For anyone who’s read more than a couple of my stories, you know when the Hubs and I eloped during the fall of 1969, I didn’t know how to boil water, let alone cook a meal. Kind of odd since mom made a home cooked meal for supper 5 nights a week. We ate out every Saturday night. Nothing fancy and rarely in the 2 big cities nearby, Sioux Falls or Sioux City. Rather we stayed within a few miles of home like Perkins Corner, (which is no longer there), Hull, Canton, Rock Rapids, Sioux Center or my hometown of Rock Valley (thank heavens-not another Sioux something).

Mom made a big dinner (noon meal) on Sunday (while we were in church and Sunday school-she went too-but went home while dad and I went to Sunday school), so we had either leftovers or a sandwich for supper before the second service of the sabbath. But mom preferred her alone time in our small kitchen and wasn’t compelled to teach her youngest the basics about everyday cooking, although I could make a mean plate of homemade fudge by the time I was 16 (which was mom’s maternal grandmother’s recipe).

For our first supper after returning from our luxurious 2 day honeymoon in Sioux Falls (of course) I attempted pork chops, (a favorite when I was growing up). They were as hard as a rock and clinked loudly on the plate as Hubs deftly slid them through a mountain of Heinz so not to offend his new bride. I had a ways to go in the art of meal making. I cried a lot but I did try. But this really isn’t about my cooking skills, but the type of cook/baker I would eventually become.

There were new conveniences readily available in grocery stores (yes-way back in the 70’s). The group that comes to mind is Hamburger Helper. A variety of boxed, dried ingredients/spices/pasta that would transform a pound of browned hamburger into a delectable meal. And I admit I did try a few in the beginning. But it wasn’t long before I started testing my skills by making suppers from scratch. This learning process was more important when I discovered how much I enjoyed baking. From scratch when oodles of recipes were available that I call “easy layering.”

Here’s an example. In a 9 X 13 pan, pat a layer of graham cracker crumbs mixed with a 1/3 cup of melted butter. (Not a real recipe, I just made this up)

Take one package of instant vanilla pudding mixed with milk and pour on top the crust.

Slice 4 bananas on top of the pudding.

Layer a tub of Cool whip on top of the bananas.

Drizzle a half can of Hershey’s syrup on the top.

Sprinkle a few graham cracker crumbs on top of the chocolate.

Chill and serve.

This is exactly the type of ‘bar’ dessert I didn’t want to make. It wasn’t the layers I actually objected to (I like layers and steps) but the ingredients. Mostly instant stuff and Cool Whip. Just not me. I must admit there are a couple of my recipes I truly love that contain these dreaded ingredients but for the most part what I make is from scratch for supper and dessert.

A fun, delicious dessert called “Dirt,” is one recipe I’ve used since my friend Diane brought it over for a barbecue during the late 80’s. What I assumed was a fresh potted planter of tulips was indeed our dessert for the meal. Layers of crushed Oreos, pudding and milk mixed with cream cheese, gummy worms, cool whip with silk tulips. So realistic. I was intrigued. Here’s the same ingredients but made into a scary cemetery scene for Halloween with our grandson Graham a few years ago.

But while learning the method of scratch cooking, I was also having babies. Three children in ten years, one daughter, 2 sons. Little did I know that by the ages of 9 and 5, those 2 boys could literally eat their weight in food. Every. Single. Day. How do you cook for that? Oh I still made scratch suppers, constant homemade cookies, cupcakes and bars but they needed a meal after school to get by until supper was ready a couple hours later. Yet they all remained slender. If I inhaled the fragrance of food I gained a pound.

And there lies the rub. I couldn’t do it all. Joshua & Adam weren’t halfway full with convenience foods like potato chips, Cheetos, cookies, Little Debbie’s, Hostess cupcakes, Sno balls, Twinkies or anything leftover in the fridge from a day or 2 ago. Plus, it wasn’t really good for them. Their appetites required more. I call them the Chef-Boyardee years. Spaghetti O’s, Ravioli, Beefaroni, Hot Pockets, Kraft mac & cheese. At the time most of these products were about the size of a can of vegetables, not the microwaveable tubs now available. They were loathe to share anything and these skinny boys would eat an entire can each.

Josh (kind of sneaky yet profoundly brilliant) grew weary of going through mountains of the grocery bags after I got home from Meijer (like I might make him put some of the food away) to see what type of vittles he had to live off before his regular 3 squares a day and found an easier method of deducing what was available for the next several days. He’d latch on to the grocery receipt. No wonder he’s been so successful. Always an easier way to get the needed results.

I reminisce fondly back on the days when they were little and had voracious appetites. Trying to keep up with their never ending hunger pangs, what was good for them to eat and not so good, plus not going bankrupt while grocery shopping. I miss those Chef-Boyardee days of convenience foods, and making scratch meals for the party of 5…