PrintCook the Book: Cowgirl Cuisine
Trust me: you mom has a wild side. It may not be as extreme as what-happens-in-Vegas-stays-in-Vegas, but she has definitely fantasized about trading in her prim office heels for a pair of beaten-up cowboy boots, and her calming mug of herbal tea for a killer watermelon margarita.
That's just what chef and food writer Paula Disbrowe did when she left the skyscrapers of New York City for the wide open plains of rural Texas. In Cowgirl Cuisine, this week's Cook the Book selection, Paula presents a collection of big-hearted, bold recipes, from breakfasts, soups and salads, to burgers, barbecue, and seductive desserts. All the dishes are composed of healthful ingredients such as whole grains and fresh local produce, but this is not a diet cookbook. Cowgirls don't have time to count calories.
'Win Cowgirl Cuisine'
We'll be excerpting a recipe from Cowgirl Cuisine everyday this week that's perfect for preparing for your mom, so on Sunday you can surprise her with brunch in bed, or better yet, a decadent, whiskey-spiked chocolate cake. In addition, you can enter to win her one of five copies of the book. Just tell us in the comments section below: what is the most memorable meal your mother has ever prepared for you?
267 Comments:
lasagna
carusoc at 2:09PM on 05/05/08
She introduced me to tofu in sukiyaki when I was about 4 years old. I instantly loved it. Quite a feat, I think, for the 1960s in Minnesota.
Also, a macaroni and cheese made with a locally made swiss cheese in the 70s, served in a huge stoneware casserole while overlooking Lake Superior on a stormy day.
aharste at 2:19PM on 05/05/08
Brioche in the shape of Santa's head. She makes it every year for Christmas and it's the best!
earlybirdkate at 2:31PM on 05/05/08
vietnamese crepes.
chlamers at 2:31PM on 05/05/08
My favorite meal was her version of American Chop Suey made with hamburg, celery, tomato soup, elbow macaroni and a dash of onion powder, garlic powder and Worcestershire Sauce. Otherwise, it was the" Weight Watchers" snack she made frequently which was a piece of white bread topped with a piece of processed American Cheese and then broiled till almost burned to death. De-Lish!
Boscompb at 2:32PM on 05/05/08
my mom made me pancakes in the shape of mickey mouse's head when i was a wee one. when you're a kid hose types of things are really amazing.
Tenbucc2 at 2:45PM on 05/05/08
That's a toughie, my mom didnt really cook much for us (that was my dad and granpa's job until we were big enough to cook for ourselves). But I'd have to say her spaghetti was the most memorable and delicious meal she prepared for us.
mnsteph at 2:46PM on 05/05/08
Birthday cake in the form of sacher torte - almost flourless chocolate cake in two layers with homemade raspberry jam between the layers, covered entirely with chocolate ganache glaze and served with a large spoon of unsweetened whipped cream on top. To die for!
Mizbee at 2:48PM on 05/05/08
Chicken rice casserole. No veggies just cheesy chicken & rice gooeyness.
jamiephoto at 2:54PM on 05/05/08
"Memorable" is not necessarily synonymous with "tasty." I love my mom. She is very good with the microwave. And the things she takes out of boxes to heat in it. And she can really sauté vegetables, like really cook the heck out of them...until they take on new forms and textures that render them almost unrecognizable. She's creative that way.
Tasty or not, after an entire day of working, she had dinner on the table for seven (almost always ungrateful) people nearly every night of the week. I don't know how she persevered.
Probably the most memorable - to this day, her 5 children bring it up - was the time when we were very small. She mixed several cans of spaghettios with cans of ravioli and served them out of a single, large pot. It was mystifying in the best way. We had no idea you could do that - spaghettios and ravioli? In the same dish? We thought it was great.
megumphrey at 3:12PM on 05/05/08
My mother, a fantastic cook, has made us many many great meals over the years. The most memorable, however, was the meal gone wrong. It looked like it would be perfect-- roasted chicken, potatoes, and broccoli. The chicken was covered in sweet paprika and garlic powder, or so we thought. One bite revealed that it was oodles of HOT paprika and something we couldn't quite place. Oh that's it... ground ginger, not garlic. On both the chicken AND the potatoes. It was the only meal ever thrown away in our home. Thank goodness for pizza delivery.
curiousotter at 3:13PM on 05/05/08
Too many! My mom makes the best Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef Creole) I have ever tasted in my life. I love it warm on rice, on a fresh piece of bread, cold on a cracker, cold on a salad. Any which way - it's amazing!
bitchincamero at 3:14PM on 05/05/08
My mom, never the willing cook, got a recipe from her co-worker about making BBQ brisket on the grill. The recipe was simple - put meat in a roasting pan, cover with BBQ sauce and cook on the grill for 6 hours. What was implied was that the temperature be low, and mom check it occasionally. Neither one of those things happened so at 7pm on sunday night mom went to check her brisket, instead finding a huge black piece of what looked like petrified meat. The BBQ sauce had hardened leaving a cast imprint of the bottom of the pan. The meat was beyond recognizable. We laughed for hours while we ate chinese take out. Mom took the charred remains into work to "show off" her cooking prowess.
