[dweck]

The "Watching Mom Bake" thread brings back such memories. I've made no bones about the fact that my mother was no cook; she just wasn't interested in the time/care to prep a savory meal. We ate -- and ate relatively well -- but she definitely operated from a more slap-dash approach to cooking.

Except with her baking.

She made the most delicious pies. And had a vanilla cake recipe that was handed down from HER mother that was really good. Christmas cookies. Etc.

I LOVED seeing her drag out her Sunbeam Mixmaster:

And the sugar and flour. And firing up the oven. And how she always let me sniff the vanilla extract.

Good things were coming.

I can still //hear// the whir of that mixer................

 

[coppercleaner]

Wow, thank you for the memories......my Mom had that exact same mixer. How I would love to be able to see her just 1 more time in her flowered apron, flour dust up to her elbows, and her favorite pie pan at the ready. How very precious those times were.

A few weeks ago, I saw a woman in the grocery store shopping with her elderly mother. She was obviously getting quite exasperated trying to help Mom pick out canned okra. Quietly, I told her that some time in the future, just seeing a can of okra will bring a smile to her face, and a tear to her eye.

Yeah, thanks for the memories.

 

[jzgrlduff]

Did she let you lick the spoon?

 

[blacklabparent]

That was how I learned to love cooking & baking. I helped Mom & Dad in the kitchen from a very young age. My Dad loved to try new things, and watched cooking shows on tv religiously. We made authentic Chinese food, Italian, Polish, as well as more traditional fare. I still remember helping Dad make wonton wrappers from scratch. Keep in mind this was in the 70's & 80's, so making your own chinese food from scratch was pretty "innovative". We were the only ones I knew (other than Asian people) who had a wok, and it was the old-school kind that Dad bought at an Asian grocery downtown. It is because of my Dad that I will read a cookbook like a novel, cover to cover, and am never afraid to try something new. He also taught me the importance of infusing a bit of yourself onto everything you make. "Make it yours" he would say. To this day I cannot get my sauce for cabbage rolls to taste exactly like dad's although I use his recipe. I am quite certain he is holding out some special ingredient, or ammount of something. Mom was more of a baker. She cooked the traditional type meals, but baking was her thing. Baking is scientific and exact, and I learned to bake fluffy biscuits and the flakiest pie crusts from mom. I hope my children enjoy being in the kitchen with me as much as I did when I was young.

 

[jzgrlduff]

You can just cut and paste this in my new thread, T.

 

[amazongold]

She made the most delicious pies. And had a vanilla cake recipe that was handed down from HER mother that was really good. Christmas cookies. Etc.

I LOVED seeing her drag out her Sunbeam Mixmaster:

I can still //hear// the whir of that mixer................

My Mom and grandmother had the same mixer!

 

[dweck]

Did she let you lick the spoon?

Of course!!

My mom also used to dazzle us when removing a cake from a tube pan. I cannot remember all the choreography, but at one point, for a millisecond, she would use her nose to push the center cone through the middle of the cake.

She also made what we called "Depression Frosting," which involved a 2x boiler, egg whites, mellted jelly, and copious amounts of whisking.

I loved that frosting. Haven't had it in years.

She made great tapioca, too. I've tried, but I cannot get that right either.

 

[Mama3tikes]

Dan I have my Grandmothers mixer...You could of taken the picture here in my kitchen (only my bowls are pink).

 

[gailatmsu]

I remember helping my grandmothers and my mom by the time I was walking well. I was cooking small meals for the family around 10 (Jake will be 8 soon and I can't imagine letting him cook anything alone yet - lol). I always loved helping them, and I still love to cook today.

Jakob and Brandon help me in the kitchen now. Brandon enjoys it more than Jakob - he even volunteers to wash the dishes (and we don't have a dishwasher)! I always let him do it, but I end up having to re-wash them before I can put them in the cabinet. He enjoys helping though, and I appreciate the effort. Brandon loves the kitchen though...probably his favorite "us" activity. If he keeps this up, he's going to make a good husband one day! lol