Listen to Your Mother!

My mother always believed that you were interested in her opinion and wanted her advice, whether you asked for it or not. In fact, I believe she thought you needed her help the most if you didn’t ask for it. I didn’t appreciate how willingly she shared her opinions until I was looking through my recipe book and found some pages – not mere note cards – but pages in her handwriting.

Under the Mom’s (Getting to be) Famous Chicken Salad her notes include instructions to wait until the cooked chicken breasts fully cool – it cuts better cool. And always use Miracle Whip – two heaping soup spoons full for four chicken breasts. She also notes “It’s how Mother (my Grammie) used to do it.”

The Four Hour Stew recipes includes cooking in a 9 x 13 Pyrex pan. Don’t add salt because V8 is salty (from before low sodium V8) – “you and I would salt it at the table.” It Cooks at 250 for 4 hours. “In a hurry? Do 350 for 2 hours – it is much much better cooking slower. The secret is during cooking – DO NOT OPEN OVEN OR TAKE LID OR FOIL OFF THE PAN!!! Trust me, it will get done on schedule!”

Her crumb top apple pie recipe includes instructions to only use Grannie Smith apples and Pet Ritz 9inch deep dish pie crusts. Use a pastry cutter to mix up the crumb topping and “If you don’t have an apple peeler, invest in one! It’s such a Time saver. Peels and cores in one operation.

So, even though she’s been physically gone for over three years, she’s still giving advice…I kind of wish I hadn’t written down some of her recipes myself so I would have more of her notes…..