Day 26 & 27

Nothing cooked either day. Yesterday, my mother-in-law, age 101, passed away. She had been living with us for almost 3 years and although at times she was very diffficult, I have to say, I miss her terribly. She was a Rennaisance woman. She loved so many things and was either accomplished at them or a great appreciator of them. Not the least of which, was cooking. She could make a Thanksgiving dinner that would even make Julia Child take notice;

homemade cranberry sauce, butternut squash, mashed turnip and potatoes, creamed onions, roast turkey, specially ordered from her favorite market, with sausage and chestnut stuffing (the chestnuts were picked from her tree, the squash and turnip from her garden). Giblet gravy was her favorite thing and she used it profusely. Then, there was the watermelon pickle made from last summer's watermelon and a mouthwatering array of homemade pies; apple, made with her own cortland apples, pumpkin (you guessed it, made with her home grown pumpkins), mince, this one was made with None Such Mincemeat, the only store bought filling. These were all served with big slices of cheddar cheese. Her table could not even be captured by Norman Rockwell himself. She did this all while working fulltime in her field of social work, playing the organ at church each Sunday, directing the choir, running the lady's sewing group, writing letters to friends an family everyday. I don't know how she did it.She was a truly amazing woman!