Dolcezza at 3:15PM on 05/05/08
My mom made me pulled pork for the first time right before I moved to college and was vegetarian for 5 years. I dreamed about that pork for the entire time...
kylad at 3:27PM on 05/05/08
My mom doesn't do vegetarian. In an effort to please my then-vegetarian husband, she did a knock-off potato taco recipe from a restaurant she went to. Fried tortillas filled with a potato mixture (I can't remember what flavor it had) with cilantro and creme fraiche on top. She claimed it was the only vegetarian recipe she knew! I appreciated both the taste AND the effort.
darbyalycen206 at 3:27PM on 05/05/08
Too hard to think of one, from leaving cute notes in my lunchbox as a kid, to baking cookies for most of my dorm during college, to feeding me anything I could stomach at all hours of the night when I spent the previous two years sick in bed, she has always gone above and beyond to satisfy people, especially me, her youngest with food.
I'm a huge fan of her baked goods, she makes a mean frittata for Sunday brunch, and her chicken soup can fend off the worst of colds and post surgery nausea.
bobcatsteph3 at 3:30PM on 05/05/08
My mother made a creamed tuna, rice, and peas meal that I would always ask for. I dream of it to this day.
cdziuba at 3:30PM on 05/05/08
My mom always made us our favorite meal for our birthdays. Mine varied from year to year, but more often than not, I requested a tuna fish casserole that was about as midwest rural as you could get -- complete with smashed potato chips on top! And while that meal wasn't a culinary masterpiece, it was exactly what I wanted every year. But I would have to say the most memorable meal my mom ever made was her Christmas feasts -- roast beef and ham, gravy for both (she makes the best ham gravy!), mashed potatoes, corn, baked beans, and always a delicious ice cream dessert. Not to mention the cookies, veggies, and wine that started the meal. Nothing better than a farm-fresh Christmas!
midwestern at 3:34PM on 05/05/08
Her most famous, and the reason that the grandkids want to spend the night, is the Swedish pancakes. No pancakes? Then my brother won't even entertain the idea of staying over with his family, no matter how late it gets or how far he has to drive.
sel123 at 3:35PM on 05/05/08
My favorite dish from my mom was and is her eggplant parm - she makes it different every time and yet it's always the best I've eaten. But the most *memorable* meal she ever made was for a teen birthday dinner for which she put rainbow sprinkles on absolutely everything - applesauce, meatloaf, the works!
PhredYammers at 3:36PM on 05/05/08
The Cheshire cat cake and "Eat Me Cookies" she made for my Alice in Wonderland birthday party about a decade ago!
merav13 at 3:46PM on 05/05/08
Mom worked a lot, so she could cook very elaborate meals, but Thanksgiving was always wonderful. She could roast a wonderful turkey, and then turn it into the best soup ever. great memories.
fangirl at 3:47PM on 05/05/08
Ugh... my mom's cooking was so middle-of-the-road. There was nothing memorably bad or good. I like her spaghetti and clam sauce, and would always request it when I was young, but that's as much as I can say.
Tactful_Cactus at 3:48PM on 05/05/08
My mother rarely cooked, and when she did it was inevitably awful. The most memorable meal was a thanksgiving meal. She made three jello molds and forgot to serve them and went into a rage that evening that seemed to last for hours. Such is childhood when your mother is addicted to prescription drugs.
karen r at 3:49PM on 05/05/08
my sweet momma made me breakfast every single day I lived in her house. and not cold cereal or toast either. I'm talkin stuff like eggs, bacon, pancakes, oatmeal, gravy, biscuits, hashbrowns and so on.
notlikeyourmom at 3:54PM on 05/05/08
My mom would make congee with leftover turkey and broth every year after Thanksgiving. It was such a tradition that I was kind of in shock when it didn't appear one year.
threedogkitchen at 4:00PM on 05/05/08
a fried egg sandwich one time when i came home from a trip jet lagged. it was exactly what i needed.
aeschylus at 4:01PM on 05/05/08
My mom is not a good cook, but when I was a toddler she often made my then-favorite dish: chicken wings and ketchup in the pressure cooker. (Hey, I SAID she was a lousy cook!)
Paula had a recipe for slow-roasted goat shoulder in the NY Times magazine a few years ago; I made it on the smoker, and it was delicious. She and her husband David are the real deal.
Cathy at 4:03PM on 05/05/08
My mother used to make roasted chickens at least twice a week. On Fridays when I was a child she used to make london broil.
SEFB9118 at 4:14PM on 05/05/08
she is a lousy cook, but she did make a mean American Chop Suey
agordon10 at 4:16PM on 05/05/08
For a birthday party once she made tiny pizzas for me (and nine of my little eight-year-old friends), a cake shaped like a dragon, and a ice cream castle. It was the coolest meal ever!
daisy at 4:22PM on 05/05/08
My mom has never been a great cook, but she makes a wonderful breakfast cake.
Honeybug at 4:27PM on 05/05/08
About once a month she tells me that she's found the most wonderful new recipe and she's going to send me home with a big batch for me and my honey. And it always turns out to be some slight variation on spicy chili mac. As she gets older this has become her big dish. So hey, bring on the chili mac, mom!
lisapeet at 4:27PM on 05/05/08
My mom is a great cook and was game to try her hand at almost any kind of food the three kids and my dad could throw at her. The most memorable was when she acceded to my father's request to prepare his favorite Sephardic dishes (she's Ashkenazi).
What a great meal!
alden at 4:28PM on 05/05/08
My birthday meal for years and years was a spinach and chicken lasagna that I absolutely loved.
