OK, so why didn’t I realize before that when you clicked on a recipe online you don’t have to read or scroll through the little book that tells the who, what, when where and why of the recipe? There’s an icon with jump to recipe. This is where I roll my eyes and smack my head. Really? I don’t mind reading the little book beforehand, it’s just that when I open it, I’m ready to get to it and don’t have time. When I’m at my leisure, I will open it up and read about why it’s so great and all the interesting aspects about the recipe but usually I forget and I’m not really in the mood. I don’t care about where the recipe came from or what cheese ‘kicks it straight up into gourmet territory.’
Sometimes I go straight to one of my many church cookbooks. Wow, can you find some comfort food there! Most are pretty easy and straight to the recipe. If it’s too complicated or I don’t recognize the ingredients I move on. If you can’t find it at Walmart or Food City, then forget it. You can’t go wrong with casseroles with ritz cracker toppings. I know Ritz crackers are probably not the best for you but when you crumble them up with melted butter? That’s just blue-ribbon worthy!
I have my own book of collected recipes. Some are of Grandma Lessie’s in her own handwriting. I will treasure those always. One of my boy’s favorite dishes growing up was my chicken and rice casserole. My oldest, Adam, is a very picky eater but he loved that casserole and his wife, Tif, still makes it for him, probably better than I did. He always notices if you change any ingredients. For example, one time I used broccoli flavored Rice-A-Roni instead of chicken flavor. He said, “Mom, what did you do to this casserole?”
I find that as I get older, I get a little more creative and with the internet, possibilities are endless. My daughter-in-law Catherine, Sam’s wife, is also a good cook and she inspires me to get more creative. Our granddaughter Evie’s tastes change often, so Catherine is very inventive with all types of food. It’s so fun to watch Evie eat. She loves my homemade granola and always says, “More?” She gets excited with sprinkles on her food, which are just chia seeds. Ha-ha! Theodore, our grandson, is very picky, just like his daddy. When he was little he would dip his fingers in honey mustard and eat the chicken nuggets later. He didn’t mind if they were cold. Now he eats them dry but still doesn’t mind if they’re cold. When he spends the night, he absolutely loves my French toast in the morning.
Today is my husband’s birthday. Yesterday he requested a rum cake. I found a recipe online and didn’t realize until I put it in the oven that it didn’t call for nuts. I forgot! I hope it tastes OK without the nuts. I like to tell the story about telling Kenny (not long after I met him) that I would bake him a birthday cake. I asked what kind he liked and he said, “German Chocolate.” He was turning 25 and I was still 18 and didn’t know my way around the kitchen yet. I went home and said, “Mom, I need you to make a cake.” I never told him I didn’t bake it. He asked me out on a date not long afterward, so my plan worked. I know I’m not the best cook but you’d never know with Kenny. He loves everything I fix, bless his heart.
I’ve learned to can a lot of stuff since we’ve had a garden the last couple of years. We had cucumbers out the wazoo in the summer of 2021 so I canned a lot of Kenny’s favorite pickles. My grandma Lessie used to make them and they’re called Virginia Chunk Pickles. They’re very sweet and I’m not a fan but Kenny could eat a whole jar of them, especially with hot dogs. Last year’s crop was not as abundant, and the pickles weren’t the best for canning. I called them shorty-fatties. Skinny pickles can better. I also canned a lot of tomato sauce with roasted cherry tomatoes and also apples from our apple trees. I love my little herb garden too. There’s nothing better than fresh dill, basil, and parsley.
Well, I’m hungry now. I better go fix some lunch.
Karen G. Bruce 