Two Years

Wombat

September 30, 1942 - November 1, 2009

1945

1980

2003

2008

I am still adrift. I miss you, Mom.

Recipe: Mom's Pork Chop and Stuffing Bake

Wombat's on my mind an extra amount these days, now that we're at the two year mark of her passing.  This was one of her winter comfort food recipes, and is a taste of my childhood.

 

PORK CHOP AND STUFFING BAKE

• 2 – 2 ½ C. herb seasoned stuffing mix (do not use Stove Top)
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 C. whole kernel corn
• ½ C. Craisins (optional)
• 1 C. onion, finely chopped
• ½ C. celery, finely chopped
• 4 boneless pork chops, ¾-1” thick
• 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Spicy brown mustard

1. Mix stuffing, soup, corn, Craisins, onion and celery.  Spoon into casserole that has been sprayed with Pam.  Top with chops.
2. Mix sugar and mustard and spoon over chops.
3. Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes or until done (165 internal temp. of pork chops).

Serves 4


~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

52 Weeks/52 Letters

Katy at "The Non-Consumer Advocate" (one of my FAVORITE blogs) has put forth a challenge for 2011: Writing one letter or postcard each week for all 2011. Read more about it HERE.

OK, I am all over this! I used to - like, in the 80s and 90s - write tons of letters and postcards, send packages and treats and surprises and mix tapes and... well, you get the idea (note to a certain reader in Portland: Remember the plastic fish mail?!). 

The correspondence between my mom and me when I was an undergrad in the late 80s was a vital part of my existence, and I ended up with a box of those letters last fall.  I've only looked at a few, as it still makes me miss her too much, but her voice is so strong in those writings that I know they will be a source of comfort and happiness in the future.

So, "IRL" friends and family - expect some letters to come your way this year! And maybe I'll have a chance to connect in a new way to some online friends.

Bring on the snazzy stamps! I'll be reporting back on how it's going, and I'd love to know if you're going to take up pen and paper, too.

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Image credit

Swiss Steak

Another of Mom's recipes. This is how she wrote it out for me when I went off to college almost 25 years ago. Good with rice or egg noodles on a cold night! Can also be done in the CrockPot.

 

Swiss Steak

• Round steak -  thick cut
• Onion
• Green pepper
• Beef bouillon OR 20 oz stewed or chopped tomatoes

1. Preheat oven to 300.
2. Slice onion and pepper; separate into rings.
3. Trim fat from round steak; cut into serving size pieces.
4. Put flour and pepper into large baggie; put in 1 – 2 pieces of meat at a time to coat.
5. Brown flour-coated meat in skillet (spray w/ Pam or use small amount of Crisco).  Brown on both sides.
6. Put meat in casserole dish (spray with Pam first).
7. Sauté onion and pepper lightly.  Add to casserole dish with meat.
8. Make 1 – 2 cups bouillon OR use 20 oz tomatoes – pour over meat and vegetables in casserole.
9. Bake approx. 1 hour or until tender.

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

This is Wombat's favorite pumpkin pie recipe. I'm sure she got it off the back of a can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, or possibly off the back of a Libby's Pumpkin can. However, there's no attribution on the recipe (just sayin', so nobody accuses me of plagiarizing a food company's recipe). Anyway, Mom usually made at least two pumpkin pies  for Thanksgiving - one to eat at the dinner, and one to have as leftovers for the next several days! She also almost always made her fabulous cherry pie as well, since neither Mr. nor Mrs. Igor are fans of pumpkin (weirdos).

PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE

• 1 can pumpkin (15 or 16 oz. for 2 C.) - NOT pumpkin pie mix
• 1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ground cloves (optional)
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell or deep dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 425

1.    With wire whisk, beat pumpkin, Eagle Brand, eggs, spices and salt.

2.    Pour into crust.  Bake 15 minutes.

3.    Reduce oven heat to 350 and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean.

4.    Cool.  Garnish as desired.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Lower fat version:  Use Reduced Fat Eagle Brand Sweetened  Condensed milk and substitute 4 egg whites for 2 eggs

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Nearly Wordless Wednesday 11/3/10

Mom and me, camping, circa 1980.

(GolfDad is in the background)

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

Ten Things Tuesday 11/2/10

 Mom giving GolfDad some kinda "look!"

My house, summer 2008

Ten cool things about my mom:

1. The paper she gave me to draw on as a young child was the backs of old, mimeographed high school English worksheets left over from her teaching days. I liked doing the grammar exercises on the back more than I liked drawing!

2.  We had the same car - RAV-4s. Mine is "Titanium," hers was "Emerald Mist."

3.  Most of my holiday decorations were made by her - pillow covers, Christmas tree ornaments, Kleenex cozies, and more.

4.  I could always call her to find out where things were located in stores, which was often easier than finding an employee.

5.  She made sure softball, soccer, swimming, water polo, drama camp, piano lessons, and many more things were a part of my life.