Erin at 4:34PM on 05/05/08
Roasted leg of lamb, mint jelly, roasted potatoes. She also made the best green salad I've ever had and no matter how many times I've tried it's impossible to duplicate.
bessfour at 4:43PM on 05/05/08
The most memorable meal was not a good one. Most of her meals were good to great, but this one really stood out - fagioli. I'm not sure if it was the recipe, or something she did, or our dislike of beans or what, but it was awful. She claimed to enjoy it. My father took my sister and I out to McDonald's for dinner, because he refused to eat it too.
15 years later we still tease her about it. :)
Peasantwench at 4:49PM on 05/05/08
I'd have to say her Thanksgiving dinners . HUGE roast turkey , pan gravy , French meat stuffing , mashed turnips & carrots , REAL mashed potatoes and hot rolls plus much , much more . OH , and the pies ....and the pudding .....and the jello ....and the .............................................
haagenfreak at 4:51PM on 05/05/08
Memorable...has to be every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner (turkey) and every Easter dinner (ham) and all the fixings and delicious pies...memorable!
elaine nan at 4:54PM on 05/05/08
@haagenfreak ..... Your post came on just as I finished mine......we must have the same mother!! the French meat stuffing, mashed turnips & carrots, gravy, pies, etc. etc.!!
elaine nan at 5:05PM on 05/05/08
The most memorable meal my mother ever prepared for me was Sunday brunch with blueberry pancakes, french toast, canadian bacon, and hash browns.
rffoodie at 5:09PM on 05/05/08
Salmon Patties, mash taters, corn on the cob and okra. It was ALL my favorites!
ACowboysWife at 5:17PM on 05/05/08
I still dream of my Mom's fluffy waffles with fresh strawberries... If you want this for breakfast -- here is how!!!!
2 cups sifted cake flour (pillsbury silky) 1 tbs baking powder....1 tp salt 2 tbl sugar 1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs separated the yolks and whites 1/2 cup oil
Sift dry ingredients together. Beat yolks. Mix in milk and oil. Add to dry ingredients and stir. Beat whites in a bowl until stiff. Fold into batter. Bake in waffle iron.
Top with your favorite topping!
dolphinlady706 at 5:22PM on 05/05/08
My mom makes the best fried chicken and potato salad.
slb3334 at 5:24PM on 05/05/08
my mother isn't the most imaginative cook.....she doesn't care for SALT, so omits it from most recipes, so that gives you an idea. This is NOT a meal, but she does make remarkable Cream Puffs!
starsmom at 5:29PM on 05/05/08
Corned beef and cabbage--an odd dish on a Filipino family's table, but it was delicious! It instantly became a favorite!
OneWallKitchen at 5:52PM on 05/05/08
My mom tried to make a Norwegian apple pie, except she misread the directions and added cheese. We had to try not to make any snarky comments about the people of Norway and their awful pies when we ate that.
grahamred at 5:55PM on 05/05/08
It would have to be chocolate biscuits...... my all time favorite comfort food
pcbdolphins at 5:55PM on 05/05/08
Chicken and dumplings.
scaevola at 5:55PM on 05/05/08
Hello, Mom has cooked many memorable meals, but since she has been gone for 8 years, I have changed my way of thinking. I was considered older
to be having my tonsils and adenoids taken out. Dad and her stayed with me the entire time. The home care I got from her with the popsicles, ice cream, cold drinks, etc. is my story. Thanks,Cindi
windycindy at 5:59PM on 05/05/08
I loved my mother's seafood gumbo
louiseb130 at 6:22PM on 05/05/08
My mom used to cook spaghetti while we were camping. It always tasted better somehow because it was not the typical camping food.
drala625 at 6:33PM on 05/05/08
Angel hair pasta with homemade alfredo sauce and tiny shrimp. It was my favorite dish as a little girl and I had for every birthday.
stareater at 6:37PM on 05/05/08
Since my own mother couldn't cook worth a damn, I will tell you about my mother-in-law's food love:
Fried chicken breasts, bone in
Mashed potatoes
Cream gravy
Fresh green beans with bacon
Biscuits
Sweet iced tea
Chocolate meringue pie
dksbook at 6:38PM on 05/05/08
During my thirteenth summer, I visited my dad & his new wife. Not only did she not cook, but there was rarely food in the house. Every evening's meal was takeout pizza or burgers, & they never had fruit or vegetables. Coming from a family of people who love to cook & who always have summer gardens, this was something of a shock. The night mom picked me up from the train station, she made a quick, simple supper as it was quite late - ham sandwiches on honey wheat with garden fresh tomatoes, leaf lettuce, mayo & mustard.
I'm forty-one now, but have never forgotten that sandwich and how it let me know I was home.
