The Greatest Cook of All Time.....

......My mom. I think the majority of people grow up thinking their mother is the best cook in the world. It's what we know and it's what we get used to. Not everyone grew up with the luxury of having a home cooked meal, either by mom or dad. I was one of the lucky ones. Sure there was bickering and some arguing, and sometimes it seemed like the perfect format to gripe at us, but for the most part I remember meal times fondly. Delicious, home cooked food with tons of flavor. And gravy. I remember lots of gravy.

  There were six people in my family growing up. We were not rich but mom and dad provided for us. My mom made $30 a week babysitting and that was where the majority of the grocery money came from. I can honestly say I never once went a day where I was hungry or didn't get enough to eat. She was a master at making things stretch to feed a whole family. And she could make anything taste good, even Spam. I've also noticed when I compare new recipes I find to the ones my mom used to make, her's has about five or six less ingredients than the new one, and tastes ten times better. All this with a very modest kitchen (not even an automatic dishwasher).

I'm pretty sure I got my GIGANTIC sweet tooth from her. She was and still is always making some kind of cake or cookie or pie. Her birthday cakes are better than anything you'll ever get from a store or bakery.

 My mom's house is the one where everyone goes for holidays, because of the quality and quantity of food. They have counted up to fifty people at Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are relatives, friends, neighbors of relatives, neighbors of friends, etc. She never has and never will turn anyone away.

So thank you mom, for my love of food and cooking (and possibly high cholesterol).