6.  She knew how to laugh! Humor was always a big part of our lives.

7.  She knew how to cook and sew, and made sure I  could do at least 50% of that. We were finally getting around to the sewing part in her last months before getting sick again.

8.  She liked camping, so we liked camping. The last family camping trip of my (relative) youth was in about 1988, at Carlsbad State Beach... now THAT is a trip that will never be forgotten! Just ask Igor.

9. BOOKS... READING... my mom was ALL OVER IT!

10. She was just. dang. cool.

Miss you, Squatty Wombat....

~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)

One Year...

... feels like an eternity, feels like just a second ago. Miss you so much, Mom.

Mom's Arroz Mexicano

This is the Wombat's recipe for Arroz Mexican (Mexican Rice).  When we have it this week with quesadillas, I am going to attempt to modify it to use brown rice (mainly will need to adjust coking time, and possibly amount of liquid). If you missed the menu post, you can see it here. I will post a picture after we make the rice this week.

Mom's Arroz Mexicano

 
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper, red and/or green
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 ¾  cups water, chicken broth, or combination
½ cup chunky salsa
Frozen corn, peas, carrots, etc.

In skillet, sauté rice, onion, and peppers in butter/olive oil until onion and peppers are tender and rice is lightly browned.

Gradually add liquid; stir in salsa.

Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Stir in frozen vegetables of choice – if serving immediately, add vegetables about 5-7 minutes before rice is done.

 

Mom's Tuna Casserole Recipe

Neither Brother Igor nor I like fish.  I'll eat tuna salad, but that's about it... except for THIS. THIS is the tuna casserole recipe that our mom made when we were growing up, and we both still like it today (however, Mrs. Igor, Mr. Mamie, and GolfDad are NOT fans). The Igor Children like it, too.  To me, this is "comfort food," and it is "MOM."  I made a good-sized casserole yesterday so that Igor could take a few containers up north, and so that I could stash some in the freezer for my work lunches.

The recipe follows.  DO NOT put in cheese, or peas, or anything else... if you do, it's WON'T be MY MOM'S!

Brother Igor and Wombat (Mom) on my front patio, Memorial Day 2009. 

We didn't have Tuna Casserole, but the food was good anyway!

MOM'S TUNA CASSEROLE

1 can  Cream of Celery soup
8-10 oz. milk
2 cans (6 ½ oz.) tuna, drained well
2-3 C. cooked pasta (rotini)
buttered bread crumbs

1.    Mix soup and milk in 1 ½ qt. casserole; add tuna and pasta; stir.

2.    Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.  Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs on top and bake additional 15-20 minutes.

For larger quantities:

3 cans Cream of Celery soup
3 soup cans Milk
4 cans tuna
1 lb. rotini

Family Dinner for Mom's Memorial

Here are the photos from our all-family Thanksgiving dinner that was part of Mom's Memorial.

Best Mom Ever, in Pictures!

Mom's Party Mix

Wombat and GolfDad at one of Nephew's football games, October 2008.

A family tradition for many, many years has been that football season = party mix season.  You know fall has arrived when our homes are filled with the sounds of football on the TV and mouths crunching party mix!

Mom made great party mix, the recipe for which follows.  Over the years, Igor and I have both tended to make more "sauce" and kick up the spiciness with additional red pepper flakes or some cayenne - we like our flavors a little more intense.

Mom's Party Mix

One 12.3 ounce box Rice Chex cereal
One 8 ounce bag pretzel sticks
3 cups mixed nuts
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1¼ teaspoons crushed red peppers

Spray large roasting pan with non-stick coating.  Dump cereal, pretzels, and nuts (in that order) into pan.

In small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter.  Stir in lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and crushed red pepper.   Let mixture heat almost to boiling, stirring constantly.

Drizzle butter mixture over cereal mixture, constantly stirring and lightly tossing cereal mixture .

Bake at 250 degrees for 60 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes during baking.

Munch, crunch, and enjoy!

Mom's Baked Mashed Potatoes

This is me and Mom and Molly, the Thanksgiving that GolfDad was in China on business (about 7 or so years ago).  

We had dinner at a friend's mom's house out in the California desert.  

It was a fun trip, even if we did sit in traffic on I-5 forever and later got a flat tire!

There are many recipes for make-ahead mashed potatoes, potato casseroles, etc., but the one Mom's been making for the last few years comes from Giada DeLaurenti's "Everyday Italian" and is WONDERFUL!  The key is the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in the potatoes, and the yummy crumb topping.

This recipe can be easily doubled (which is what we did for our Early Thanksgiving dinner of 19 people, which yielded just enough leftovers to make Shepherd's Pie later in the week), and can also be made a day or two in advance - just allow for a longer cooking time (get the casserole out of the fridge in plenty of time to start coming to room temperature).

