Sunday, July 4, 2010

Remembering Mama's House and her Cooking!!

Breakfast: Usually eggs anyway you wanted them (mine I called ‘runny’). I didn’t know the term ‘over light(or easy)’ (mama wouldn’t have either). We had grits, livermush, sausage, country ham or bacon. If it was country ham we had red-eye gravy. Always biscuits, pans of biscuits and cream gravy. We never had dry cereal but every once in awhile we had oatmeal. There was always milk and coffee (for the grownups). There were times the kids got coffee with cream and sugar to soak a biscuit in, we called that soakies. The end of breakfast was the ceremony of mixing home-made jelly or molasses and home churned butter.
My favorite was Brains and Eggs with Gravy!!!!!

Dinner (lunch) was usually some left overs or a sandwich and milk or tea with lemon. There was Tomato sandwiches in the summer, sometimes vegetable soup. In the winter toasted cheese, Livermush or ham sandwiches. We were never big on p-nut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I did love p-nut butter and crackers. Oh yeah, banana sandwiches, love ‘em..


Now Supper at our house was something. Probably as close to Dar or Mel as you can get, but not as fancy.


(Mama at her mother's funeral, you seldom saw my mama sad!)



Cube steaks, ham, stew beef (mama called it stew meat), sometimes fried wieners or my favorite fried chicken. Mama ‘s rice was soupy. I think it had milk in it, anyway it was not dry. Green beans with little potatoes in them. Okra if we had it, most of the time fried. Mashed potatoes and gravy then there was corn bread and/or biscuits.
Some days she would have a big pot of chicken and dumplings; ohhh I loved her chicken and dumplings. Many days it was a big pot of beans with corn bread. She made any bean, good, all of them fit for a king (black-eyed, pinto, big butter beans, or those delicious speckled beans). There was some kind of brown pea that was delicious, I can’t remember the name.



We didn’t always have desert but she made the best egg custards, apple turnovers, apple pies and sweet potato cobbler. She could make a cake to compete with anyone, but she preferred the cobbler style. In her words, ‘I can throw one of those together’.


(Mama when she was very sick and in Sherry & Shirl's care)



Oh yes, she made a delicious banana pudding, even though daddy could not stand bananas. I never understood that, but he would literally get sick on bananas. Once in a blue moon, churned Ice cream.


Once, when I returned from sea
, after eating powdered eggs and having powdered milk for months, Mama asked how many eggs I wanted, I said three dozen. She said, ‘coming up!’ We quit at 26 or so. I love eggs. I don’t eat many now because of that hard to spell word that starts with a C.
Sorry folks, I was just thinking of good food. Happy Fourth!
Nite Shipslog
PS:
When I was growing up I thought Olive oil was only for priests/preachers to anoint folk. Now at the advice of Lindy and others, I am adding it to my daily intake, even though Sherry has been cooking with it.
******************************
It is a shame, but we have now taken food to the level of entertainment. And instead of eating to live, we live to eat.
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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

BRAINS AND EGGS FOR ME. sam

Lucy said...

Grits, livermush, (shudder) and brains just don't get it for me but my mom cooked plentiful when she could and it was not southern cooking. Our breakfasts were pancakes and eggs, seldom meat cause there usually was none. We had custard but not often enough to please me. Well now you made me hungry .

shirl72 said...

You are right Mother sure could cook. Could
put a meal on the table in 15 minutes. Sweetest
lady on the planet. I could not figure why she
would not let me in the Kitchen to help. I think
now I may have figured it out, I was in her way.

Shirl

Paula said...

A loving entry about your Mama and food. lol Leave me out on the brains and liver.

betty said...

not sure if I would have liked the livermush but your mom's cooking seemed delicious and nutritious! enjoyed all the pictures of her too, especially the one of you and her when she was sick;she has such a look of love and contentment of her face as she is next to you. Thanks for sharing what she cooked; I'm sure it brought back lots of memories as you were writing this

hope you guys have a great Fourth!

betty

Helen said...

Some good memories you have of your Mama. Sounds like she was a good cook. No liver stuff or brains for me. Great pictures. I hope you and Sherry are having a great 4th. Helen

Fred Alton said...

Fry my eggs - crispy on the outside - runny on the inside. Two on top of two or three dallops of grits, served with bacon or sausage or country ham. Add biscuits and butter mixed with molasses and a cup of coffee which I always drank hot and black. (However I admit that I do add a 1/4 tsp of sugar these days) Now - unlike you, we did have dry cereal a lot, especially when we moved to New Orleans and I started the 9th grade. I needed three bowls full each morning to prepare me for that 14 block walk to the school. Wheaties - Breakfast of Champions! ☻

Fred Alton said...

BTW - that first picture of you and your Mom is the way I remember her. She was a happy person!

Rose said...

What a wonderful tribute to your mother.

Runny eggs don't do it for me....I like them over medium but enough so I can still dunk! Well, those were the days when I could still eat eggs.

Not with this current Vegan Diet...no meat, no dairy........Ugh. Makes one unhappy Italian!

I guess we all have to deal with Cholesterol must come with the age factor. Mine is sky high because the doctor took me off all meds for now until he resolves the spiked liver enzimes.........I'm a total mess!

Happy 4th my dear friend!

Dar said...

Hoping your 4th was a 'blast'off to a great July.
Your tribute to your Mom and memories of the wonderful meals she put on the table 'is' priceless. I see you are missing her.
Our breakfasts as a kid were always oatmeal, eggs and homefries, sometimes bacon or some kind of homemade sausage, ham was for Easter. Lunch and supper were big meals in the summertime because of all the work to do on the farm. It made a hardworking kid hungry. I remember many a pork roast AND a beef roast in the oven at the same time with lots of potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and rutabagas all roasted together, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bay leaf...lots of gravy from the drippings. Oh my, am I salivating. Always on Sun. was oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes with paprika sprinkled on the top, chicken gravy, of course, green beans or corn, and Moms Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter frosting. Are ya hungry yet?
Lots of memories, you just stirred up, Jack.
Have a great day,
Heck, Have a Great Week
BlessYourSweetHearts

Y said...

Food as entertainment is a good part of our culture! Too bad cholesterol takes it's toll if we celebrate too much and too often.