The Feast of the Leftovers.

Mother's Day again. Seems like it was just a short year ago that I wished I could go up to the house for a Mother's Day dinner. Mom was not the kind of mother that you took out to The Blue Door or The Crowne Plaza for a Mother's Day brunch - she was a dedicated homebody and would have been truly mortified. Mother's Day meant just another day at home, but with company and more mouths to feed. She always appreciated a small gift like a plant for the house or a watering can for the garden. But after we had all left home and had families of our own I think the real gift was just being there.

Mom was not a great cook - so why do I miss her cooking? I guess I just developed a hankering over the years for her simple fare - followed by Jello. Mom put more skill and effort into the preparation of food than in the food itself. Salad had to be cut up in little pieces with scissors, and date squares were made from real bulk dates (cheaper) that were cut up with scissors. Apparently Mom found scissors to be indispensable in the kitchen. I don't think she ever bought a bag of what passes for salad these days. And anyone can stick a chicken in the oven but not everyone can prepare Mom's specialty - "the feast of the leftovers".

Merriam Websters dictionary defines the word feast as "an elaborate and unusually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment." Bingo!
The Feast of the Leftovers was just what it sounds like - whatever was in the fridge, cut up, picked over, re-fried or boiled and served in great abundance with ceremony and pride. And Jello. The entertainment was usually provided by my father who loved to tell stories and bad jokes at the table. After Dad passed away Mom had more of a chance to provide her own entertainment - usually with stories about when she was a girl in Scotland. Nice stories.

I used to stop into the house on some of my business trips and grew to look forward to those unassuming but tasty little meals she would prepare no matter what the time of day. Like most families - it was always mealtime at my parents house. You could always count on a bowl of soup, maybe a pork chop and some boiled potatoes, a slice of bread or two and a cup of tea. And Jello. Not bad for 3:15 in the afternoon!

We will all enjoy celebrating Mother's Day this Sunday and all you fine women in my life have certainly earned it. I hope you all enjoy being pampered a little and treated to dinner out or a fine meal prepared in your honor. But as for me - what I am really looking forward to is Monday - and another "feast of the leftovers". I think I will pass on the Jello.