“Then why did I make so much food?” — my mother, failing to convince her dinner guests to take their weight in “sauce-shez pepp” with meatballs, salads (this is my mother I’m talking about, so these are all mayonnaise-based and salad in name only), baked beans, and three different desserts.
The Kid, my honorary sister Deena, and Aunt Polly all said, in a ragged kind of unison, “That’s what we ask you every single time!”
Literally, the woman made eight pounds of potatoes for potato salad. For. Eight. People.
My mom, The Kid, and I all have what is called hitchhiker’s thumb.
If you have it, your thumb can bend at the top knuckle over 180 degrees. My mom’s thumb is so curved it almost touches the front of her thumb. I have it, but to such an extreme degree. The Kid’s thumb is a little less than mine.
I never met her, but can only assume my maternal grandmother’s thumbs were actually attached and known as “thumb-loops”.
I think I figured it out today.
My mom, her sister, and sister-in-law Tandy are all Depression/WWII babies. They knew, or were raised, by people who knew both empty larders and bellies.
These children grew up with a horror of hunger. Which is why they overbuy, overcook, and use those plates they fill again and again keep us all safe.
Thanks for your time.
Contact me at dm@bullcity.mom.
The Kid’s Cole Slaw
This is all about the dressing. Use anything from grocery store bagged mix to something from your own garden.
The recipe makes quite a bit. It’ll last a week or so, or make a bucket of slaw.
1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Whisk together, cover, and refrigerate for an hour up to overnight.
Gently toss enough dressing into the veg to moisten. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours to a day or two (the longer the salad sits, the better the texture and flavor.
Mom’s Famous Pasta Salad
Two heads broccoli, cut into florets, lightly steamed, and cooled in ice water then drained
1 pint grape or Cherub tomatoes, cut in half
1/4-1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 envelopes of original Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix (the one you make with actual buttermilk), made according to directions.
Mix pasta and veggies together, then dress with enough ranch to bring to pasta salad consistency. Serve or refrigerate immediately so that the pasta won’t absorb all the dressing before service.
Jersey Picnic Baked Beans
4 15-ounce cans of plain baked beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1/4 cup molasses, maple syrup, or sorghum
1 yellow onion chopped and cooked in a teaspoon of oil or butter
12 slices bacon
Strain the liquid from all but one can of beans. Mix all ingredients except for the bacon and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place all of the bacon into a pot of simmering water.
Cook in simmering water for about 10 minutes then drain and pat dry with paper towels. This “par cooking” will reduce the amount of fat and make it easier for the bacon to brown in the oven.
After the 30 minutes is up, remove beans from oven, and cover with bacon slices.
Return to middle rack of over and cook on low broiler for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is browned and crispy-ish.
Let sit 15 minutes before serving.