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 memories of my mom are “mental health” days. Every once in a while, mom would let me take a day off from school (and later work) just to recharge my battery. Often we’d go shopping and have lunch together. It was super.
My fondest memory is of my Mom dressing up to go to a wedding. Her hair was styled fashionably into a beehive (it was the 1960’s) and she wore her double stranded pearls to accessorize her A-line gown. To me she was a princess getting ready for the ball. She taught me to take the time to look your best. I can still smell the perfume she spritzed at the end.
My mom and grandmother started a small clothing shop, which evolved into my mother managing a beauty salon and having her own small jewelry business. I treasure the many years of helping out at the salon during weekends and summers, of going to her shop after school to share my stories of the day, and later, learning my way around the jewelry district downtown, making purchases for her and earning her trust, respect, and gratitude. For the rest of her life, we continued to meet after our mutual days’ work, (my various itinerant jobs and her beloved “bling” sales), catching up as we both grew and evolved, over cappuccino and appetizers instead of cookies and milk. Regardless, love of pretty things, customers and co-workers, and most of all each other, was always the through-line.
My fondest memory is of my Mom dressing up to go to a wedding. Her hair was styled fashionably into a beehive (1960’s) and she wore her double stranded pearls to accessorize her A-line gown. To me she was a princess getting ready for the ball.
My Mom was always home when we came home from school, she was our room-mother in public school and religious school, & she was my Brownie Leader. She was & is a true Hands-On Mom for the three of us and many others. She was my role-model.
My mother, may she rest in peace, was a true model of an Ayshet Chayil. She taught all of her five (5) children, and her seven (7) grandchildren about the meaning of Community Service. My mother was a member of Mount Sinai Chapter of JEWISH WOMEN INTERNATIONAL the President from 1984 onwards. She was very active with the JEWISH CONVALESCENT HOSPITAL began her “volunteer” career with a position in the Gift Shop. She worked with MEALS ON WHEELS, preparing and delivering food to the Elderly, and eventually acting as the Chair of the Program. She acted as the President of the Women’s Auxiliary, which helped to raise funds to buy more hospital beds. Her life was devoted to supporting, helping and working to improve the lives of other people. When she moved into a residence she organized the women, received donations of wool, helped them to knit, and gave the finished products to the MOUNTAINS OF MITTAINS project in Montreal, Quebec (Canada). We all learned to be of help to others, whether preparing, or delivering meals, or just with a kind smile and a gentle helping hand.
As my mother is no longer here to share her kitchen secrets with me I am left to marvel at the lists and recipes that she has left behind. When looking through her Pesach pantry, shortly after she passed away, I was smiled when I found her list reminding her what she used and bought too much of from Pesach 1987 yet I was not shocked or utterly surprised. She was meticulously organized and exact with everything especially her kitchen. My mother, although all she let us help with was peeling potatos, instilled in us a love and warmth for cooking and baking in specific. Everything was “from scratch” and cake mixes were never bought. I now love to bake and often do so with my children.
My fondest memory is of my mother giving charity, when we didn’t have enough money for ourselves. When I asked her why, she said that Hashem will take care of us if we take care of others. I have never forgotten her kindness to others nor her words.
I loved the holidays with my Mom. She was huge into decorating and made every holiday so special. Those are my favorite memories.
I remember that my mother always supported our decisions. She never batted an eye when I brought home a snake, salamanders, toads, frogs, turtles and a cat. (Not all at the same time.)
I remember Mom taking me shopping for a special outfit for my birthday. She taught me to be a good dresser!
My mother would always gave me the confidence to know that i could accomplish whatever I wanted. It didn’t matter how outrageous the idea was. She taught me how to have a vision and reminded me to be very clear about what i wanted…because one day I just may get it!
my fondest childhood reminiscence of my mother is cuddling on sunday mornings
My first batch of brownies (age 11) burnt but my Mom ate them anyway and pronounced them “Dee-licious!”
my mother told me that my health would be the most important thing in life, without it, we are nothing
My mother worked really hard and many hours. When we were little, she always seemed proud of us. When we went to the video store as children, my mother was impressed by this new machine one could purchase, “A Video camera” and while the store owner wanted to show her how it worked, she encouraged my sister and me to dance in front of the video so she’d have something wonderful to watch!
My Mother was the best…She always made sure my sister and I were very loved..
I think she has taught me how to love unconditionally..
What’s your fondest childhood reminiscence of your mother?
I actually have a few such memories. But I will only mention two of them. Oddly enough they both relate to the kitchen/cooking!
The first one is long ago as a small child when I was first learning how to write. The teacher wanted us each to write something special about our mothers for mothers day. What did I write? “My mother does dishes.” My entire family still laughs about it today more than 40 years later. And I think my mom still has that mothers day “gift” from my school.
