**Edited** I just realized this is my 500 post. Who would have thought I'd have so much to say--LOL?
My husband informed me he googled "romance reading mom" for the first time today. I'm not sure whether or not I should be insulted as I've been at this for 1 1/2 years--LOL.
He tells me this as I was sitting down to write a "husband" post.
Over the weekend he asks me to make Chicken Cacciatore. I cook Italian all the time, but this is one I never had growing up*** and never think to make. He has fond memories of "Grandma's," so I decided to give it a try. Find a recipe over at The Food Network and ran to the store to pick up the ingredients I didn't have in the pantry. Between preping and cooking it took 3 hours. "It's not like Grandma's. It's not bad, but not the same."
Great. So while talking to my MIL today I mention I need to get Grandma's recipe. And there's silence on the other end...
MIL -- "Grandma who?"
Me -- "Grandma C____."
MIL -- "Grandma never made Chicken Cacciatore."
Me -- "He swears it was the only thing Grandma cooked when you went for dinner."
MIL -- "He's crazy, it was baked chicken parts with tomato paste and oregano. Grandma wasn't much of a cook and she never made 'Italian'--she hated garlic."
Well, baked chicken parts and tomato paste would have been a heck of a lot easier. I was going to email his cousin for the recipe, she would have thought I was nuts.
And a quick kid story, I'm giving up on the Child Free Zone--LOL.
While I was out getting capers and olives for the Cacciatore, my son was home with Daddy. When I got back I could smell popcorn. Mmmm, it smelled really good. It turns out Junior got tired of waiting for me to get home (Daddy's directions) and decided to make it himself while Daddy was upstairs. When his father smelled the popcorn, he came down and found him sitting in the living room with a great big bowl watching TV.
***Apparently we did have this growing up, but it was so bad, I've blocked it from my memory. So says my sister. Honestly, I don't remember ever having it. Mom's a great cook so I can't imagine it was bad... But then again, she did cook cow's tongue when we were little too--we revolted against that, yuck and double yuck.
20 comments:
ROTFL about Grandma's Chicken Cacciatore. I can identify because ain't it always the truth that those "special" favorites were usually something tossed together in a hurry? :D
Oh, WOW. That's a great story. You can get great mileage out of that one. It's not as insulting as the 'old eggs' comment, but it's way funnier.
Bev, since it was the only thing he ate at Grandma's I guess he'd have good memories--LOL.
Amanda, I forgot about 'old eggs', you know the man needs a good smack once in a while.
LOL, Tara. Maybe Grandma told him it was Chicken Cacciatore. Or maybe he's just remembering a delusional fantasy.
you know the man needs a good smack once in a while
Don't they all???
That is so funny - and so true. My husband raved about his grandmother's vegitable soup - I wondered if it was some family recipe - well, sort of. Ready made leak and potato soup with angel hair pasta.
LOL!
Men!
Both stories were great, Tara. I can just imagine you going through all the trouble of puting together this wonderful meal ~ and then to find out it's chicken parts and tomato paste?! Agh!
I could also see Junior with his big bowl of popcorn. What initiative he has!
That's classic.
I'm pretty sure I've brought up the Puritan Beef Stew story but let's do a short trip. Bob loves PBS so I'm thinking I'll give him a real treat by making homemade beef stew from scratch. Takes a bite and says, nope, I prefer the stuff in a can.
I let him live.
CindyS
Jenster, more like remembering a delusional fantasy. When I talked to him before, he wanted to know about the "old eggs" comment, but he didn't mention the you know the man needs a good smack once in a while. LOL
Sam, You have to wonder about some of the things they remember from childhood.
Devonna, Initiative, hmmm, I'd probably call it something else--LOL.
Cindy, your stew works right there with my cacciatore.
My mom used to give us cow's tongue, too. She served it with a vinaigrette, and we all loved it. Until we once saw the raw tongue in the kitchen waiting to be cooked, that is. We refused to eat it again after that.
Oh, and we also ate cow's bone marrow, what we call caracú here. But that one wasn't hidden from us, we'd scoop the marrow out of the boiled bone and spread it on bread.
Congrats on 500 posts. I'm a neophyte compared to you...only 190 or so.
BTW, chicken cacciatore is a favorite in my family. We make it with potatoes. Yum!! My husband's mom was not a very good cook so he thinks I'm a fantastic cook. Poor guy...I refuse to burst his bubble though. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.
Congratulations on your 500 posts!
Congrats on 500! And I love the chicken story too. Isn't it funny what we remember from childhood is so different from what's reality when we are grown?
Rosario, there's nothing worse than looking at a giant cow's tongue, yuck. We never had bone marrow, but parents and MIL did.
Rosie, I made it with potatoes too, he made a face at that, when I reheated it I cooked the chicken in the oven until it was crispy and made spaghetti with it. He was very pleased with that.
Jane and Kristie, thank you.
Kristie, we have such different memories as adults, it's like visiting somewhere you went as a kid that used to seemed larger than life but turns out to be so much smaller.
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wOoT!
I can post again!!!!! YAY! no more signing in other crap!
Well, Mom never tried to make cow's tongue, but she did cook liver once. I would put a bite in my mouth and then when she wasn't looking I'd spit it in my napkin. Then I hid it all in the mailbox. The mailman wasn't too happy, but Mom never made liver again.
I have an ex whose mother despised me on sight and never really got past it. I tried really hard to get her to like me, and thought I was making progress.
We lived in the same town, and one day I ran into her in the grocery store. She starts pointing at items in my cart.
"L won't eat that. Or that. Oh, and he hates that."
About that time L walks up with a bag of carrots.
"L, you don't eat carrots!" says Mom.
"Oh, I eat lots of things now I didn't used to eat, Mom. Toni's a much better cook than you."
I left his body in the frozen foods.
Sybil, welcome back :D
Devonna, I actually like liver, but never make it because my husband refuses to eat it. My sister was a terrible eater. When we were little, we lived on the fourth floor of and she would scrape the food out the kitchen window while my mother washed the dishes.
Toni Lea, LOL... my husband is a little more diplomatic, he just tells me to help cook when we're all together.
oops
I got so excited I forgot to say happy 500 post ;)
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