Picture me and my mom baking brownies together in her cozy kitchen. I am about five years old, with long pigtails, smiling ecstatically as I smear frosting over the brownies, my clothes and my face. Mom is wearing her favorite baking apron – the one with the little pictures of mixing spoons and bowls — and beaming at her little pastry chef. She’s proud to pass on the secret family recipe for perfect brownies to a daughter who will treasure it.
Got that firmly in your mind? Good. It’s the only way you’ll see such a picture because it doesn’t exist and that sweet little scene never happened. That’s because my mother (who is a fantastic mom in just about every way) is kitchen-phobic to the point that she tried to build our house without That Room. She settled for placing it off to the side of the house by the garage so she would never have to walk through it. And she succeeded in passing on her aversion to all things culinary (except take-out food) to Yours Truly. Neither of us was likely to win a Domestic Diva of the Year award.
That was then. So life takes funny turns and I wind up not only learning to cook and bake to feed my family, I turn it into a full time occupation, well you know…
So while I can’t share my mother’s tips for the fluffiest soufflé or the softest brisket, I can share her undying encouragement for anything I decided to take on – basketball, my bachelor’s degree or baking. I am now married just over 7 years and she does not miss a beat when it comes to complimenting my new recipes, or even commenting on the perfect piece of fish or lightest slice of challah. I have to hand it to her. For a mother who never pictured her educated, mega-career oriented, 21st century daughter as a Yiddishe balabusta, it’s a wonder that she’s so enthusiastic about my choices and achievements. But she is – and she is truly proud. She tells everyone I am “the best cook,” and she says it with buoyancy that proclaims that I’ve reached the pinnacle of her aspirations for me.
My mother never gave me any priceless heirloom recipes. But she instilled confidence and gave me unconditional support and love and positive reinforcement at every turn. And that is more valuable than kitchen tips; I can learn those from anyone. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
my fondest memory is fun days at the beach with my mom!
jagar0047 at yahoo dot com
making rum balls with my mother, obm. and rolling the balls into powder sugar. yummmm!
Since this is a blog about cooking, I would like to share my fondest moments in the kitchen with my mother. She didn’t like people helping her in her TINY kitchen, but I wanted to cook. Whenever I asked her what I could do to help, she would only say “prepare the oven!” This meant that I got to go to the oven, take out all the cereal and chips that were stored in there and turn it on. She always said I was a great assistant.
Trying to make sure we all had a new Easter Outfit (There were eight of us)
going on family vacations. Mom always picked places that we loved (like Disneyland)
Eating dinner together with my family. My mother always made sure our whole family ate together.
WATCHING HER DANCE – SHE WAS SO GRACEFUL
AND SKILLFUL…
Walking into the kitchen and smelling the delicious food she would be cooking.
My mother is a tremendous cook/baker/seamstress. While I can think of loads of memories where she’d help me as I learned to knit or knead bread, my favorite memory was our annual ice cream binge. We’d skip breakfast (I know I know…and she was a home ec teacher too, so she knows a thing or two about nutrition) and go to a local ice cream shop. They made everything from scratch. We’d each order a hot fudge sundae…I remember one year it was fresh blackberry ice cream with hot fudge. We’d sit and savor and talk and then say “Oy I ate too much we shouldn’t do this again” and we wouldn’t – for another year. The great thing is that when she comes to visit now we still always make time for a (much smaller) trip out for an ice cream and a chat.
My mom passed in ’92, but my fondest memory was reading together, playing cards together, and cooking together. We always hung out with one another. One of the hugest things that stick out was while she was taking a bath, she would ask me to bring in a paper and a pencil and she would give me these hard math quizzes. Completely turned me into a math whiz… she was very kind, smart, and a wonderful teacher!
I loved learning to cook with my mother- so much as a youngster in the kitchen.
My fondest memory is learning how to make baked macaroni & cheese, from scratch, with my mom. We still take turns making it.
There was a hat decorating contest at the religious school I attended on the weekends. My mother spent hours and days using her amazing and overwhelming creativity–she used to make us dresses as well–to make me the best papier-mâché hat in the competition. It was practically twice my size but I won the competition hands down. Actually, WE won. I remember being so proud of myself but mostly, proud of her because her mental illness got in the way of her being a great mother. But that day, she was an awesome one.
it’s going to sound odd but i have fond memories of rolling stuffed cabbage with my mom!
My mom and I “squeeze fingers” – we could sit on the couch for hours just holding hands…..
I had half-days on Wednesdays, and I can remember my mother picking me up from school and taking me out to lunch at Schrafft’s on Madison Avenue in NYC. Her health wasn’t good, and I had a sister with multiple behavioral/psychiatric problems … time with my mother was rare. But the Wednesdays were always special — she made time for me, and she treated me like a grown-up instead of taking me for “kid food” … 🙂
My brother and I got to lick the mixer beaters whenever Mom baked. What joy-!
My mother always took me out to eat (or for tea or something) to spend quality time with me…or make special announcements. Like the 5 times she told me I was going to get another sibling. Yes, I’m the oldest of 6 KA”H!
