Thanks For The Memories Mom

Memories are a sweet thing, and for me "food memories" are some of the best. I love creating recipes that I remember so fondly from my childhood. Mom was a cook of the times, much like other women who worked on limited budgets, dinner could be pretty mundane and plain. Meatloaf, hotdogs and beans, pot roast, roasted chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, jello salad, date bars ... everyone had their own recipes for the same foods. My mother however always looked for ways to change things a bit, especially after we moved to California, fresh vegetables instead of the canned versions began to cross our plates, and salads seemed to be at every meal. My favorites were always the homestyle stuff, her Italian sauce with spicy hot sausage was one I always looked forward to after it cooked slowly all day on the back of the stove, unfortunately I've never made one to rival hers though my sister Debi knew moms secrets and always made a good sauce. Meatloaf was never a favorite of mine because mom always tried to sneak veggies in that I didn't like, green peppers and onions ... eventually though I would eat it and actually loved leftover meatloaf sandwiches in my lunchbox the next day. Pot Roast with carrots, onions and browned potatoes was always amazing and again leftovers on white bread with yellow mustard always made me smile. Stuffed Cabbage with her twist of cooking in beef broth instead of tomato sauce was a family favorite, it seemed there was never enough for leftovers because we couldn't get enough. Swiss Steak her way (again no tomato sauce), beef and cauliflower, and a French favorite for breakfast, Corton (a homemade potted meat spread) that we so enjoyed spread on warm toast in the morning. I miss my mom, and I miss her cooking, thankfully I was observant enough to learn many of these recipes so I could share them with my own family. This morning I taught my daughter Morgan to make "mom's" stuffed cabbage, it was a great way to share something very special that I just know my mom would be thrilled about if she was still here with us. 
Thanks for the memories mom.