My mother was an excellent cook - not a chef - a cook. She could really dish out the comfort foods. Early in my parents' marriage, she made a pie almost every day, a skill which by the time I came along 20 years later was absolutely perfected.

Having been a child of the fifties, the evening meal was family time. We all ate together and shared the days events. It was almost always a large meal and never a meatless meal. The usual fare was chicken (fried of course), pot roast, salmon croquettes, broiled steak, spaghetti and meat sauce, or a meaty casserole as the main dish. We always had a garden salad, a green or yellow vegetable, and a starch - potatoes, or the pasta in the casserole. There was dessert, often pie although she could make a mean chocolate mayonnaise cake which we all loved.

Breakfast was a must. There were choices such as oatmeal, cold cereal, bacon and eggs, and pancakes or waffles, but there was not a choice as far as whether or not to eat. No one left the house without breakfast.

Lunch was a sack lunch for school if we opted out of eating the school lunch; I, however, loved the school lunches. They were different than they are today. They were run by persons who really cooked. One of my favorite food memories is school enchiladas. Yum. It has been years since I had any that tasted quite like them. During out of school time lunch consisted of Mom's tuna salad sandwiches, hamburgers (homemade) with all the fixings, or crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with sides of potato chips or corn chips and deviled eggs, or a chef's salad full of good stuff complemented with Ritz crackers. Most of those things are still favorites of mine today and the things I prepared for my own family.

A snack we often enjoyed was watermelon - black diamonds - sweet, red and juicy. I cannot see one today without thinking of my mother. That was without a doubt her all time favorite food. She also loved her coffee. She gave us sips of milk and sugar with coffee from the time we were very small. I still love a good cup of coffee but drink it black these days. The aroma of brewing coffee can conjure up fond memories of coffee time with Mom.

My dad loved food, period. I cannot think of a thing he didn't like, particularly if Mom cooked it, but her pies were his favorite. She made the crust, fillings, and meringue from scratch. Her crust was short and salty; her fillings were thick, creamy, and flavorful; and her meringues were the fluffiest and tastiest I've ever had. Mom baked pies until she was 95 years old. She passed away before she turned 96, but she died famous for her pies locally. She could take a pie to a missions auction, and it would bring 40 or 50 dollars. My sister, sister in law and I have all tried our hands at Mom's pies (She didn't have recipes - She did it by "touch and taste". Not one of us has been particularly successful; however, my adult son decided to attempt it. I gave him the best instructions I could, and he took it from there, and after two or three tries has almost perfected it - especially the chocolate. We are all thrilled that finally we can enjoy that wonderful treat again and share memories of Mom together while doing so.

Learn more about this author, Linda Burleson.
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