The second is the first [real] thing my mom taught me how to cook. By “real” I mean, not something heated up in oven or toaster, and not simple eggs or other one-step processes. I recall that it was schnitzel and she patiently showed me how to prepare the egg mixture, the bread crumbs/flour, the oil, the pan, the heat, the breading, the frying, and the laying completed ones on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
My Mom was a better grandmother than a mother. My favorite memory of her was when she played sword fights with doodle tubes with my son when he was small.
Back in the 50’s very carefully picking out a fuzzy duck mother’s day card. Gave it to my mother and she didn’t like it. I never forgot!
Sitting down for family dinners. Our whole family always ate together.
My mom was the Sunday school administrator at the synagogue all through my elementary-high school years. I remember one Pesach she invited over the kids from the synagogue that she knew wouldn’t be having Seder at their home and held a Seder for all of them. She did such a fun Seder – throwing around marshmallows for the hail, giving us red candies to represent “boils”, etc, and singing tons and tons of songs. The kids – who are now grown adults – still talk about what a fun Seder it was. And, I’ll admit, it was probably the best Seder I’ve ever been to also.
My fondest childhood reminiscence of my mother is baking together for dinners and desserts
my mother always cooked the best food for all 7 of us and now I cook for her!
my mom was the most awesome cook.especially her fried chicken which she would never reveal her recipe to anyone and nobody can ever seem to get it right 🙁
Every Saturday after my bath she used to take a curling Iron and make me locks. It made my hair look so pretty.
I remember making cookies for holidays and preparing holiday meals with my mom. The house smelled wonderful!
I remember s making rice krispie treats and a marshmallow sticking to her leg..my sister and I laughed so hard
my fondest memory was when my mom stood up for me when a group of kids was picking on me, unconditional love!
I always loved watching her cook and bake. She is a really great cook.
It wasn’t really when I was a child, but one of my fondest memories was the day that I asked my mom to go with me to a college to sign the financial aid paperwork after I didn’t complete college right after high school. She was totally not expecting that request, but was really happy that I was going back to college.
I remember the first time my mom and I went to NYC together months after her open heart surgery. That was a very special trip!
My mother and I are very, very close, we talk on the phone for several hours each day. My fondest memory with my mother is when she used to take me to ballett class in the 65′ Mustang while we listened to Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young with the windows down.
I remember making playdough with my mom and her letting me add as much food coloring to the dough as possible and then making me have to play with it outside so I wouldn’t squish it in the carpets.
actually, baking with my mom is my favorite memory, cookies and brownies mainly
My fondest childhood memory of my Mother, when I was 3 or 4 she would take me to high school that my brothers and sisters attended and we would run the student store during morning brake and lunch. We sold donuts, and pencils and pens etc. My Mom would teach me the different items and how to make change–we had lots of fun and met lots of fun people.
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My fondest childhood memory of my mother is the time she took me the park and we rode the bubble bouncer there, it was fun and we went round and round and up and down
I remember years ago,I was a scared teenager pregnant and not wanting to hurt my mom.But when I told her about the baby she couldn’t have been more supportive.
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As I’ve gotten older I really appreciate all the time Mom took to cook us homecooked meals every night for supper.
My mom did the best she could. She always loved me.
I remember coming home from school and my Mom would usually be doing laundry and watching soap operas. I’d sit with her and watch them too and talk about my day at school.
My mother always instilled in us that we can do anything if we try. From Skiing to reupholstering, as long as we put our mind to it we can do. Always so encouraging and motivating, I couldn’t ask for a better mother. My kitchen memory with my mom, is that we used to love baking challah together. She would always take off her rings before she would knead the dough. She gave me one of the rings when I had my first child. I treasure it and already promised it to my daughter.
anytime i spend time with her
My Brother and I would bake holiday cookies with Mom in late December every year!
I am still living at home so I don’t know that I can exactly place 1 memory!
After I’d been very bad once, I asked my mother if she would forgive me. She said, “Of course, I do,” as if that were obvious. I still remember the tone of her voice, with forgiveness in it.
I REMEMBER MY MOM SAYING TO ME….WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES SOMETIMES….AND WE DO
I remember standing next to my mom cooking for Shabbos. I stood on the stool and helped mix everything – and got to lick the bowl of course!
I was in a panic trying to think about how I was going to tell my mom that I wanted to leave college. When I finally spit it out, she was very understanding and told me that college wasn’t for everyone, and that as long as I applied myself to some worthy task elsewhere I’d be fine. And she was right!
My fondest childhood reminiscence of your mother is when my mom worked 3 minimum wage jobs to support us 8 kids when my father abandon us until she graduated nursing school. She taught me to be persistant.