Text 7406, 145 rader
Skriven 2008-05-19 13:19:32 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
   Kommentar till text 7204 av Carol Shenkenberger (13267.cooks)
Ärende: Meat Balls, Mamma Mia!                                   [1]
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Hi Carol,

 > That was the only one my mom did--so she could stretch the bird even
 > further with the family.

 CS> It seems your mom was both more and less of a cook than mine <g>.  How
 CS> did your mom make the soup? What did she add?

She isn't much of a cook because Dad isn't much of an eater.  The soup
was a lunch meal; later in life, I've used it for supper with Steve &
the girls.  All she did was simmer the carcass in water for a couple of
hours, then debone it.  She'd then add rice and frozen mixed veggies to
the water, with the turkey and just salt/pepper for seasoning. Let it
cook another half hour (she used regular white rice) or so & then
served, always with the warning to watch out for bones. My main
adaptations are using brown rice and other seasonings (whatever I grab
that fits), cooking it with the rice for about an hour, then adding the
veggies & letting it cook another half hour or so.  I don't always use
the frozen, mixed; sometimes I'll get creative and use "whateveahs".  I
made a soup once with chicken neck bones, 12 different kinds of veggies
(mostly fresh) and rice that was more of a stew than soup butit was
good.

 >  CS> better at over the years).  There was a turkey noodle dish she'd do
 >  CS> though with the leftovers that was pretty good.  Bland but tastey.
 >  CS> Most of the 'spice' came from canned cream soups and green bell
 >  CS> peppers as I recall.
 CS>  >
 > Sounds like it was turkey tetrazzini; I've got some in my freezer now
 > but made with chicken instead of turkey.

 CS> Not that famcy, but it wasnt bad at all.  Mostly today when I look
 CS> back at it, i would have said 'add more spice'.  Then again, of the 3


Tetrazzini isn't really fancy--basically turkey (or chicken), noodles,
bell pepepr, onion, and cream soup.


 CS> kids I was the spice-head (which isnt to say much as 10 years ago I
 CS> was still waving a jalapeno over a dish then letting it go free back
 CS> in the jar).  If i recall right, my sister had some food sensitivities
 CS> (not true allergies) we had to watch.  Too much citrus or tomato and
 CS> she'd get mouth sores.

Understood.  Part of the reason my dad liked everything on the bland
side was that he had a sensitive stomach. I'm not sure if he had ulcers
or not but he also had heartburn/indigestion problems. I tone down my
spicing whenever I cook for them.

 > Ninty nine point nine nine per cent of the time our starch was mashed
 > potatoes.  The rest of the time it was white spaghetti with a meat

 CS> Sounds more dull than my routine.  Mom varied stuff.  I casn pick on
 CS> her now for not being a spicy cook, but the quality and variation were
 CS> not bad for the times at all.

Dull, boring, unappealing (except that it was food) etc. A lot of red
meat--roast beef, ground beef & lots of mashed potatoes.


 > sauce. I really don't recall any thing in the line of casseroles served
 > at home; my grandmother would have one we called "glop" whenever we'd
 > saying something to the effect of Dad not liking casseroles but would
 > eat that one to be polite.

 CS> Mom made/makes a really great tunafish cassarole. It's not overly
 CS> fancified, just good stuff.

That's what I've done over the years--nothing fancy but tummy filling.

 >  CS> No dog and we 3 kids handled the leftovers unless Mom said 'do not
 >  CS> touch these, they are for dinner later'.

 > We always had a dog; my parents still do--and he still gets table scraps
 > (and they wonder why he can't lose the weight he's supposed to).
 > Leftovers were always hands off for us as they woud be recycled into
 > something else or reheated and reserved.

 CS> Hehe we recyled the leftovers quite well with no need for a dog to
 CS> help. Mom's system was if it wasnt in the freezer or she hadnt said
 CS> 'hands off' it was fair game.  There were a few items we were reminded
 CS> to 'share nicely so Mom got some' and one she got just for her and me.
 CS>  (a glass jarred fruit salad, I'd be nice and leave her the cherries
 CS> except 1 or 2 out of the 12 or so in the jar because she liked'em).

If they were the maraschino cherries, I'd have left all of them for her.
Even as a kid I never liked them but had to eat them to be polite a lot
of the time.  Today I usually give them away or ask that they not be put
on (ice cream).


 > Now that would have made some interesting crumbs.  A bit crunchier than
 > usual.
 CS> (burned toast as bread crumbs) Yup!  Actually works pretty well.
 CS> Wierd but well. I got my 'use it if useful' habits from Mom.

It took me a long time after I got married to be comfortable with having
more than one jar of jelly/jam open at the same time.  One of my
parent's favorite dictates was that we had to "use up the old before we
start the new"--Dad remembers the Depression all too well.

 >  CS> 70's with Mom's cooking.  To this day, I have many packets always on
 >  CS> hand for various things. I was just used to seeing same as a kid when
 >  CS> looking in the fridge and never really thought about it.

 > I don't use them, don't generally keep jarred sauce on hand either. I've
 > not found any that taste as good as what I make.

 CS> Well keep in mind you can make good stuff.  The rest of us use the
 CS> jars now. Bertoli today.  Not bad.  Many steps up from
 CS> sugrar-sauce-ragu.

I've bought sauce from time to time but always "doctored it up" with
extra herbs & spices.  Some tho, no matter what you put in, still taste
bad. But they have been handy in the times I couldn't cook.


 >  CS> It's a sort of almost italian but from the 'medly of the Med' cookery.
 >  CS>  Now, in *my* house the 3-4inch baby octopii are being left whole
 >  CS> (cleaned of beak) and gonna be setting there spectacular over the top
 >  CS> of the spegetti sauce and lingiuni mound, but i can see for others i'd
 >  CS> probably wanaa chop'em up.
 CS>  >
 > Some folks would absolutely freak out if they saw octopii draped over a
 > bowl of pasta. (G)

 CS> Hehe, for sure.  These are about tarantula sized guys.  Just drape'em
 CS> over the mound. Looks like they are munching out.  The current ones
 CS> BTW are about 5 inches across.  Serious spooky food to those not used
 CS> to the idea to see a 5 inch 8legged critter ontop.

Good idea for a Halloween party there. (G)


---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly@earthlink.net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... If your mind goes blank, remember to turn off the sound.

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 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)