Melinda at 6:39PM on 05/05/08
the most memorable meal my mother ever made was on an ordinary weeknight as a teenager, when my mom made a simple dinner... tater tot casserole or something of that sort... and when I started to set the table she stopped me and told me to get out the goldware, china and crystal, and to light the candles! No reason at all, she just thought we deserved a special night, and that life is too short to never use your china! :o) That was a night I will never forget!
annaliseree at 6:57PM on 05/05/08
For my 1st b-day, my mom made a whole-wheat cake frosted with cream cheese that was colored with beet juice. Even I refused to eat it, so every year after that I got a homemade gingerbread house covered with sugary frosting and tons of candy. Because when you get right down to it, sometimes sugar really does equal love.
thatgrrl at 6:57PM on 05/05/08
All of the dishes my mom made were memorable! Nothing special, just pure love!
ricedream24 at 7:07PM on 05/05/08
My mom used to make the best homemade beef stew and used her pressure cooker with those homemade buttermilk biscuits and butter melting on them . She could make meals from hardly nothing.
neneelynn at 7:19PM on 05/05/08
When I became vegetarian, my mom fully embraced meat-free cooking. She started to explore Asian cuisines, particularly Indian. One of my favourite meals of all time is when she makes her version of chana masala with a side of pistachio-cardamom basmati rice. I could eat that rice on its own, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
piccola at 7:49PM on 05/05/08
My mom doesn't cook but my dad makes a to die for potato soup with dumplings!
randio at 8:01PM on 05/05/08
My mom was probably the best non-Italian, Italian Cook there ever was. She was Irish, but my dad is Italian and loved his mother's cooking, so my mom learned a lot over the years from her mother-in-law. My mother made the best Pasta Fagioli that even her Italian inlaws would ask for it. She knew it was my favorite and even after I married and moved out of the house, she would make sure to let me know when she made it so that I wouldn't miss out. She sure was a great cook, but I wouldn't have cared if we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every night. She was the best person I ever knew and I really miss her.
bondolce at 8:19PM on 05/05/08
My mom has a limited repertoire, but what she does well, she does very very well. One that we always loved was lasagna. Not exciting to most I suppose, but she learned it from her friend's Sicilian grandma, and it's very, very good. We often didn't have much money, and this particular recipe was quite expensive to pull off on our family's limited budget. Also, the prep is pretty much an all day affair, and my mom was a career-gal. So, we didn't get it but a couple of times a year, usually for a special occasion.
She hasn't made it for us in years and years. I think I'll send her an email...
LoCo at 8:23PM on 05/05/08
my mom wasn't a cook but my dad did and he taught me to cook. He taught me how to make the best brownies you'll ever taste
teechbiz at 8:28PM on 05/05/08
My mom wasn't very into cooking but when we first moved to Canada one of the first dishes she made was Shake N Bake chicken, for memories alone this will always remind me of her.
PoignantTuna at 8:32PM on 05/05/08
My mom fed us scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rhubarb cobbler and lemon bars... So good!
PeanutButter at 8:36PM on 05/05/08
Some of my happiest memories are of the treats my mom made e.g. "clown sandwiches" (peanut butter spread on bread with various toppings to make clown faces with) and cupcakes baked in ice cream cones.
As for meals... I always love my mom's spaghetti, shepherd's pie, tuna casserole. Really, for all the yummy stuff she makes, it is these old standbys that I always remember when I think of home!
psychsarah at 9:01PM on 05/05/08
When I go home, I always ask my mom to make oxtail soup and nian gao (chinese rice cakes), among other tasty tasty things. we always ate nian gao at chinese new year, and her oxtail soup is just the tastiest stuff ever. I have fond memories of eating bowls and bowls of it.
wing at 9:29PM on 05/05/08
Fresh-caught rainbow trout, dipped in cornmeal, fried in bacon fat in a cast iron skillet.
Eilen at 9:41PM on 05/05/08
I don't remember a meal, but her hand-kneaded fresh-baked bread. Mmm...
madball911 at 9:44PM on 05/05/08
My Mom didn't think she was a good cook, but she was. She took great interest in reading recipes, and everything always came out great. My favorite meal was meatloaf, and angel food cake with a tunnel of chocolate whipped cream with cherries and walnuts.
pootieposh at 10:13PM on 05/05/08
My mom is gone and she was never much of a cook, but she always fixed something special for our birthdays-usually fried chicken-which she did really well. Now when I make fried chicken, she is on mind.
CarolHarrity at 10:18PM on 05/05/08
My mom made the best lasagna ever, tons of cheese and meat. As adults, we still ask for it on special occasions!
pauline15 at 10:23PM on 05/05/08
I'd have to say her shrimp pasta salad. I make it for my kids now and they love it too!
tmf315 at 10:30PM on 05/05/08
Any time I visit home I always ask for my mom's fried chicken and her gumbo (but in the same meal!)
tartlette at 10:48PM on 05/05/08
My mom's mac 'n cheese rocks!
Natalie at 10:52PM on 05/05/08
i'm not much of a baker, but my mom makes the best cheesecake. like, better than juniors. and she makes them dutifully (them because her recipe makes 2) for every birthday, first communion, anniversary, special day at work. but she only takes one to the event, and then leaves the other one at home. its the best.
anado at 11:05PM on 05/05/08
Bulgogi, Kimchi and all the fixins of a great Korean meal
bobfole at 11:37PM on 05/05/08
italian sausage spaghetti with anything she could find. canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, no tomatoes. always with plenty of olives and onions. the ultimate comfort food! (and this comes from a girl who can eat plain rice for breakfast)
thebluedot at 11:55PM on 05/05/08
Once when I was home for spring break, exhausted from my exams and shaken by a breakup, my mother made poached eggs for me. She buttered and cut my toast into triangles for dipping, just like when I was little.
