Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Richard Dean Anderson's Got Nothing On My Momma

My mother is to meals what MacGyver is to gettin' bad guys. However, what he can build with a paperclip and a toothpick is nothing to what my mom can do with an empty pantry. It wasn't always needed, but in a pinch, she could whip up amazing food with sparse supplies. Usually the only way we would know that she had to be creative that day was when, part way through the meal, she would ask each of us, individually, if we liked a particular item. For example, the mashed potatoes - instant in this case. Mom: Honey, how do you like the potatoes? Dad: They're good. Mom: Lis? They creamy enough? Me: Fine. Mom: And you Brother? You like them? Brother: Yeah, sure. Mom: They alright for you too Sister? Sister: Yep. Mom: Oh good. We didn't have any milk. So I used Mountain Dew. I was reminded of this last Sunday, when Prince Charming, Sister and I were at my parents for dinner. She is, apparently, still using such tactics. It all started off with: "So, now that everyone has tried it, what do you think of the chili?"