TRIBUTE TO MY MOM

Recently, I watched a live cooking video of someone demonstrating a recipe that I would like to try.  During the feed, viewers made comments or asked questions.  One person asked how the presenter came up with her recipes.  She answered that a lot of them come from her mother and grandmother.  

Me, a granddaughter, and my Mom

It made me think of my Mom and some of her recipes that I still make today.   That almost brought me to tears because she passed away about 3 months ago and now so many little things just hit me and make me cry when I think about her.   It is really hard to lose your mom.   I helped my sister take care of her towards the end and even though it sounds weird, that is probably one of the times that I felt the closest to my mom—when I was able to do something for her that she couldn’t do for herself.  I didn’t help nearly enough and I regret not being there more for her and my dad and my sister.  

At her funeral, two of her culinary specialties were mentioned by every speaker.  Ice Box Rolls and Ice Water Cake.  My Mom made the best rolls and they were one of the things that we looked forward to at big family dinners and holidays.  We didn’t care about anything else—as long as she made her rolls. I don’t try to make homemade rolls very often, but when I do, I always wish that they tasted as good as my Mom’s always did. 

Ice Water Cake was my favorite cake when I was a kid.  It was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and I loved the chocolate/vanilla combination.  I never knew why the recipe called for ice water and I don’t know if my Mom knew either.  I have done a little research on that topic and it has been suggested that scientifically, the ice water slows down the melting of the butter as the cake is baking, which makes the cake rise more and have a softer crumb.

I am not sure if that is the secret of this cake or not because to me—this cake is a little denser than that explanation suggests.  Whether it makes a difference or not, one thing is for sure, in our family, my Mom was famous for Ice Water Cake.

ICE WATER CAKE

2/3 cup butter (room temperature)
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
2 squares of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
(Substitutions for Baker's chocolate are:  6 melted squares of a Lindt Chocolate bar OR 6 heaping tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder with two extra tablespoons of butter)  
2 ½ cups flour, sifted
1 ¼ tsp baking soda 
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cups ice water

Put ice in water and let it get very cold before measuring.
Cream butter and sugar until very fluffy. 
Beat in eggs, one at a time on high speed. 
Add vanilla. 
Mix in melted chocolate.
Scrape sides of bowl.
Stir baking soda and salt into the measured flour.
On low speed slowly add a small amount of flour, followed by a small amount of water.
Continually add flour and water alternately until combined. 
Scrape sides of bowl and briefly mix.

Bake in a 9 x 13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray, for 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. 
Let cool.
Frost with vanilla or chocolate buttercream frosting.

My Mom wasn’t really a gourmet cook and didn’t make a huge variety of foods for our meals, but one thing that I remember the most about my Mom’s cooking is that most things did not have a recipe.  I had to learn to cook by watching her.  When I would ask her about amounts, she would say, “I don’t know, you just shake some in until it seems right.”  I think I frustrated her with my questions, but I also frustrated her because I was such a picky eater.  She had to alter many of her dishes just so that I would eat them. 

One recipe that she didn't have to change and that I loved was her version of Goulash. 

This is how I learned how to make it: 

Boil elbow macaroni or small pasta shells until tender.  Use about 1 handful of dry pasta per person—unless you are cooking for a big eater like Hunter Man and then use two handfuls per person.  Drain. 

Brown 1 pound of hamburger sprinkled with salt and pepper.

In the same pan that the macaroni was boiled in:

Add 1 quart of home bottled tomato juice.
Add two small cans of tomato sauce.
Add a handful of sugar, some splashes of hot sauce, and a couple of spoonfuls of chili powder to the juice. 
Mix in the hamburger and macaroni.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often.
Taste and add more sugar, or hot sauce, or chili powder until it tastes just right. 

This dish should be juicy—with a generous tomato sauce to pasta ratio.   

When I make Goulash now, I usually use one half pound of hamburger, one can of petite diced tomatoes instead of tomato juice (because I don’t do home canning anymore), and a small can or two of tomato sauce—depending on how many noodles I end up with.  

I am only cooking for two, so if you are cooking for a family, double the tomatoes.  I still season it just like my mom with a small handful of sugar (about 1 T or so), about one tablespoon of hot sauce, and one tablespoon of chili powder.   You may need to add more of each seasoning, but it is best to start with a lesser amount, than wish you hadn’t put as much in at first.  I wish I could tell you what it really is supposed to taste like.  I guess I could say that it is a sweet and spicy/hot mixture.

We always had a big serving of cottage cheese on the side, along with home canned green beans. 

Cottage Cheese, Goulash, and Parmesan Green Beans

Two fun things that have evolved out of my Mom’s Goulash:

Hunter Man’s Mom’s Goulash-ish and GoulyMac. 

Hunter Man’s Mom used to make her own version of Goulash with canned tomatoes and ONIONS, covered with grated cheese, and sprinkled with Salt and Pepper, which was then baked in the oven until the cheese melted.  She did not use the seasonings that my Mom did.  Now, sometimes, Hunter Man will make his Mom’s Goulash-ish (without the onions) out of my Goulash just for himself.  It is a good way to make another meal out of leftover Goulash.

Another meal that evolved out of leftover Goulash is:  
Gouly Mac.  It is made with one box of prepared Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, one can of Hormel Chili with Beans, 1 cup of grated Cheddar Cheese, and leftover Goulash.  Mix everything together in a saucepan until it is heated throughout.  My daughter, Kj used to like it when we had enough leftovers to make Gouly Mac.

Thanks Mom--for teaching me how to cook and for helping me create some food memories for my family.