butterface at 1:19AM on 05/06/08
My mother made the most delicious Chicken and Dumplings
janetfaye at 2:12AM on 05/06/08
So many of my mom's meals were memorable and delicious as she was a superior cook. The one thing I loved was her Tagalarini.....she got the recipe from a Campbells soup can. I've tried and tried since she's been gone to recreate it and have never succeeded I do miss that dish but more than anything I miss my mom and would give anything to serve her HER favorite dish and just see her smile and give me a hug for making it for her
Dove420 at 6:04AM on 05/06/08
My mom's wedding soup is the best ever.
clc408 at 7:08AM on 05/06/08
Fried Chicken Livers on Wide Amish Noodles with a white sauce.... makes me 12 again
Lemoyne at 7:16AM on 05/06/08
It was my dad. He piled a bunch of vegetables that were about to go bad into a wrap of tin foil and broiled them in the oven. Then he topped it with a can of beans and called it hobo stew. I'll never forget it.
poundcake at 7:27AM on 05/06/08
Oh, dear. By far, the most memorable meal was when I had a girlfriend spending the night when I was in middle school, and my mother had the bright idea to make a potato soup with tofu cubes thrown in and boiled with it. I have never, and I mean NEVER, been so disgusted by food.
sarahbeam at 8:36AM on 05/06/08
When I was little my mom used to cook something special every weekend. Usually it would take her all day to shop for the ingredients and prepare it. It was always a Vietnamese dish. I miss those days.
Laura78 at 8:38AM on 05/06/08
My Mom's chicken fried steak gravy and mashed potatoes. I have not been able to duplicate. Maybe it was the company and not so much the food. Thanks for this op
bb97036 at 8:49AM on 05/06/08
My mom used to make Manicotti her for my birthday every year.The stuff to make it cost so much that we only had it on my birthday
Jaleigh78 at 8:55AM on 05/06/08
My Mom's chicken fried steak gravy and mashed potatoes. I have not been able to duplicate. Maybe it was the company and not so much the food. Thanks for this op
bb97036 at 8:59AM on 05/06/08
I lived in the Virgin Islands when hurricane hugo hit. We didn't have electricity for 4 months. My mom made a tuna casserole on the grill. It was fantastic.
Venessa at 9:42AM on 05/06/08
meat loaf, mashed potatoes and lima beans
wish she was still here to do it again
misternat1 at 9:56AM on 05/06/08
Mom is a bit of a healthnut when it comes to her cooking, so of course for me her most memorable dish is laden with saturated fat and it was my go-to birthday meal:
- Italian-style meatloaf w/ garlic cloves in the corners and topped with bacon
- LeSeur (?) peas cooking in the excess fat drained from the meatloaf
- Egg noodles in a cheese sauce
Oh, now I want meatloaf and it's only 9am!
akeeran21 at 10:13AM on 05/06/08
clam bake or shrimp boil.
sillelin at 10:44AM on 05/06/08
My Mom used to make these little pizzas, smothered in cheese, out of english muffins. My brothers and I loved them. One day, she served what we thought were our favorite little pizzas. I bit into one, and promptly spit it out. She had disguised sliced eggplant to look like pizza!!!! Ugh !!!! I still loathe eggplant, but I do love my slightly twisted Mom.
debcon at 10:44AM on 05/06/08
My mom's spaghetti was so great, I can taste it now! Actually, most everything my mom cooked was great. I miss her so much!
KimMcConahay at 10:47AM on 05/06/08
The meal I remember most is toast with butter and jelly - sounds odd, I know, but she made it for me when I was very sick as an adult and it had been years since anyone took care of me.
AsTheNight at 10:52AM on 05/06/08
Christmas, 1955, Mom did the roast suckling pig with an apple in it's mouth. The memorable part was everyone was grossed out except me and my Dad. We loved it.
NO_Pam at 11:03AM on 05/06/08
The most memorable meal my Mom ever made for me was actually Lasagna. My family was very picky and this was the first time my mom actually ever made lasagna (when I was thirteen). It was served with French bread and a tossed salad. Yum!
Tirzah at 11:15AM on 05/06/08
Homemade spaghetti and meatballs
zekks at 11:29AM on 05/06/08
I dream of my mom's cheesecake and sour cream pound cake.
idahomom at 11:40AM on 05/06/08
My Mom's cooking was definately what i would call 'different'. One thing she used to make was 'tuna pasta' which consisted of spaghetti, tuna and mayo, or the infamous broiled tomato, which was a thick slice of beef steak tomato with a dollop of mayo and piece of cheddar cheese melted in the broiler. Thankfully, I managed to learn more conventional cooking skills (thanks 7th grade home ec)
mkboldin at 11:41AM on 05/06/08
My mother is an excellent cook. I have seen her make everything from a beautiful beef wellington to simple pot roast. I have had many memorable meals from her kitchen! It is hard to pick, but the most comforting (and therefore probably the most memorable) meal of hers would be beef vegetable soup accompanied by HER great grandmother's home made bread. Divine.
lakeloverhh at 11:45AM on 05/06/08
The one meal which stands out to me is a birthday dinner a couple of years ago. My mom made the best beef tenderloin with some twice baked potatoes. I wouldn't have had it any other way.
codasco at 11:53AM on 05/06/08
My mom made Chicken Continental..Yum!
dawns41 at 12:18PM on 05/06/08
Mom's Navy bean soup is the best!
dove1960 at 12:24PM on 05/06/08
One of my best memories is my mom making green pancakes on St. Patrick's Day.
mhazelb at 12:30PM on 05/06/08
My mom doesn't cook much, and her reperoire is quite narrow, but the few things she does make are her own recipes (with the exception of my grandma's chicken soup and kneidlach), and are fabulous. I have two favorites: 1) Her cottage fries, which are liberally doused in spicy paprika, covered in oil, and fried with onions until there's a glorious mixture of soft and cripsy in the pan. No other cottage fries I've ever tasted have even come close. 2) Her meat sauce, which is utterly dissimilar, and to my mind, way better, than traditional ragu. The meat is the main star of her concoction, with only a teensy bit of tomato sauce to amp up the juices. She cooks it in a skillet along with green peppers, mushrooms, worcester sauce, liberal amounts of oregano, and who knows what else. Served over linguine, it's the best Shabbat meal in the whole world!
