Comfort Food. Remembering Mom.
Growing up in my family taught me a lot. My parents were older than other kids in my neighborhood and school. My older siblings turned 17 and 15 the year I came into the family. I was just 3 days old when I arrived in their home and Mom loved to tell the story about me sleeping in a laundry basket until they could get a crib. I grew up with parents who were little kids when the stock market crashed in 1929. They lived through the Great Depression and World War II.
Mom cooked and baked from scratch. She made her own jams and jellies and canned vegetables. When the family got a shiny new modern appliance it was usually years after it was popular. My Dad didn’t believe in cable. “Why should I pay for something when we have 8 perfectly good channels to watch for free!” To say the man was frugal is an understatement. But my younger sister (they had her 2 years after fostering me) and I never went with out food, clothing or a roof over our heads. We also didn’t get the regular things other girls our age got but life was good. There’s not such thing as perfect childhood. Every family has issues at times.
But my Mom’s macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and Green Giant green beans the perfect meal for me. It was and still is my favorite comfort meal. While I created my own version of macaroni and cheese after years of feeding my own kiddos, there are times when I make it exactly the way Mom did. She used American cheese, evaporated milk, salt and pepper. Simple, easy to whip up and so darn delicious. When I make Mom’s version I use this Pink Daisy Pyrex casserole dish that she got back in 1962. It was my Mom’s and now it’s part of my Pyrex collection. Too the chagrin of many collectors, I actually use my Pyrex. Taking up space and collecting dust doesn’t work for me if it’s a kitchen item.
Dad and mom 1943. They were teenagers, just 19 and 18. dad was off to serve in the navy while mom worked in a sewing factory back home in pennsylvania.
mom had 3 sisters and all of their husbands served. my uncle was a prisoner of war in Italy while serving in the army. he never talked about his time there. thankfully, they all came home. the same thing can be said for my dad. He was 4th of nine kids: 6 brothers, 3 sisters. everyone came home from the war.
My latest version of mac n’ cheese uses American and Monterey Jack cheeses, shell pasta, a mix of evaporated milk and cream all topped with buttered bread crumbs. The bread crumbs are a mood thing. Since adding Monterey Jack to the recipe, we enjoy the browned goodness of the cheese.
My oldest son makes it with Gruyère, American and white cheddar. My daughter-in-law makes a roux based cheese sauce that she pours over the pasta using American and yellow cheddar cheeses and my middle son loves it but like me, he also gets a craving for his Grandmom’s version.
Mom gave me an incredible gift when she taught me to cook and bake.
When I’m missing her the most, I just whip up one of her family famous dishes and remind myself to be thankful for the 92 years she graced this planet. She went home to be with the Lord back in 2017 and a day doesn’t go by without thoughts of her.