 BAKED MASHED POTATOES

4 lbs. Potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 C Milk
½ C (1 stick) butter
1½ C grated mozzarella
1 C grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp plain dry bread crumbs

1.    Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, 15-20 minutes.  Drain; return potatoes to the same pot and mash well.

2.    While the potatoes are cooking, warm milk and butter over low heat until butter is melted and mixture is hot – do not boil.

3.    Mix milk/butter into mashed potatoes; season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.    Stir in the mozzarella and ¾ C of the Parmesan.  Transfer the potatoes to 13x9 inch casserole that has been sprayed with Pam.***

5.    Stir bread crumbs and remaining ¼ C Parmesan in a small bowl to blend.  Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes.

6.    Bake at 400, uncovered, until topping is golden brown – about 20 minutes.

***Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead; cover and chill.  Remove from refrigerator 1 ½ hours before serving; let sit on counter 30 minutes.  Bake covered for 25 minutes; remove cover; sprinkle with bread crumb mixture and bake about 20 more minutes.

Mom's Peaches and Cream Cake

Mom and her little brother (aka FavoriteUncle), Summer 2008

In recent years Mom had been serving a really yummy Peaches 'n Cream cake at summertime family dinners and get-togethers.  This has become a particular favorite of Mr. Mamie's, and he asks for it often.  I made and served it when FavoriteUncle and AuntAJ were here to visit with and help care for Mom in September - we had a family dinner with everyone but Mom, who was in the hospital at the time.  She questioned me about every detail prior to the dinner, and wanted a full report afterward.  It seemed appropriate to serve it at our family early Thanksgiving on November 10th, even if it's a summery dessert.  It was "Mom's," after all.

Peaches and Cream Cake

PEACHES AND CREAM CAKE

Oven – 350 degrees

¾ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 (4 serving size) cheesecake or vanilla instant pudding mix
3 T softened BUTTER
1 egg
½ C milk

1 (28 oz) can sliced peaches, drained – RESERVE JUICE

3 T. peach juice
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
½ C sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon
1 ½ tsp sugar


1.    Mix first 6 ingredients together.  Spread into 9” glass pie plate or casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam.

2.    Arrange drained peaches over batter.

3.    Beat cream cheese, ½ C sugar and reserved 3 T of peach juice together for about 2 minutes.  Spread over peaches, leaving 1” border around outside edge.

4.    In small bowl, stir together ¼ tsp cinnamon and 1 ½ tsp sugar and sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.

5.    Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350.  Cool , then refrigerate before serving.
 

Mom's Cookies

Mom and peanut butter chip-boy at his high school graduation,  about 18 years ago!

My mom made excellent chocolate chip cookies.  I'm pretty sure the recipe is really just the standard Nestle Toll House  back-of-the-chocolate chip-package, but it was the care and love that she put in them that made the difference.  Oh, and she always said that you have to beat the sugar and butter until it was REALLY creamy, or they wouldn't turn out right.  As Igor got a little older and began expressing food preferences, he indicated a lack-of-love for chocolate (freak!), so Mom made peanut butter chip cookies for him.  So here's Mom's recipe:

Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

(For “Igor version” use peanut butter chips)

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until REALLY creamy (do this right or they won’t be like Mom’s!).

Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the creamed mixture and gradually add flour, mixing WELL after each addition.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheets that have been sprayed with non-stick coating.

Bake 8 – 10 minutes.  Let cool 5 – 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.  Finish cooling on wire racks.

Mom's Cherry Pie

At the family "early Thanksgiving" where this was served this week, I claimed that Mom's cherry pie had a "secret ingredient."  I don't actually think that it's all that secret, really... in fact, I think a couple of people at the big table had guessed it, and I think it's probably something a lot of people likely use in their pies, but.... it's almond extract (in lieu of the more "traditional" vanilla).  You DO have to use almond in this recipe, or it will NOT taste like MOM'S.

Also, Mom's cherry pie always has a crumb topping rather than a regular pie crust top.

Mom's Cherry Pie

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 tablespoon salt
2 – 1-pound cans red sour cherries, drained (save juice) - Mom always used the Oregon brand in the black-labeled can
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon almond extract
Prepared pastry (pie) shell - it's OK with Mom if you use a frozen pie shell, as she was not a huge fan of pastry-making!



Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir sugar, flour, and alt together in saucepan.  Blend in cherry juice and a few drops of red food coloring.

Add cherries; cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; continue gently boiling and stirring for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; stir in butter and almond extract.  Set aside to cool.

Pour cooled filling into pastry shell.  Spread topping (see below) completely over top. 

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter

Cut all ingredients together until crumbly.  Spread over top of cooled filling in pie shell.   

Bake 30 – 40 minutes.

NOTES:  You can make the topping in a food processor - just pulse for a few seconds to cut the flour and sugar into the butter.  

Also, if you want me to email you a PDF of the recipe - formatted much better than it is here on the blog - let me know.

 

Goodbye

SquattyWombat

September 30, 1942 - November 1, 2009

Miss you already, Mom.