Today I felt a little sad as I was missing my mom. One of my brothers just had a birthday, and I was looking at old photographs of us as kids. As an adult, I see things so differently. I notice how carefully my mother chose our outfits, laundered them, and kept us looking our best. The house is always neat and tidy in the background. The furniture looks pretty, and there is plenty of space in the home. Things were so different in those days. People didn't have so much stuff. My mother was a master when it came to the art of homemaking.
She was also an excellent cook. I always remember her busily preparing dinner each afternoon. She cooked such delicious meals! Each day I looked forward to devouring whatever favorite recipe she was making. The house always was filled with delightful aromas. "Something sure smells good!" my father would always say, as he walked in the door. She really took pride in making those meals. It took a lot of time and energy.
Because I live on my own, I don't always make a large meal for dinner. Often I will just have a salad or vegetables. I find that if I prepare a hot meal, especially something that my mom used to make, I feel more satisfied. There's something emotionally grounding about eating healthy, delicious food. Taking the time to prepare it yourself makes such a difference. Cooking helps us to slow down, to relax, and to become balanced, spiritually. We appreciate and relish our food, as it was meant to be. Good things take time.
I always helped my mom in the kitchen. I would stir the white sauce, chop the onions, and generally assist her. She taught me to make everything that she did, and I really enjoyed it. I found cooking and baking very therapeutic. After I moved out, and as she got older, my mom didn't really enjoy cooking anymore. I think she got burned out by preparing so many meals for a family of six. She had been cooking and cleaning nonstop for years.My dad used to take her out to dinner on Friday nights, to give her a break. She really looked forward to that break. By then she was also battling health issues. That can really zap your energy.
Sometimes I find myself skipping over making more time consuming recipes. Because it's just me, often I will just put a few potatoes in the toaster oven for Lana and I. It really is worth it to make the recipes that are tasty, though. Scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, casseroles, and roasted meats and poultry are all a treat. It gives you something to look forward to eating when you know there are delicious leftovers in the fridge. How about you? Do you enjoy cooking?
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I don't necessarily enjoy cooking, but I do like eating real foods and hot meals. iLife what i can one pot wonders - things that only use one pot to pan so fewer dishes 😉 I still think that is a beautiful tea cozy (& desert - yum.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lady Locust. I knit the tea cozy with Noro Silk a Garden yarn. It looks like a little sweater on the teapot. The dessert is a homemade gingerbread cake. The recipe is on the blog. The sweetened whipped cream really makes it.
DeleteI love leftovers! My favourite are roasted veggies from the night before, tossed into an omelette or for bubble 'n' squeak for breakfast the next morning! Yummy, nutritious and no waste! Meg:)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds delicious, Meg. I love leftovers, too.
DeleteYou have some very fond memories of your mom, I hope our son will have good home memories, I have always loved homemaking and looking after the family. Good for you with cooking nice meals at home, I know many people who think its not worth the effort for just one, but I do.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend x
Thanks Simple Living. The older I get, the more I appreciate how hard my mom worked in the home. I agree with you that it's well worth the effort to cook for one.
DeleteI enjoy trying new recipes. But I don't cook every day. My mom is like your mom - a very good homemaker. Even now she cooks daily. I learned a lot from mom, but I think I have also learned to save time and energy.
ReplyDeleteYour bread looks so delicious. Could you please share the recipe in a future post? :)
Hi Nil, That makes sense. The recipe for the bread is on the Internet. It's The New York Times No Knead Bread. It's delicious! They have a video tutorial, too. Enjoy!
DeleteOut of necessity, I started doing the bulk of our family shopping cooking when i was 13. I really loved it though. It was a challenge to budget and make sure there was enough food for the week, but I so enjoyed the creativity and experimentation of it all.
ReplyDeleteEven though I live alone, I still cook and bake everything from scratch. While it is necessary for both my health and my budget, I still think of it as an art form and a game. Fitting all the colors, textures and tastes into my diet along with adequate nutrition on a small budget is my weekly performance ..it's thrilling! I know that you will understand that!
Sorry you are feeling blue and missing your mother...from what you have written, she did give you quite a legacy in many ways.
Thanks Jill. You are right. I learned so much from my mom. She tried so hard to do everything perfectly. It literally drove her nuts, with four kids. It sounds like you have always been very responsible and busy with homemaking. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteI, too, miss my mom all the time. She passed away almost 12 years ago. She was very ill, but her death was unexpected and I was not prepared for it. She was a great housewife and a wonderful cook, but we were not allowed to help too much. She had a system and did not like anyone messing with her way of doing things. But I did observe and learned a lot from her vicariously. I have always loved to cook. Several years ago I treated myself to a wonderful set of very good pots and pans after using my mother-in-law's old set for 28 years. Those pots and pans with a very nice oven and cook top have made me even more adventurous. Your meals look lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks Anita. My friend's mom was like that, too. I love good quality pots and pans. My mom gave each of us a starter set of Le Creuset, and they're fabulous! Glad to hear that you have an excellent stove/oven, too. I love my 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt!
ReplyDeleteI do really enjoy cooking, it’s something I miss being able to do by myself, but do still enjoy preparing meals with my husband xx
ReplyDeleteI love cooking, too, Cheryl. I can see how that would be an adjustment.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about your mother! How blessed you were to be raised by someone like her! I too have four kids. I deeply hope one of them will remember me in the way you describe!
ReplyDeleteHi Courtney. Thank you for reading the blog and for commenting. The older I get, the more I appreciate how hard my mom worked. She was exceptional. A close friend once told me that being a mother is SO MUCH harder than being a professional dancer. She had no idea...
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