A Mother's Day Breakfast

 

Song:  Nostalgia

Artist:  Yanni

My younger sister and I had just come back from my elder sister's house.

My elder sister had made a Mother's Day breakfast for our mother.

Do you see the white gravy in the small pot?

On this day...

I had the greatest sausage gravy I have ever had in my life.

My elder sister preparing my mother's plate.

Sausage gravy over biscuits is a southern staple.

As a matter of fact...

the women of the southern US are famous for their cooking abilities.

Just as in many parts of the world...

these women pass on their recipes from generation to generation...

and carefully guard them from their rivals.

They take cooking seriously...

and although this gravy had come from a packet in which you mix in water...

the company which produced it is located in the south.... the state of Georgia.

I have little doubt that this recipe had been one of the ones that 

the company had gotten from a southern grandmother somewhere.

The company is Southeastern Mills.

The mixture is Sausage flavor peppered gravy mix.

The spices were so flavorful...

it was my favorite part of the meal.

My mother loved it as well.

All the food on her plate...

including her drinks...

she finished with glee.

My elder sister gives my mother sun and fresh air as much as she can.

My younger sister is on the left...

my elder sister is on the right...

and, of course...

my mother is in the forefront.

My elder sister and her husband had just come back from the San Francisco Bay Area...

after having visited their sons and grandchildren.

My elder sister is showing us pictures of their trip in their music room.

My mother had a good time.

As the weather is now warming...

we will soon begin our triking adventures with me towing my mother in her palanquin. 

She will soon enjoy the grand scenery of Lake Tahoe.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

Song:  Guantanamera

Group:  The Sandpipers

My younger sister made this quite delicious soup for my mother.

It has a great flavor and, so far as soups go...

it is one of my favorites.

I've already eaten three large bowls of this soup in the last week.

---------------

A modification for meat lovers...

I like loads of meat in any dish I make.

I prefer to have one full meal in a bowl...

and so...

I would add 4x the amount of chicken...

and double any spice to make up for the extra meat.

-------------------

Once the chicken is cooked...

retrieve all the chicken...

take off all the meat...

and shred the meat before placing it back in the soup mixture.

Add cilantro to your bowl just before eating.

And good tortilla chips may be added on top as well...

but I prefer to eat them as an accompaniment on the side.

This soup will keep in the fridge until it is finished...

which won't take long as it tastes quite delicious.

My Elder Sister Gets A Meat Smoker

 

Song:  My Ever Changing Moods

Group:  The Style Council

My elder sister and her husband just bought a smoker.

My mother is on the sofa awaiting supper.

This will be the first time for me to taste freshly smoked meat.

My elder sister had seasoned the meat first.

This is her dog...Musa.

After initially placing the meat on...

she only realized later that she had forgotten to emplace the temperature probe into the meat.

I don't know what my elder sister was thinking here...

but she seems to be saying...

Viola! ...

after having put in the meat probe.

While the meat slow smoked and cooked...

she then prepared some salt and pepper shrimp.

At first...

as my elder sister is still getting used to using the smoker...

the meat was underdone...

so she put it into her BBQ to finish it off at a much quicker pace.

I started out with the shrimp.

After she brought out the smoked meat...

I then ate some.

The meat was so delicious because of the smokey flavor.

My mother had her share of meat, shrimp, and salad.

She really enjoys good food.

For certain...

in the future...

I will be getting a good BBQ and a smoker.

Life is simply too short to not have good smoked meat...

at least...every once in a while...

whether it be various red meats...

fish, or fowl.

A smoker really adds a new dimension to eating.

There is no sauce needed with smoked meats...

as the meat is especially tender and savory.

French Dip Sandwich

 

Song:  Prelude (FF III) (Cover)

Performing Artist /Arranger:  Jonathan Morris

My younger sister made French Dip Sandwiches for my mother 

and I to eat on this night.

I know that people who live in big cities

can get these easily.

However, they are relatively rare...

with any degree of quality...

outside of those cities.

As I am more country...

I have only had them a few times in my life.

Just last week...

I went to a local eatery and ordered a french dip sandwich.

My mouth was sent into an overdrive of succulent sensations with each bite.

I had told my younger sister of my experience there.

She then decided that she would try to make them at my mother's.

Her meat juice

dipping sauce was even better than the one at the restaurant.

When orchestras play with each bite...

that is when you know you have a winner.

My younger sister's sandwiches were so good.

Here is the recipe:

Before each bite...

you simply dip the whole end of the sandwich into the meat sauce.

It thoroughly moistens the bread and meat...

and it is this that sends the flavor explosion throughout your mouth.

The result was excellent...

a mouth watering delight in every bite.

My younger sister also made a greek yoghurt blueberry and strawberry parfait for dessert.