Text 8159, 149 rader
Skriven 2008-06-01 19:07:15 av Carol Shenkenberger (14259.cooks)
   Kommentar till text 7406 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
Ärende: Meat Balls, Mamma Mia!                                   [1]
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 >  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.

Ok, not radically far off what I've done.  I hadnt used frozen veggies
though.  Just fresh (often slightly wilting) ones.  If i use frozen, it's
from the soup bag of what was wilting and wasnt ready to use yet so ended in
the freezer baggie.


 >  >  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.

Ok, she had the basics there.  She'd serve it over pasta of whatever type
were handy.  Spagetti, egg, shells etc.

 >  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.

I am not sure how much I have to tone down for Mom now.  Shes shifted like me
but is still a plain simple cook.  A bit fancier now that she isnt trying to
fix for 3 hungry kids.  We chat via email most days as she lives a goodly 7
hour drive from us.

 >  > 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.

Ah not so very bad, but dull yes and lots of ground beef or pork chops.  She
also liked chicken breast and would bake them making 4.  To me later,
overcooked but at the time that was all I knew.  Just plain, no spices etc.

 >  > 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.

Mom was pretty good with that line. Most were pretty much pasta and canned
soups with a touch of meat.

 >  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).

Oh I liked them but Mom really loved them so I'd limit myself on them and
grab a higher share of the bannana bits (which she didnt like as much as me).

 >  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.

I am prone to one jar only here too, but am not upset to see two different
types open.  I tend to give a stern look at 2 grape jelly jars at once though
<grin>.

 >  >  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 whe
 >  >  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.

I have sauce packets for pancit, curry, char su, and several for basic
gravy (chicken, pork, beef) which get used in other ways.

I even have one for spagetti sauce since i cant cook italian and use this as
a starter point.

 >  > 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)


Definately!  One of the 'wierd food' items in that Sasebo ethic of 'freak
out the kids' was a mound of buttered mashed potatos backed with baby octopii
all inside and some looking like they were trying to escape.
               xxcarol

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