We still go out on special occasions for some Mommy and Me time over 30 years later and laugh when we realize that she started the tradition, and I continue it. I usually take her out for brunch on Mother’s Day, but I’ll be away this year and would love to have something special delivered to her on Mother’s Day on my behalf.
my fondest memory of my mom is baking and cooking in the kitchen
My fondest childhood memory of my mom is baking chocolate chip cookies together. From a young age, she would ask me math questions as we worked, like “how many half cups make a whole cup?” Now I’m an actuary (thanks Mom!) and I also love making and eating chocolate chip cookies.
The fondest memory of my mother is when she became my brownie scout troop leader. She did this for me, since she really did not have the time. I so appreciated and loved her for it.
I remember my Mom, A”H, visiting me in camp when I was a teenager. She would bring me her delicious Coffee Crumb Cake for me and my bunkmates to enjoy!
Though she’s gone now, I enjoy making that recipe for others to enoy, too! It gives me a warm feeling every time I take a bite, as that recipe has a special place in my heart!
1 of my fondest memory is my mother learning to bake from the mother’s helper we had. She was a wonderful Hungarian women that would do a lot of baking with my mother for all the celebrations, from holiday’s to birthday’s and everything in between.
Now my mother has thought my daughter how to make my favorite cake recipe. Which I used to get every year for my birthday.
When I was a young adult, my mother insisted we take my then-elderly grandfather for a picnic lunch. It was very important to her that we feed the geese with him while we could. It was a glorious afternoon. He was honored and touched. I had a great time, and she gifted me with a wonderful memory of him (it was his last spring to picnic in the park) and a searing memory of her kibud av – her honoring and caring for her father, z”l.
Every year come rain or shine, my mom would take me to the circus. We both loved it and really had a grand time and then we went to eat out in a beautiful restaurant and had the best roast beef ever. Thanks much, Mom.
I remember waking up early in the morning with the whole house smelling of brisket before the holidays. My mom is an amazing cook and I am lucky to have her.
My mother was our Brownie leader, although I spent a whole lot more years in Cub Scouts – long before girls were allowed! At Brownies, Mom would have dress-up clothes for us to put on and we would take turns strutting to the tune of “Strut, Miss Lizzy”. That was long ago and far away!
I played Little League baseball until I was about 12 and was usually the only girl on the team. My Mom was in the stands for almost every game cheering loudly “Go Shay!” After one game, one of the fathers asked her “Shea? Is that short for Shea Stadium? Is your family from Queens?” And my Mom went on to explain that Shay was short for my Hebrew name, Shayna Malka which means Beautiful Queen. All the boys on my team snickered. I think I punched one of them. End of story.
My mother went to work right after Pearl Harbor at Douglas Aircraft as a rivitor because many of the men went to join the war effort. She made it a habit to take my sis and I out to Chinese dinner every Friday after she got paid. She also worked the weekends at a local restaurant so she often left us money so that we could go roller skating with our neighbor kids next door. It was a good life for us even with her being divorced from our father.
My mom and I spent a weekend together at the beach on Sannibel Island in Florida. It was a great bonding experience. Walking on the beach, gathering shells, staring at the sunsets.
My parents divorced when I was young, and as my dad had full custody, we didn’t see my mom all that frequently. During those times I remember her laying down next to me, and talking to me about all sorts of things, from school to boys. But even better, was her listening to me talk about what I wanted, what life was like–the time she gave me, even those few precious minutes, when she listened to me was just amazing.
When I tuck my own kids into bed now I try to recreate that for them. I realize it’s not the same–for one thing, we share the same household!–but it meant so much to me then that I want to pass along that time to my kids, so they know that their thoughts, feelings and experiences are important!
My Mom was in and out of psychiatric facilities when I was growing up so I was often left to take care of my younger sisters, with no father around. The most important thing my Mom taught me was to always wear clean underwear – and we will survive and be stronger as a result.
Little did she know then how right she was. Now she is so happy that her grandson, my son, is in Yeshiva to become a Rabbi. We all worked hard and have been rewarded again and again as a result!
My fondest memory of my mother is when I fell out of a tree and broke my leg when I was 8 years old. She waited on me hand and foot, took such good care of me that I wasn’t that sad about spending the summer in a cast, no swimming, no running I wouldn’t be the person I am without her.
When I was about half-way through high school, a time when most people are thoroughly embarrassed of their mothers, I got to see one of my mothers greatest strengths.
She’s not loud, not very vocal, doesn’t try to run other peoples lives (including her kids).
One Shabbos afternoon a friend of hers dropped in for a short visit, and as they were catching up on events in their lives, this friend suddenly stopped and said “Oh, I really shouldn’t tell you this, but you never tell, and you’re kids don’t, either.” It can be hard not to take the bait, but without any difficulty or regret, my mother interrupted her gently with “So don’t. It’s not yours to tell, and you’ll feel better not saying it.”
