Thursday, March 22, 2007

What's For Dinner, Ma?

It is 3:07, and I had just signed off the computer. Fruitlessly, looking for something new in the knitting world to excite me. The kids had been put in room time, and I walked into the kitchen to begin the daily question of "WHAT AM I GOING TO FIX FOR DINNER?"

Now, if you have ever talked to me on the phone, and are female (yes, I know men cook too), then I have probably asked you in the beginning of the closing of the conversation: "What are YOU going to fix for dinner?" Why do I ask that? I think it is because I am a foodie at heart and I get bored with my own ideas and maybe you are having something scrumptious and I might ditch my idea and do a riff on your idea.

What I have in the house is limited. The freezer had no inspiration for me. I located some leftover chicken from the roast I had done earlier in the week and finally, I got it. Creamed chicken over rice. The creamed chicken will have caramelized onions, chunks of garlic, roux, thickened with chix stock and heavy cream. Plenty of salt and pepper. Finished with a little sherry. Fragrant, basmati rice. Peas or broccoli from the freezer with be my attempt at nutrition.

I thought of my mother. Mom was NOT a cook. We had no money to eat out, so she had to feed us with something. Here is the VERY limited list of what I remember her cooking:

1) Frozen cod poached (ahem, baked until it was like cardboard) in milk.
2) Spaghetti (from scratch, no onions, no peppers, I don't know what it had in it)
3) Liver and onions (the meal from hell)
4) Poppy Seed Chicken (actually, my favorite. I occasionally make it today)
5) Chipped Beef Gravy over toast (very salty)
6) Sausage Gravy and Biscuits (canned biscuits, no wonder I have bowel issues)
7) Poached Eggs over Collards (God save us)
8) Vienna sausages (What are those anyway?)
9) Hot Dogs (probably my favorite meal)
10) Frozen Burritos (my brother's favorite)
11) Mac and Chee (elbow mac layered with shredded cheese and filled to the rim with milk. Bake till set)

Makes me wonder what my kids will say about my food.

I was never hungry. I grew up VERY healthy. I have nothing to complain about. Thanx mom for feeding me.

4 comments:

Diana said...

Sounds like our thoughts on food were similar tonight. I made a chicken pot pie. I don't mind cooking but it's never having what I need on hand. I hate to grocery shop mainly because it's so expensive. I also lack ideas of what to fix too.

Vouray said...

Liver and onions! UUUUGGG!

IndigoMuse said...

Blech. Liver and onions. My mom used to make them because I was anemic. Makes me shudder just thinking about it. My mom made a lot of country food. Not real good for us but definite comfort food. And we too never went hungry and for that, I'm very grateful.

T

jody said...

Hi Cate! I think we have a lot in common-I live in B'burg and while I don't homeschool, my sister does with her 5 kids and a lot of my friends do, too-my daughter goes to a private Christian school and I have 3 kids and knit A LOT,too. It's fun to find out there are other Stay at Home Mom's muddling thru the day with the ineveitable task of Preparing Dinner looming before them!! At leaset I know I'm not alone!!