What were meals like when you were growing up?
Simple Southern...very little frying due to my Daddy having a heart attack @ 34yo. Mama would "shake-n-bake" so we had some crunch.
Lots of veggies, fresh from Daddy's little garden...tomatoes mainly. We didn't have air conditioning, so summer foods were cold sandwiches, salads...didn't want to make the kitchen hot with the stove.
Did your mom (or dad) cook (and was it from scratch or from a box?) or did your family eat out much of the time?
Daddies cook?? Not in our house. He rarely even went into the kitchen, unless it was to FIX something broken, like the ice maker.
No, Mama used to hand deliver everything to Daddy...tea, peanut butter & cereal...he'd have a snack each night, hand-delivered to the couch in the den, of course.
Rarely did my mama ever get anything out of a box...scratch was her comfort zone...and I learned A LOT! And, her working so hard with the cooking, meant we ate it all; we didn't go out to eat much.
I remember what a BIG DEAL it was the first time we got to eat a ChickFilA sandwich AT THE MALL! In the early 70s our new Mall was THE PLACE to go. Malls were a NEW THING for us and then the WOW of that sandwich just put it over the top...it was sooooo good....but, they WERE $1.00 for a sandwich, so we didn't get them often.
A night out for us when I was growing up was stopping at the KFC on the way home from picking Daddy up from work...had one car and mama would get the car on Fridays to do grocery shopping. I loved Fridays...we'd get to stop for supper.
Did you eat together as a family or was everyone on a different schedule? What did you call meals? (Dinner vs. supper, lunch, etc.)
Suppertime was ALWAYS our tradition, still is...I've worked hard to ensure we sit at the table together--not answering the phone, this is when the machine gets USED.
We struggled with having specific suppertime during travel-ball softball seasons; but, even then, we'd sit together as families and have fund talking. I'm a TRUE believer in keeping supper discussions to POSITIVES ONLY...it is NOT correction time at the table.
Sunday lunch is called Sunday dinner. Period.
What were some of your favorite things that your parent fixed? What did you dislike and vow never to fix once you grew up?
My Daddy's ONE item he cooked...tbone steaks on Saturday nights. He made his own bbq sauce, sweet-savory, that he'd slather on the meat the last 5 minutes before he removed it from the grill...omgoodness, I still can taste the little bit of char mixed with that wonderful sauce.
Mother would always have fresh potatoes, laSeuer english peas, an a small side salad (with Green Goddess dressing as MY choice!)
My Mother's grilled boston butts were AMAZING...just above her roast and gravy(from scratch).
She'd make us saltine crackers, peanut butter, and marshmallows baked in the toaster oven for a quick snack...one of my favs, still!
And nothing says Summer to me like Watergate Salad...cold and pistachio jello, what could be better?
Watergate Salad
1 8 oz. tub favorite whipped topping (like Cool Whip)
1 3 oz. box pistachio gelatin
1 Cup cottage cheese (low fat, small curd)
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
Combine ingredients, mix well. Pour into a gelatin mold; chill 1 1/2 hrs
Did your family have any food traditions, things that were a must on certain occasions (such as Sunday dinners or holiday meals)?
Lasagna on Christmas Eve...go figure. Sunday Dinner roast.
Did your parent teach you to cook or did you wing it once you were grown?
Mother taught me several baking recipes, like brownies, peanut brittle and I watched a lot. She has received phone calls from me multiple times throughout the years when my interpretation of some of the recipes were blurry...and I have many of her recipes in my box. We LOVE to share recipes and discuss ways to cut the fat and sugar these days.
How similar or different are your family's eating habits today than when you grew up?
Ours are very similar...it has been INTENTIONAL. Many families have GiVEN UP on even trying to make supper time together...that will be this country's downfall.
Jer. 33:3
"Call to me and I will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."Blessings,
