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Recipes for life
By JANET K. KEELER © St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001
"Before I got married, I was determined to get her recipes. Her quantities were "a little of this' and "a little of that.' I spent time in her kitchen taking notes, desperately trying to be accurate," Judy D. Ludin of Largo writes. Pen and paper were futile. To cook like Mom, who also lives in Largo, Ludin had to "relax, have fun, throw caution to the wind." Not bad advice for living, either. To this day, Ludin replicates the meals she grew up with. Ludin's kitchen classroom experiences are common to many of the 150 readers who wrote to the St. Petersburg Times to share their mothers' best cooking advice in honor of Mother's Day, which is Sunday. They say their mothers were talking about cooking, but it sure seems like they were trying to pass along something greater. For instance, Jane Kelly of Brandon shares some motherly advice that surely is more about seizing the moment than getting food on the table. "If you're cooking dinner and your husband comes up behind you and nuzzles your neck, turn off the stove. He's not that hungry anyway," Kelly writes. She promises that is a direct quote from her mother, Kate Kelly, who will be 90 this July. The value of family was a common thread in many of the submissions we received. Mary Ann Weaver's mother, Edythe Mizereck, passed on Southern and Polish dishes she learned from her mother and mother-in-law. Weaver mastered those recipes and is now making them for Mom in the home they share in St. Petersburg. Sally Scholderer's fourth-grade students at Garrison-Jones Elementary School in Palm Harbor wrote about their mothers' cooking acumen. Many of them are starting their cooking lessons with macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, chocolate chip cookies, grilled cheese sandwiches and brownies. Brandon Richie knows to check the sugar cookies every two minutes so they don't burn, and Emily Linz is mastering biscotti baking. No fewer than 10 women said that their mothers' best advice was, "If you can read, you can cook," another way of saying use your noodle. "When I was a young bride-to-be, someone asked my mother if I knew how to cook," writes Marianne Ellis Bradley of Palm Harbor. "My mother's reply was "No, but she knows how to read.' I have followed that advice in the kitchen ever since. If I have any questions I go straight to that great reference book The Joy of Cooking and I find the answer to almost any question." For some homemakers of yesteryear, appearances were everything and a husband who returned home from work to a table set with silverware, napkins and plates was a happy husband. ". . . Always set the table first," is what Betty Schreyer's mother told her. "That way it looks as though something is going to happen, even though you haven't begun to prepare dinner yet! "I remember dashing in with my hat and white gloves still on to set the table before my husband came home from work," writes the Dunedin woman. Several readers said their mothers offered the same advice. It's not exactly about cooking, but it may have been helpful in smoothing the bumps of marital relations. Here, in their own words, are our favorite submissions. Thanks, moms, and Happy Mother's Day.
* * *Kiss the cook
As I grew from child to teenager, I realized winning the bay leaf wasn't a game of chance. It was a planned act of love. Mom used the bay leaf to give affection to a reluctant teenage son, or to cheer a sad daughter. A rough afternoon at the office made Dad the winner. Whatever disappointment the day held, finding the bay leaf made life better. I learned a lot about spaghetti sauce from my mom. It's easy, economical, and tastes better on the second day. But, the best advice Mom gave me was to serve spaghetti with a big hug and a noisy kiss. Karen Favo Walsh St. Petersburg * * *Keep it light
Sharon Sanders Zephyrhills * * *Don't sweat it
Back in the 1950s, roasting a turkey was always an immense undertaking involving getting up at 4 a.m., covering the turkey with cheesecloth and basting it at intervals. I fretted over this for days while my mom calmly listened. Finally, she advised "Treat it like you're cooking a big chicken." She's been gone for years but every time I want to try a new recipe, I always remembers "cook it like a big chicken." Billie Maro St. Petersburg * * *One bad apple
Barbara Smoak Smith Palm Harbor * * *How to feed the neighbors
Earlene Spence Brooksville * * *All together now
She had numbered and clocked instructions for each of us based on our age and level of skill. The simplest jobs such as table setting went to the youngest, potato peeling to the middle ones and simple recipes were assigned to the older ones. Over our high school years, the sons as well as the daughter were taught to organize and prepare a full meal, which we were also allowed to prepare for friends. Tim Reilly St. Petersburg * * *Family is No. 1
Lisa F. Smith St. Petersburg * * *The observant cooks
Florance Hooper Gulfport * * *No guilt trip
Eleanor Salinger New Port Richey * * *Waste not, want not
If you allow for a ham in your budget, then the first night it is, indeed, ham complete with pineapple and potato salad. The second night, it becomes a ham casserole with au gratin potatoes and broccoli. It reappears a third time diced up in a chef's salad with Swiss cheese and turkey added. What remains gets ground up for minced ham salad. And that bone, plus navy beans soaked overnight and onion, is the beginning of soup. The same thinking holds whether you start with a turkey or a sirloin tip roast. And I let that thinking guide me as I grocery-shop. Susan Bedore Clearwater
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times Taste section From the features wire |
The secret to Mom's homemade spaghetti sauce was five bay leaves. Immediately before serving, she removed four of the leaves. Grace was said, and everyone dived into generous portions of pasta. In seconds, someone exclaimed, "I found the leaf!" It was like winning the lottery. The prize? The winner received a big hug and a noisy kiss from Mom.
Things my mother taught me about cooking:
The first year I was married, I invited relatives for Thanksgiving.
There was always a pound cake in the center of the kitchen table. A pound cake made with five eggs. A most delicious pound cake that kept the boys I dated coming back to my house for a slice topped with ice cream! Mother's advice was to break each egg in a separate dish so in case an egg was rotten you wouldn't mess up the rest of the batter. I still do it today and have passed the knowledge to my daughter. The sound of Mother's voice remains in our hearts with every cake we make!
Growing up on a farm in Illinois where the "Welcome" mat was always out was an education in itself. It seemed the company always arrived just in time to eat with us. When I was old enough to realize food didn't just appear, she shared her secret. Applesauce, Jell-O salad and cottage cheese she used as fillers, and she passed them first and followed that with potatoes and vegetables. She would pass the meat last and trust her guests would be happy with a smaller portion. This has blessed my life.
Before the era of paint-by-number kits and refrigerator magnets, our mother of four sons and one daughter taught us all to cook "by the numbers" taped on the refrigerator. We checked there first thing after coming home from school.
My wise mother cooked like a dream. She believed an artfully prepared, mouth-watering meal today would create tomorrow's warm memory. "Always cook for family as if they were visiting dignitaries," she'd say. "Over a table of well-planned, healthy food, you will find treasures. Money cannot buy the conversations, shared feelings, laughter or caring that comes with a plate of food." This was the best cooking advice my mother ever gave me.
My mother was a great cook. We five children grew up helping her and our grandmother cook. Mom's greatest advice was "Watch grandmother and listen to her about cooking." The children in the family were included when food was prepared. They helped with washing fruits and vegetables; helped to measure and add ingredients. We learned with tiny hands the art and fun of cooking. My daughter taught gourmet cooking classes. My son cooks for his family. Their advice to their children is "help grandmother cook." Cooking and eating good food can run in the family.
Mamma said "Keep all your leftovers 'til they turn green. Then you can throw them away with a clear conscience."
Back in 1956, I complained to my mom about the cost of feeding my new husband, and she replied that the problem was that I had not lived through the Depression. She explained, in words that guide me still, that one item had to account for more than one meal.