Oh, and she knows her way around a capon better than anyone I've else I've ever encountered, too :-)
tacroy80 at 1:56PM on 05/06/08
my mom was the queen of leftovers and frugal cooking. I remember soups and stews that must have cost about $0.18/serving. Sadly, though, the most memorable meals were liver: a treat for my parents, torture for us.
Fiksu at 2:13PM on 05/06/08
lemon chicken
hedgehog at 2:29PM on 05/06/08
My mom's signataure dish - her spaghetti.
DePro at 2:54PM on 05/06/08
Homemade raviolis, the best, the supermarket and restaurant versions just can't compare!
Sunnyvale at 3:05PM on 05/06/08
Homemade chicken stew
deedleweedle at 3:07PM on 05/06/08
Meatloaf.
ghostamongyou at 3:12PM on 05/06/08
fried leftover spaghetti for lunch...it was the best!
mepolo at 3:33PM on 05/06/08
You said memorable - not good. I submit my mother's Halloween recipe for worm noodle soup.
Guess what gummy worms do in hot Campbell's chicken noodle? NOTHING GOOD.
KarynMC at 3:54PM on 05/06/08
she is a great cook.... pressed to choose, I would say a grilled BLT on homemade bread once when I felt so sick.. comfort food extreme...
awtane at 3:58PM on 05/06/08
hamburgers, potato soup and applesauce
llinda29 at 4:06PM on 05/06/08
My mom once made an amazing cream of chicken soup from scratch. I loved it, but my brother didn't, so she never made it again. Little brat.
cgretton at 4:25PM on 05/06/08
It has to be chocolate chip pancakes. I always felt like I was eating dessert rather than breakfast.
cher48603 at 4:44PM on 05/06/08
so many great meals prepared by mom ... hard to think of just one, but I guess I'd have to say all the great noodle soups she made me when I was a kid and not feeling well, and her egg rolls, dumplings, etc. Ah, and the scallion pancakes she would make for me as a snack when I got home from school..
mrsbao at 5:13PM on 05/06/08
Every other Sunday my Mom made us a big breakfast after we walked home from church- homemade biscuits, bacon or ham, fried eggs and milk gravy. Her gravy was wonderful. My Dad taught me to cut up my eggs (with their runny yolks), break up the biscuits, tear the meat into bite size pieces and cover it all with gray. I still love to do that!
myownplace at 5:21PM on 05/06/08
Macaroni and cheese
Freyacat at 5:34PM on 05/06/08
I remember an amazing leg of lamb dinner before Passover (so we'd have the lamb shank for the seder), with a sweet & sour glaze (probably just Saucy Susan(tm)), roasted potatoes, fresh spinach and apple pie for dessert.
Stushi at 5:35PM on 05/06/08
Almost impossible to answer this as my mom was a very good cook, but she made only one homemade soup: split-pea with sliced hot dogs. So good.
schnitzel at 5:43PM on 05/06/08
She once served seven meat dishes. Vegetables were hiding under the beef.
tracker at 6:03PM on 05/06/08
Macaroni and cheese, of course!
LIDARKSIDE at 6:13PM on 05/06/08
Mom makes real old-fashioned potato pancakes. They're awesome!
LINDALSHOT at 7:24PM on 05/06/08
my mom's been gone for 13 years now and i miss her every day....when i was a little kid an got sick she would take a slice of white bread, cut a hole in it with a water glass an fry it in a pan till it was almost crispy,then break an egg in the hole an cook it over easy,put it in a bowl an chop it all up.....the best comfort food i can think of....thanks mom!!!
onepercent99 at 7:35PM on 05/06/08
her amazing chicken soup--just like the soup HER mom would make...YUM
mama43 at 8:04PM on 05/06/08
Well like a lot of people on this board - my mother was not the greatest cook in the world... but she was the one who managed to put a meal on the table after working all day, coaching our soccer team, taking us to judo, Camp Fire girls, swim team, softball, chess team, school events, etc etc etc.... Maybe not an inspired foodie, but always there and always taking care of us...
Amidst overcooked mushy vegetables, creepy dry fish and rubbery seafood, Kraft macaroni & cheese, chicken Ala king boiling bags and frozen turkey pot pies one thing stands out... Chicken and Dumplings.... Made completely from scratch, thick golden broth, buttery egg noodles, huge fluffy buttermilk dumplings... just a warm steamy delicious bowl of comfort.... It's a part of my regular repetoire of dishes and it takes me back home every time ...
hmneilson at 8:06PM on 05/06/08
My mom was a terrible cook. She couldn't cook anything anyone would want to remember. But what she did for me was make me want to learn to cook myself so I'd have something good to eat and that's turned into a lifetime love of cooking, especially hot and spicy dishes.
patschraier at 8:25PM on 05/06/08
every Easter would have home made manicotti and aw wonderful baked ham dinner -- after which we finally allowed do to do your Easter baskets.
