What are your family’s top 3 favorite meals?
There were so many things that my mother made which were delicious and memorable. One of these that really sticks out from childhood are the beef 🥩 stews she would make during the winter months when hearty, comfort food was needed the most. Along the with the beef, the carrots🥕 potatoes 🥔 and celery were always nice and tender. The gravy was always just right too, never too thick or too thin. We would have it with fresh French bread and butter, or sometimes she would change it up a little and we would have Pillsbury biscuits instead, but either way it was always good 😊.
I can almost taste all of this now, while writing about it! Her chicken soups 🍜 were also great during the fall and winter and to give it even more flavor she would add the diced, stewed tomatoes into the broth and put a couple of bay leaves into the soup as well, for another dash of flavor – and it also added to that mouth-watering aroma that would drift through the house. The spaghetti 🍝 dinners mom made were meals that we enjoyed at least twice a month – including the meat balls made with Parmesan flavored bread crumbs. Unforgettable stuff! Sometimes when I make spaghetti now, I’ll add extra green Bell Peppers 🫑 and sautéed mushrooms into the sauce🍄 like she used to do.
Summer salads were also a big part of our household growing up. One of the best was the fresh spinach leaf salad she made🥗 with chopped, fresh tomatoes 🍅 and candied pecans with vinaigrette dressing was something else we looked forward to. On these days my father would grill burgers 🍔 and hot dogs 🌭 to go with the salad. Those were definitely some of the best times growing up. Before I forget…another dish we loved 🥰 was Mom’s macaroni & cheese 🧀! She would always make this with elbow macaroni and white cheddar cheese which bubbled, and browned on top just right when pulled out of the oven. This was great either as a main course or as a side dish, so we had it fairly often.
We also enjoyed Scalloped Potatoes (the yellow cheddar variety) with chunks of ham, which was extra scrumptious with the browned crispness on top – just like with the macaroni & cheese. When I make this now, sometimes I will add steamed broccoli 🥦 florets and this is a delicious added twist that also provides a splash of color to the meal 🥘 as well. Anyways,?that’s all for now. I could go on forever about favorite 🤩 family meals – and I’ve talked about more than three of them as the prompt suggested.
Now, it’s time to finish up making Thanksgiving Dinner. 🦃 Happy 😃 Holidays everyone!
