Here at GMS, we still call our moms for recipe questions. We’re still asking how much of to add of certain ingredients, how many hours days before dinner you can start your sauce, whether or not we should save the beet greens and turn them into something else, and if you really need to toss leftovers that you forgot about in the wayyy back of the fridge.
We’re far from pros, but what we do know about our kitchens mostly comes from our moms. They are fearless in the kitchens they work in, they have seemingly endless wheelhouses of delicious dinners, and they will always be around to talk through a recipe or dinner menu with us. This mother’s day, we wanted to say a big THANK YOU to our moms, and share some recipes that remind us of our mamas.
From Jennie… The recipes that most remind me of my mom are strewn about my memories as clear as memories of my first bike ride and first high school dance. This Macaroni Salad is so vividly a part of every summer of my life, just like mosquitos and the beach and James Taylor on the radio.
Icebox cake is another recipe that brings back memories of long days out by the pool, coming inside only to use the restroom and maybe reapply sunscreen, then sit to read a magazine and eat a slice of cake while you wait for it to soak in before diving back into water. Whenever, I am sick, I want my mom’s chicken noodle soup – which always makes me feel better as soon as I taste it – but I often have to settle for my own, which is ALMOST as good. And of course, everything and anything Italian reminds me of my mom, who I always check with on every recipe (even though she doesn’t follow a recipe at all, so I usually just get vague quantities and a, “It’ll be delicious!”)
From Corelyn…. My mother taught me two of my most valuable kitchen skills. How to substitute ingredients when you need to improvise (or more importantly to not be afraid of a little substitution), and how to properly use a spatula to scrape every last drop of batter/sauce/mixture out of a bowl. Jennie can attest that we think about my mother every single time either one of us wields a rubber spatula. In the spirit of kitchen improvisation, it was my mom who taught me to make and love frittata, like this one with zucchini and goat cheese. It always seemed like she could make a frittata seemingly out of thin air, or at least whatever veggies we happened to have in the fridge.
She also taught me how delightful and addictive a peanut stew can be, or this potato leek soup we made based on her Memere’s recipe. And speaking of her Rhode Island roots, this coffee cabinet has my mom (and her parents, my Nana and Papa) written all over it. And I’ll always think about lazy Saturday mornings listening to music, waltzing in the kitchen, and chatting for hours over many cups of coffee (for me) or tea (for her) whenever we make Wine, Bread, Cheese & Thou.
Happy Mother’s Day from Garlic, My Soul!
[addtoany] Yum