Made for a nice holiday
gala2 at 8:35PM on 05/06/08
My mom used to make me a WWII-rationing- era recipie that her mom used to make. Milk -Noodle Soup. Just hot milk, egg noodles, lots of margarin and tons of pepper. dosent sound like much, but thats what i want when the whole world treats me bad, Im sick and/or tired, or when I just miss my mommer
Colengal at 9:36PM on 05/06/08
Sounds silly but my most memorable item my mother made for us was cherry jello with bananas and whipped cream.
steadier571 at 10:42PM on 05/06/08
For as long as I can remember, I have always loved my mom's lemper ayam --- Indonesian rolls of sticky rice with chicken in the middle.
sharsd at 11:38PM on 05/06/08
My mother made the most delicious Turtle Soup. Simmer the meat slowly, seasonings added to taste. Broth mixed with a white sauce. Eat!
Memories! Turtle is not available here but could try catching one.
alleyooo at 12:24AM on 05/07/08
My mom hates to cook, but she loves brunch. She makes the best french toast I've ever had.
Littlebluesiren at 12:41AM on 05/07/08
2 things I always requested from her around my birthday, though they don't go together AT. ALL. Homemade creamy wild rice soup and her pecan pie. My gosh, so wonderful.
dizastress at 9:17AM on 05/07/08
Peach chicken and spaetzel
spanklin at 10:04AM on 05/07/08
the most memorable meal my mom cooked for me was the last one she ever cooked for me - seaweed soup while i was recovering postpartum with my first child..... i would give anything to eat that with her again.
chon76 at 11:14AM on 05/07/08
The most memorable meal my mother ever cooked for me was on a trip to Maine. She and a family friend planned and cooked a lobster feast, and they plunked a huge red lobster down in front of me, and I swore it was looking at me. I haven't been able to eat lobster since.
abs294 at 11:35AM on 05/07/08
prob reservations... LOL no ummm Veggie Kugel was a afmous dish for the jewish holidays or Chocolate Mousse
sln123 at 11:38AM on 05/07/08
pulled bbq beef
deckit at 12:05PM on 05/07/08
My birthday falls in mid March, so every year we celebrate it with family on St. Joseph's Day (or the closest Sunday to it). My mother cooks Pasta Milanese, stuffed artichokes, caponata, home made fig cookies, home made italian sesame seed cookies, and pignolatti for my birthday (and that St. Joseph guy). So I have to say that wins hands down.
The pignolatti would really be enough if you saw her make them. She actually makes them into cone shapes with here bare hands. (you have to form them while the sugar is till hot. she alternates between forming them and plunging her hands in ice water. it's borderline insane, but damn good.)
nowonmai11 at 1:33PM on 05/07/08
I remember her making schnitzel with hard boiled egg, anchovies and capers for garnish. Yum!
ShelleyJ at 1:47PM on 05/07/08
My mother's home made chicken soup entirely from scratch with lots of lemon juice like she would make it for me when I was sick.
CupcakeSweetie at 1:53PM on 05/07/08
Any of her bbq is fantastic!
dwarzel at 2:14PM on 05/07/08
Her home made spaghetti on my birthday. She slow cooks the sauce all day long to really make it the best ever. The thing that makes it the best? She does this for my birthday, in the middle of July, in her non air conditioned house. So by the time dinner is ready, everyone is eyeing the pool outside!
Tarah716 at 2:47PM on 05/07/08
My mother always made homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs. She also made something we call "popat" which is a sort of dumpling made with bread crumbs, eggs, and grated parmesan or romano cheese, that is fried in oil then cooked in the spaghetti sauce...YUM!
amylou61 at 3:03PM on 05/07/08
Minestrone soup according to my grandfather's recipe. I ate 3 bowls, and I was a picky eater...
linav8 at 3:17PM on 05/07/08
My favorite dish that my mom prepares used to be chicken parm. One day, when I was twelve, I asked her to teach me how to make it. That's when I first got interested in cooking for myself.
iyamapotato at 4:20PM on 05/07/08
It would be my mom's cabbage stew!
It's heavenly, various meats, veggies and spices,
mmmm delicious!
Thanks :)
nekineki at 4:35PM on 05/07/08
Memorable only because she served it so often - flank steak, frozen green beans and a dish of Del Monte Queen Anne cherries for dessert - with lots of yelling at the table in between.
Bria at 4:38PM on 05/07/08
Skillet chicken and rice, and silver-dollar pancakes many mornings before school.
donnajay at 4:48PM on 05/07/08
She once stepped WAY out of her comfort zone and made a spicy chicken and black bean soup with fresh roasted peppers and grilled avocado. Man alive that was good.
Then there was the other memorable meal (bad memorable) was when my mother tried to make my great-grandmother's gefilte fish recipe. She bought 22 lbs of fish instead of 2.2 and when all was said and done even the cats wouldn't go near it. Awesome.
Stufsocker at 5:02PM on 05/07/08
My mom used to make me chicken broth with little egg noodles and saltine crackers when I was little and had to stay home from school sick. Even now that I'm grown up, that's what I eat when I am sick - it makes me feel comforted.
