Things my Mama taught me ..in the Kitchen.

There is nothing really special about my kitchen, there are things I love about it and also things I don't like.   All in all, it's a decent kitchen.  What I like best is it is very roomy and functional and that's exactly what I need to do my thing!
I have dealt with lots of different kitchen's in my life and some very bad I might add ..I once had a "galley" with a 2 burner hotplate and a hotel size fridge ...
The only thing this kitchen really lacks is good organization (my bad) and it could also use a center island..The chairs are on top of the table as I had just cleaned the floor which is always dirty in this test kitchen!
And don't get me started on the grout...that is a whole other Oprah.

Some of my best "Kitchen Wisdom" comes straight from my Mom, I have to give credit where it is due.
The first nugget of wisdom would be "Get the hell out of my kitchen!"
That is unless you are going to do something useful, if not, stay the heck out..
Okay, I'm exaggerating a little but I'm trying to tell a story , you get the point.

I will admit, now that I am older this is also my mantra but when I was a kid, I thought it was a little extreme...though it usually did not apply to me as I was her side kick and helper..
And if there is anything I can tell you about my Mom...You do not mess with her! Period.  End of story...

My mom is built like an Amazon, so no way I or anyone else with half a brain wanted to cross her....If she told you to do something, you did it.

Rule #1  Don't waste anything!!! If you can't use it now, put it in the freezer or                        in the compost. (Yes, you should ALWAYS have a compost!)

Rule #2   Improvise-if you don't have the ingredient or ingredients you need...use                   the brain God gave you and think of something else!

Rule #3   Get out of my friggin' Kitchen!!!, oh wait I already said that.

Rule #4  Clean up as you cook, it's a lot easier at the end.

Rule #5  Save the bacon grease, you can use to to grease pans and casseroles.
              (see below)

Rule #6  When you are chopping onions cut some extra and store in the freezer.


Rule #7  Cook a "big batch" of whatever and store in the freezer, she did this a lot                with spaghetti sauce.

Rule #8   Praise the Cook! When someone takes the time to cook for you "from                       scratch" you better damn well have something nice to say about it!
                Trust me, you'll think of something, even if you don't like it.  If you
                happen to forget this rule, the cook may take a sabbatical or go on strike                 and you will be eating frozen TV dinners for at least 2 weeks..Yuk..


I am sure there are some rules that I am forgetting but these are the most important ones that come to mind.

It seems like I was always in the kitchen with my Mom or by her side in some way relating to food.  In the garden weeding , or in the dunes of Fire Island picking beach plums in the summer to make jam for the winter....shopping at Pathmark to get "double coupons" or even "triple coupons".  Let me tell you she was the "Coupon Queen" and she really seemed to enjoy it.  It was actually fun watching her in action.
One thing is certain, Mom taught me a few very important things about the kitchen, frugality and most importantly...how to keep people out of the kitchen..
Love you Mom!

Sandy V.