Substitutions

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We are having a great time visiting with daughter Lise in the afternoon, when she isn’t working. It has been easy to accommodate everyone’s needs so far. Behind the scenes are unforeseen adjustments. I had ground beef that needed to be used, and David suggested Beef in a Blanket. I don’t think you can tell by looking at it that anything was amiss.

Beef in a Blanket

The pastry has three types of flour in it. We looked for all-purpose flour in Aldi’s, and the shelf was bare. I did not remember to put it on the Ingle’s list. An almost-empty bin looked back at me from the shelf, and I surveyed the cabinet for a reasonable alternative. Whole wheat flour volunteered, but I said it had to bring a friend. You don’t want too much of a good thing. White Lily flour, the best for Southern biscuits, was the final filler.

There is no substitute for Rose, who is now in Washington State with her two daughters and grandson. No one could take her place in Sadie’s heart. Sadie does what many of us do not. She lives in the moment. When Lise invited her onto her lap, Sadie jumped at the chance. They were the best of friends that day.

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

37 thoughts on “Substitutions”

  1. Beef in a Blanket…hmmm, sounds interesting. My Mom used to make Pigs in a Blanket, little link sausages baked in biscuits.

    I enjoyed the photos, its hard to tell who’s having more fun, Lise or Sadie. Nice cheerful post, thanks.

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      1. I think some of these food dishes we share come from the “olden days” when there was always a scramble to make something family likes, but limited by cost. That’s why the casseroles. Also the Depression and the War years affected our menus….my Mom could make wonderful things with a staple white sauce, creamed-anything-over-toast—my personal favorites were creamed tuna, creamed hard-boiled eggs, codfish, hamburger sometimes… —with or without noodles. yum.

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          1. Good, nourishing, cheap meals that the kids would enjoy…that was the challenge. My personal favorites were tuna-noodle casserole, and mac-n-cheese. No matter how many times I try those now, they never have that great taste I remember from when I was a child.

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            1. Grandson David loves my tuna noodle casserole. It’s different every time, because I use what is around or what I’m in the mood for. I don’t remember my mother’s. She made good mac ‘n cheese, though. I can’t match it.

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              1. My son makes it, and is offended if I am not crazy about it. The key is having enough sauce, plenty of tuna, and to go easy on the noodles. Another thing is that my taste buds are not what they were when I was ten…foods that I once loved tend to be bland now. I had some Lake Erie Perch the other day, and others said it was great, but to me it had almost no taste.

                Once when my youngest daughter went to see my husband in hospital, an aide brought a lunch tray, and Carol questioned that it wasn’t a liquid-only diet. There was some orange jello, and she fed it to him, and he said it was the best food he ever had! It wasn’t on his allowed food list.

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                  1. Bob also made his own hot sauce from peppers that he grew. He enjoyed the taste the sauce added. When he was on the feeding tube he just hated it, his food just tasted like nothing. In fact he removed his tube at least once, and the last time they were about to reinsert the feeding tube I asked if it was going to help him in any way, and the doctor said no, so I told them not to do it. It made him so miserable, and had no good reason for it.

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              2. One of the girls had a girlfriend that would come for dinner occasionally when they were young teenagers, and she would say with horror “what is THAT!” at new foods on the table. She was very rude.

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                  1. I picked that girl up for a Scout meeting once, right on time, she was insisting that I was late. Then she proceeded to compare her watch with other girls’ watches, and insisted that the only correct time piece was hers. haha. Actually she had the wrong time.

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  9. Oh gosh, your pics of Sadie me me long for a doggie!! (I have a cat solely due to laziness; no need to walk her at 7 a.m.! My fiance is also not a morning person either, so… guess there’ll be no dog for us ever – unless we find one with a very large bladder who can wait until, say, 10:30-11 am for the first pee!)

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