put a whole pound of frozen meat (frozen because she didn't have the time to buy fresh) put it in a frying pan and walk away, coming back periodically to break it apart so it could defrost better. If you know anything abut meat, you know this could not end well. When the meat couldn't be browned into crumbles she would defrost it in the microwave and inevitably cook all the edges. I'm pretty sure she used those edges in the meatballs or whatever she was making along with everything else.
I don't want you to misunderstand my mom's cooking though. She was a good cook, she just had her specialties. She is famous in my family for poultry. She makes the best turkey, always moist and never cold by the time it gets to the table. The problem with her cooking is she often didn't have the time and or the patience.
My grandma and my mom have both helped to shape the cook I am now. Whether it was teaching me how to make amazing meatballs or the wrong way to defrost meat, I wouldn't be the cook I am now without them and I am grateful.
1 comment:
loved reading this post! :)
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