Food has always been a big part of my life, but I haven't realized it until recently. Taking this class has brought back a lot of lovely memories of my childhood, my mother's cooking and all of the wonderful experiences that I had. Reading about Nigel's experiences with his mom in the kitchen and her attempts at cooking brought back many memories of my mom's cooking. While she wasn't able to cook as often as she wanted, she did cook an awful lot and was very good at it. Now, as an adult, I really miss my mom's cooking. Not only would I love to come home to a beautiful home-cooked meal, but I simply don't seem to have the time to experiment in the kitchen like she does. It is something that I dream of, and one day I will get the opportunity, but for now daily cooking is not a viable option.
I am lucky in the fact that when I do see my parents my mom loves to cook for me and my husband. In fact she spoils us rotten, especially me since she knows all of my favorite dishes. One of my all time favorite dishes is something we call Spanish Rice. It speaks to me of comfort, home, love, family and mom. The feelings it evokes in me reminds me of MLK Fisher's peach pie experience. It is a warm, delicious comforting food that fills you up and leaves you smiling, happy, sitting on the couch with your pants unbuttoned for comfort. I am proud to say that I now have my husband addicted to this dish as well.
Mom actually got the recipe for Spanish Rice from her mother. Over the years she has improved it with various spices that my grandmother wouldn't have known what to do with. My mother greatly prefers her own version since my grandmother's was a little too bland. The dish itself consists mainly of hamburger, bacon, rice, kidney beans, tomato sauce along with an array of spices that I can't remember off the top of my head. The meat and rice are cooked and then mixed with all of the other ingredients. An hour or so in the oven baking and out comes a delicious Spanish Rice casserole. The smell is heavenly and always makes my mouth water with anticipation. I love opening up the oven to see the juices of the casserole bubbling and creating a tasty, crusty top layer.
My mom always makes sure that my favorite dish is on the menu when I visit, and I usually end up with a container of it in my freezer when my parents visit. I have a great mom! She knows that Spanish Rice has always been one of my soul foods, and probably always will be.
Forever the experimenter in the kitchen, Mom recently made a creative change to her recipe and came up with a new version of Spanish Rice. Instead of the hamburger, bacon and kidney beans, she has included chicken, corn, and a few other southwestern type foods. She is coming up with a new name for it since it isn't Spanish anymore. While it is very tasty, I still prefer my old standby- Spanish Rice. I hope that when I have children, they will appreciate the dish as much as I do. Perhaps they will pass it to their children as well and it can become the family recipe passed on through the ages.
