A Freezer Full of Fixin's

  This weekend lived up to its name. Labor Day weekend and boy did I labor! I spent my lovely long weekend trying my hand at OAMC. (Once A Month Cooking). I now have a freezer stocked with chocolate chip cookies, meat pies, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, lemon-dill chicken, squash casserole, breakfast sausage patties, & plain white rice. So far we've had the breakfast sausage on english muffins and they are divine! Who knew that a lil' apple in the mix could impart such a lovely flavor and prevent the patties from becoming hard little pucks??!!!

  All this cooking just made me wish I lived closer to my Mum. She still cooks up big meals daily, not for her family, but for the hoards of company my parents get at their house. I know why they get so many visitors. My mom is an excellent cook. She really knows how to make scrumptious meals on a budget. In fact, she used to tech a budget cooking class at the alternative school in Barrhead, Alberta. (For the kids who were basically considered societal outcasts). My mom could relate to those kids. She didn't talk down to them or treat them like others had. She befriended them and showed them how they could have a love for cooking. Cheap food could be great food.
I never did much cooking when I was at home. Why would I with a live-in chef? She taught my brother and I that all food must be tried before a decision could be made against it. I've eaten tripe in a Vietnamese restaurant, and I loved it! We ate liver a lot growing up, and if prepared right, it is wonderful! "You need to know how to prepare a food to really enjoy it." Calamari is superb if it is not overcooked, but just a flash second too long and you'll be eating tire-rubber. But, back to the budget... We had a garden and those fresh veggies stretched many a meal. grated carrot in the meatloaf... potato pancakes for supper... Yes, we ate brussel sprouts, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, parsnips, rutabagas. And I still love every one of them to this day. It is all in the preparation.

  When I became a vegetarian in middle school, did my mother turn up her nose at the idea? No. To her it was another opportunity to try some new foods. We had marinated fried tofu. Baked tofu. We used pre-packaged vegan ground in place of hamburger for tacos, in meat sauces, lasagna, shepard's pie. We tried tempeh and TVP in place of chicken. We ate mushroom 'burgers'. From my mom I learned so much about venturing into the unknown and thriving in the process. Sure, I still have flops, but it is from these that I learn what actually works. I am fearless in my kitchen, and I love every second of it!