A person as they are in the present is a result of all of their experiences (and some genetics). How often do we get to watch moments in action which we recognize as ones to shape the rest of our lives?
One of my beloved mom’s pearls of wisdom:
“If the heart is willing a person with a house with one room can accommodate ten people.
If the heart is not willing a person with a mansion of ten rooms cannot accommodate one person.”
I fondly remember my mother baking delicious oatmeal raisin cookies for us to have as a snack after school. Oatmeal raisin cookies are still my favorites. I also remember the intoxicating aroma of her apple pies. My mom is no longer well enough to bake or cook. My love of baking and cooking has been life long and for this I thank my mom everyday.
my mother picked me up every day after school and often would take my sister and I out on an errand or for ice cream and would ask about our day…til today i cherish those moments talking about my day with my mother and i’ve continued the tradition even today, always ending my day with a phone call to my mother 🙂
I remember my mom making apple cake. She would peel the apples and leave the peels extra thick so we could eat them as she peeled! I still remember the smell and her apple cake is still as yummy!!!
My fondest memory of Mom is when she made fudge the old fashioned way. We’d help her get all the ingredients together and watch her put everything into the pan and cook it till it was ready for the “stirring”. I came from a large family so all us kids would have to take turns stirring till the fudge was ready to pour into pans. What fun to stand around an empty pan, sticking your hands into it trying to scrape some of the leftover creamy goodness out (I think mom left some in there just for us kids!). We ended up looking quite the sight, all messed up in chocolate, but it was so much fun. I miss Mom. Thanks.
Born in 1913, my mother was a woman of her times: unemployed, non-driving, unliberated, apron and bra-wearing. She was a wonderful cook and superb baker, but more than that, she was the best wife a man could have. Taking care of Dad was her hobby, her recreation and her pleasure. While certainly not 2011 standards for an equal relationship, the love my parents had for one another provided incredible stability and showed my sister and me how important it is to make your partner’s needs your own.
My fondest memory of my mother and cooking with her is when she taught me how to make the best pie crust in the world. She explained how putting this together is a matter or practice and doing it over and over again until I could get the “feel” of the dough and know if and when to add just a bit more water to it. Too much water and the crust didn’t bake properly; too little and it was tough and dry, and crumbled easily. I slowly learned to sense when the dough was just right, and rely on that recipe and my mother’s technique to this day.
And in connection with pie crust, another favorite memory is of my father coming home on Friday nights after working a long week and looking up on top of the refrigerator to see if a pie was there, cooling. And the joy in his face when, YES! There it was. We had wonderful Shabbat dinners, followed by that delicious, flakey textured, pie, delighting in the crust almost more than in the filling. How wonderful to have such warm memories of my family’s Friday night Shabbat dinners!
Thank you, Jaime, for offering this giveaway and for giving me an opportunity to remember my mother and our times together in the kitchen. May she rest in peace.
Ellen
My mother was the one who took me ice skating when I was barely even steady on my “walking” feet.
I loved those outings, and she instilled in me a love of the sport that lasted long into the ages where I wouldn’t have been caught dead skating with my Mom.
But I never forgot…..
My mom was a Navy wife and Daddy was gone for long periods of time. With four kids to raise, one of them her own little brother, they didn’t have much money so stretching a dollar was important for feeding a brood. She could make the most tasty dishes out of anything and to this day none of us have found anyone else’s potato or macaroni salad to compare! I’ve never met anyone who could look into a cupboard or fridge and whip up a miraculous meal to feed a small ship’s crew, with style. I seem to have only inherited the dessert gene for cooking and since I’m always watching my waist, I only get to make goodies for other people. My mom never stops making the most of every day and at 80 years old (in June) just renewed her CA nursing license! She’s my best friend and a woman whose compassion and competence has been the sustaining hub in our family. Oh, yeah…she got a tattoo to celebrate her 70th birthday! She’s the energizer bunny on steroids!
My fondest childhood reminisce of my mother is when we would work in the garden together!
My mom taught me how to do needlepoint. I remember sitting in the living room in our apartment on cold winters day while a fire was going and we would embroider together.
every taanis/fast day since i can remember my mother and i would pass the time by baking her chocolate chip mandel bread. I’ve been out of the house for about 8 years and still use the same recipe every fast day 🙂
i have so many! I always loved getting to “help” her bake goodies on holidays to give to all of our friends. Through that, she instilled in me a love of cooking.
Once a year my mother would take the day off work and we would go into New York City for a day. We both liked art so we would either go to a museum or the art galleries in Soho. We would then find a fun and interesting place for lunch and maybe do a little shopping. It was always a wonderful day.
Hi Jamie;
Thanks for sharing your memories and offering this giveaway. My mother died when I was very young but I remember her most for teaching me to sew. She was self-taught and was an excellent seamstress as well as an expert knitter and embroiderer. She loved pretty things and making them herself and that is one of the things she passed on to me and is something I am most grateful for. She was definitely a domestic diva and did it all with style.
My fondest memory is of my mother is having a picnic with her and my Grandmother at the Bronx Botanical Gardens.