Mom the Family Cook

Bob

So this post doesn't get roundly and immediately denounced for being sexist, let me state her professional credentials upfront.  A teacher for what, decades?  I can't tell you how many times young kids came up to Mom and me when we ate out at restaurants in Los Alamitos.  They just loved Mom and had to come over and tell her how she was the best teacher they ever had.  The kids that Mom taught appreciated her in such a sincere way I was always moved to watch them come over and talk to her.  Politicians yammer on and on about nothing that adds up to anything at all but Mom showed how you change the world, one child at a time.

Have you ever had Mom's ground beef on mashed potatoes dish?  Oh my goodness.  Her tacos had this great mix of ingredients with the meat cooked in a hot pan of grease if memory serves.  Also, a mean flat tortilla with melted cheese on it, properly salted.  I don't understand the obsession over exotic food, I don't care about that, I care about how good it tastes. I like diverse food, and I have been to some of the greatest restaurants in Los Angeles, but I thought on several occasions this isn't as good as Mom's food.  Give me comfort food....Mom made great spaghetti that tasted even better the second day, somehow.  (I believe it was at the top of Jim's narrowly drawn Acceptable Meals list, along with hot dogs.)  A beautiful poached egg on toast.  All kinds of great dishes, she has said she started out as a terrible cook and pretty much experimented on Dad. That cracks me up now that I think about it...figuring early on Dad was probably thinking, okay, time for a second gin and tonic.  One thing is for certain, she got better...to hear Mom's food was on the table was always the best part of my day.
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Bill

Bob, thanks for all the memories! I agree, Mom was both a consummate professional in the best sense of the word, as well as a great Mom to five challenging children.

As far as her cooking, as I recall, because of her busy schedule and limited resources, she had a number of dishes/meals in her repertoire that we rotated through on some kind of a schedule. I remember Friday nights were fish sticks because the Catholics did not eat meat on Friday.

The ground beef on mashed potatoes were also a favorite of mine. I guess a form of meat and potatoes. Tacos were also near the top of the list and continued on as "Taco Tuesday" after I moved out and we would come back every Tuesday night for dinner with Mom and Dad.

One of my favorite stories about Mom's transformation as a chef was the 1st meal she cooked for Dad. As I recall the story, Grandma Ala had coached her on how to make an "exotic" meal something like a steak with a roasted slice of pineapple twisted on top. Dad's reaction, may be passed down through Bob and the rest of us, was something like "That's a great way to ruin a great steak."

I may have gotten the story wrong but it seems to me there are 2 lessons there. 1st, Mom could have rightfully been outraged and demanded an apology. Instead, living by her faith, she probably was the one who gave an unnecessary apology, turning the other cheek, and focusing on becoming a better cook. Her example of love, born of humility and sacrifice, was amazing to me and I believe everyone who has ever known her. She lives the Golden Rule better than anyone I have ever known and we are so blessed to have grown up with a Mom who was and is so Christlike.

Bob, again, thanks for bringing back these memories. As an amateur family historian, I am wishing there was a way to capture these and preserve them for posterity. 11 years ago on dad's birthday, I created a blog for that purpose ("Chapman Family Blog") but after only one entry (Summarizing my thoughts about the camping trips dad wrote about in his 15 page paper, ""See the USA Camping - The Chapmans," I abandoned the project. Maybe I will go back and start using that as a place to capture these memories in one place. Thoughts?
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Bob

I remember three young girls coming over to our table when we were having dinner at the Original Fish Co to see Mom.  They were super excited to see her and well before the Internet meme, I remember thinking, find somebody who looks at you the way these girls look at Mom.  And speaking of Mom's spaghetti, Bill, do you remember how young Jim loved it and was always asking for it and pronounced it as "bisghetti"?  Sweet...
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Vicki

So true and don't forget about her delicious chocolate pie a Sunday staple when we were growing up. I used to diet all week to have a piece on Sunday :)
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Kathi

I say amen to everything written. Taco Tuesday’s that I carried on in our family and Laci carried on in hers, mom’s chocolate pie (better than any other chocolate pie out there!!) and her lasagna - best ever and  Dad’s grilled hamburgers were my favorites along with the ground beef mashed potatoes and gravy which is now one of Robins favorites as well. Mom’s dinners were THE BEST!!
Mom made a recipe box for all the girls in our family, so many hand written that I have seen all my girls use! I am packing up Laci’s house and her box was used as well as I saw her notes added to high light her families favorites recipes. What a treasure!
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Bob

Thanks Kathi so nice to hear your memories, so lovely.  Couldn't agree more....I remember when I got a little older and for the first time ordered spaghetti at a nice restaurant.  They brought it out and I looked at it and I thought to myself that isn't how you make spaghetti...lol.  Needless to say, it not only didn't look right, it wasn't nearly as good as Mom's spaghetti.