Mmmm, mmmm good!

My mom was not known for her cooking.  Not that she was a bad cook, it was just something she really didn't enjoy doing and when she actually did it, it was with little imagination.

When my parents divorced I was 11 years old.  It was pretty much just me and my mom from then on
- and since she worked until 7:30 in the evening I had to fend for myself.  I lived on things like Beef-a-roni, Swanson's chicken and noodles TV dinners, mac 'n cheese, pot pies, and the occasional steak I would throw in the broiler.  Oh, and Velveeta cheese sandwiches.  Loved those!  Every once in a while my mom would call home and have me put a pot roast on or have me make spaghetti sauce and we would eat late when she got home.

Needless to say my cooking skills never fully developed either, and as much as I try now - I cannot manage to imagine anything new to eat - even when I scour the Internet for recipes it usually ends up being the same type of foods.  Pretty mid-western, stick to your ribs kind of fare. Ordinary.

After my mom passed and we were talking about her, my brother told me he had her recipe box "if you can call it that" he said.  He was laughing when he said "most of her recipes start with some kind of Campbell's soup!"

Sounds fabulous to me!

WHAT??

Clara's Kitchen

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Growing up, my mother's parents were the only grandparents we had, and we didn't see them very often. They lived in Michigan and we would drive up from Illinois maybe once or twice a year to visit them. By the time I was 14 both of them were gone. They were somewhat remote - children are seen and not heard - kind of people and I really don't have many up close and personal memories of them.

Maybe that's what attracts me to Clara.

Clara is in her 90's and her grandson decided to capture her on video and share her on YouTube. She cooks meals from the depression, or old Italian recipes as well. And she tells stories and recounts bits and pieces of what it was like to grow up such a long time ago when things were so very different.

I bought her book and am delighted to discover it is filled with more stories of her life, pictures and practical tips of all kinds sprinkled through it. I am not sure I will try her recipes - although I might. But for now, I think I will just enjoy Clara, on video and in words, and enjoy a grandma's wisdom.

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Re-la-a-a-x-ing ...

It's a good day. I officially finished my Christmas shopping on Sunday, including stocking stuff. Last night I wrapped my Mom's gifts and today my son mailed the package for me. I have caught up on my blog reading, I have cats sleeping contentedly next to me and a pot of chili cooking on the stove. Ah-h-h.

Oh, and did I mention I have the whole week off work? Yeah. I do. And after that I still have something like 40 hours I am carrying over until next year. Working for the same company for over 20 years definitely has it's benefits. I don't get paid a ton of money but I DO get a lot of vacation time. I earn something like 11 hours every 2 weeks. It seems like every time I turn around I have more time to take. I'm not complaining by any means but sometimes I get a little nervous that one day someone is going to call me and say "about all that vacation time we've given you over the years, it was a mistake." But, until someone finds out - I am home this week, it's snowing like the dickens outside, and I have a great view from the couch.

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**Edited to add - I am sure it is because I was showing off that right after posting the above - I had to go out into a raging blizzard because - see that on the TV? I didn't have as much of that kind of sauce as I thought I did. Karma. For sure.