ScienceandtheCity at 6:17PM on 05/07/08
Chicken and dumplings. Everything about that meal makes me feel like I am at home again. Amazing comfort food! :)
siuedee at 10:11PM on 05/07/08
Dutch babies, with cinnamon apples. Yay comfort breakfast food!
Jekyl at 11:26PM on 05/07/08
mom made a very fancy entree in aspic, which we kids all derisively called "jelled meat"
chromiumman at 12:54AM on 05/08/08
stufffed peppers
sandy89 at 7:38AM on 05/08/08
My mom was not an accomplished cook but she did have the goods on making a killer cornbread stuffing and giblet gravy for our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Everyone of her four children inherited the secrets to those two sides. What none of us can rival is her fried chicken and potato salad. As much as all of us try, the secret to those two dished went to the grave with her ;~(
Every time I eat either of those two dishes, they are measured by her standard. Never to be forgotten...
czken at 8:21AM on 05/08/08
I always called my favorite pasta "caper pasta," though it's more of a puttanesca without so much sauce going on. Penne with basil, garlic, tomatoes, kalamata olvies, capers and mozzarella. The first dish with real flavor I ever declared a favorite.
tortor at 9:33AM on 05/08/08
even though she was italian-born and bred and found american food (or any non-italian food, really) to be an insult against food, she knew that i loved roast beef, spaetzle and gravy, and would always make it for my birthday.
thursdaynightsmackdown at 10:45AM on 05/08/08
vietnamese style chicken noodle soup with the broad rice noodles, bean sprouts, a mixture of slice onions, chopped scallions and cilantro to top the dish off, shredded chicken by hand and a ladle of hot chicken broth over it all.
mchow at 10:51AM on 05/08/08
Mom suprised me with her Lemon Salmon baked in foil pouch. I didn't think she would be so creative but it tastes great and has the benefir of really easy cleanup.
terrylayla at 11:34AM on 05/08/08
Nothing like the smell of a roast beef dinner when we kids arrived home from a Sunday movie matinee on a cold and snowy winter afternoon.
raspberrypicker at 11:50AM on 05/08/08
French toast!
catalu at 11:58AM on 05/08/08
My mom didn't cook much ... she painted. Occasionally she'd pull a great one out of her hat, such as Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixins, right down to the cornbread stuffing, and an amazing "tablescape" as they call it now. BUT -- if a single dish can qualify -- her lemon meringue pie was from heaven. A rich lemony filling, just the right balance of puckery and sweet, in the perfect buttery pie shell, covered with mile-high meringue with the tips of the peaks browned just perfectly. It was a work of art.
aintnodieter at 12:09PM on 05/08/08
Always for my Birthday my Momma would make
:
A home-made chicken and noodle casserole (no canned cream of whatever soups in it)
LeSeur baby peas
Cranberry sauce
Homemade rolls
Yellow b-day cake w/ chocolate frosting and Dairy Queen Vanilla ice cream.
Best birthday meal ever!
Erinay77 at 12:22PM on 05/08/08
The best chicken-fried steak ever.
Mashed Potatoes with cream gravy.
Fresh green beans cooked with bacon and onion.
Macaroni and tomatoes.
Sweet iced tea.
Dear lord my mouth is watering now.
Delinia at 1:40PM on 05/08/08
meatloaf, mashed potatoes and slow cooked green beans with bacon & onion
kevlney at 1:44PM on 05/08/08
egg rolls--a big production but always worth it
bluebird at 1:46PM on 05/08/08
My mom makes the best meatloaf with mashed potatoes. I love that meal!
egreca at 1:59PM on 05/08/08
Lasagne and angel food cake with vanilla pudding frosting. Every year on June 9 for the past 40 years. Happy Birthday to me!
lambowner at 2:27PM on 05/08/08
Lasagna. She would make it for my birthday dinner because I loved it so much.
cherierj at 2:41PM on 05/08/08
On special occations, mom would make veal chop, breaded and fried and smothered in a tomato sauce with green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. I'm salivating just thinking about them.
silip at 2:56PM on 05/08/08
Cheesecake. A meal unto itself.
surplusj at 3:07PM on 05/08/08
chile rellenos- she even used a blow torch on the chiles!
toastworthy at 3:43PM on 05/08/08
My mom makes really great brownies, which she pairs with strawberries, ice cream and fudge. Yum!
laur_uic at 4:30PM on 05/08/08
A classic roast with potatoes and carrots
kamewh at 4:31PM on 05/08/08
I love my mom's chicken and dumplings. They are always my request.
malenky at 4:42PM on 05/08/08
Corned beef and cabbage. Because neither my brothers nor I had never seen it before, had no idea what it was or what possessed her to bring it into the house and feed it to us. It was a while before I could admit I like it.
renzata at 7:17PM on 05/08/08
her accidental meal of kids' rocket shaped pasta at a New Year's Eve dinner party
ebarrett at 7:19PM on 05/08/08
My stepmoms homemade chili
kygirl at 8:30PM on 05/08/08
My mother use to make oven fried chicken every Sunday. It was my favorite meal and one I can't replicate perfectly yet.
Gracie at 9:35PM on 05/08/08
The most memorable meal my Mom made for me was also the last she made for me. My wife and I travelled from OK to TN to visit my family. We had no idea my Mom's health would deteriorate so quickly and that it would be the last time we saw her healthy. My Mom made a Maltese ricotta cheese filled pastry called Pastizz