OK, you may have noticed that I stopped that last blog rather abruptly. I didn't start the blog with any intent other than great pancakes...how it turned into a sob-fest about my mom, I'll never know. I just know that I miss her and somehow everything I do or say reminds me of her. I wasn't able to keep writing about her without seriously breaking down--and I can't break down--can't lose face :0

Food

I am constantly amazed at how good the simplest of foods can be. I was out of money and needed to make breakfast for my three grandkids (I LOVE being a grandma!) so I got online to get a good pancake recipe. I found Alton Brown's Instant Pancake Mix. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Of course, like any good cook, I changed it up a little. But not much. Here is the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/instant-pancake-mix-recipe/index.html and here are the changes I made.

1. I doubled the recipe for the mix and added 2 extra tablespoons sugar.

2. I didn't have a lidded container, so I just put it in my Kitchen-aid and mixed it dry

3. I didn't separate the eggs

4. I didn't really measure the buttermilk, just threw in what was left, it was probably 2 1/2 cups

5. I added more plain milk 'cuz I like my pancake mix a little more runny.

I know why I look the way I do. I have had a long love affair with good, simple foods! My mother and both of my grandmothers were exceptional cooks. Food has always been a big part of our lives. I remember the best breakfast I ever had. I think I was about 7 or 8 and we were spending the summer in New Mexico at my grandma and grandpa Hassell's. Grandma told us the story of Little Red Riding Hood and then made us Bear Porridge. It was sooooo good! All I can remember is that she browned flour in a frying pan, added water, and milk. I tried numerous times after that to duplicate her recipe. I even called and asked grandma for her recipe. Her response? "I don't remember doing that. I never have had a recipe for Bear Porridge. I think I may have been out of food so I told you guys it was Bear Porridge."

I realize now that it wasn't the porridge. It was the story, the love my grandma always gave us, the feeling of closeness to the woman I saw barely once a year. The porridge has come to signify my grandmother. She could take, literally, nothing and make something out of it. Food or people...she worked her magic with our souls as well as our bodies.

My mother inherited that from her mother...she inherited her feistiness from her dad. She was the perfect combination of angel and demon. I really, really, REALLY miss my mom!