Mother Knows Best

"Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; a mother's secret hope outlives them all." ~Oliver Wendell Holmes 

March of 2005... I was a newlywed.  I didn't know much about cooking or baking, but was quite eager to learn.  I laugh when thinking back to our early meals of 'Chicken garlic pasta' and 'Rainbow pasta salad.'  In fact, for awhile, most of our meals were pasta, in one form or another.  Once, I tried my hand at dessert... a 'colorful' cobbler.  My husband, trying to be helpful, said, "It tastes good, but I think the apples are supposed to be peeled."  Of course, he was right.  Oh, was there any hope for me? 

Well, thankfully, Mom knew I'd need some help in the kitchen.  One of her wedding gifts was a recipe box... a treasure chest to me, full of her recipes.  Inside I found such standards as 'Broccoli Casserole' and 'Mom's Meatloaf' as well as 'Foolproof Fudge' and 'Easy apple dumplings'... hmm, was she trying to tell me something?  Still, it was encouraging just to see her handwriting and From the kitchen of: Mom.

So I learned from experience, and called for advice.  I used the recipe cards less and less.  One day last year, I pulled out that little box, and started shuffling through the desserts section.

I came upon my greatest challenge yet.  Homemade pie, completely from scratch.  I remembered stumbling across these very recipes back in the days of my 'colorful cobbler'...  Dutch apple pie?  Peach cream pie?  What was Mom thinking when she put these in here?  I'll never be able to make a pie from scratch!  

Mom always told me to just try making one, and she would help me through if I had questions.  Well... last summer, after five years of putting it off, I was finally ready.  I started early, and called Mom at least a dozen times.  When that first pie came out, browned to perfection and smelling like heaven... I was hooked.

I'm here to tell you, I'm not perfect.  I'm still no master chef, and not everything I cook or bake will turn out... I promise you... but at least I conquered something I never thought I would.  Was there hope for me?  Seems so... and Mom knew it all along.