Picking up from part of the conversation in Family's post about sour kraut, besides that dish, I also loved how my Mom made spare ribs. Only the restaurant Chili's made 'fall of the bone' ribs even close to the way she used to do it. Another of my favorites was what we used to call 'Mama's' soup which was a derivative of what my maternal grandmother used to make from meat broth. I don't like any creamed soups, so Mom put together beef broth, V-8 juice, onion bits and noodles. I'd add in cheese crackers and ate it with gusto. It was the only thing I could enjoy and digest on my wedding day. Also enjoyed the cinnamon twists she used to make with the scrap dough from making pies. Brush on some melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake until slightly burned. I was never much of a cook or baker so these were a big treat when visiting family.

Yum-Yum

I grew up on a family farm in NW Iowa in the 1950's and 1960's. We never had much money - all my clothes were either sewn by my mother or purchased at a 2nd hand store. But, oh my, we did eat well! Mom baked bread once a week and she made home-made cinnamon rolls drenched in caramel twice a month. Her soups were epic and we all remember her home-made noodles hung over the backs of the kitchen chairs on a towel to dry. There was always beef, pork and chicken in the freezer. I remember being in a sweltering kitchen cutting seven bushels of sweet corn off the cob to put in the freezer. I like to make my own applesauce, but I put my cooked apples through an electric strainer. She would do 5 bushels of apples by using a wooden dowel in a cone-shaped colander!

What's interesting is all this appears to have rubbed off on both my sister and me as we both have huge gardens and do a lot of canning and freezing. We are also both known for our home made cooking!

My mom made the best fried chicken on the planet! And my dad made homemade biscuits and gravy! Yummmmmm

I used to cook all the time. Big hot breakfast every morning, hot lunch for the kids, and big big dinner. Then took a break for a long time, and now cook more than I'd like to (it hurts my back). However, I really don't like fast food, or processed foot, or take out, so it's cook or not eat. Though son cooks for us quite often. I'd cook far less if the g'kids didn't live with us.

From being a very young wife, I've always made the majority of meals for everyone "from scratch" .... so I knew exactly what was going in them !!
And still do so today. Even though meals now are mainly for just little ol' me


Plus I always made my own bread and baked my own cakes and pies.
But not that so much in the last few years.
[ Too many health issues ]

Both my Daughters are excellent cooks though so I'm happy to eat whatever THEY make

i love cooking, i miss cooking class, i got recipes off the internet, our teacher gave me some, but i am the only one eating pasta, rice, potatoes, my hubby on a low carb diet. last thing we made is tater tot casserole, i have some leftovers in the freeze.