MAMA’S SUNDAY DINNER
My mother garnered fame among family members for her elegant sashay into the kitchen, often with a frilly apron, or sometimes a dish towel, tied around her waist, opening the cabinet and refrigerator to remove a few items seemingly willy-nilly, and then standing for hours over the stove to prepare a scrumptious dinner for us all. Or “fix supper” if you want the real lingo. It never mattered how many of us showed up at any given time; there was always enough food to go around. Neither did it matter if family members brought along a friend or two or three. Guests were always welcome. I honestly don’t know how she did all that year after year while also running a business and raising children. It still seems like magic to me.
I’d like to share some of that magic with you. Let your taste buds go wild as you dream about a typical Sunday dinner menu at Mama’s house.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob (fresh from her garden), macaroni and cheese, salad, turnip greens (also fresh from the garden), hot biscuits, iced tea, and for dessert– lemon chiffon pie. That latter delicacy brought kids running home from school and sailors home from the sea. My niece Melinda is now the master chef of that pie, and makes it at most family gatherings and celebrations. Here is the time-honored recipe:
IRENE’S LEMON CHIFFON PIE
6 lemons, 6 eggs, 2 cans sweetened condensed milk; Meringue (6 egg whites, 1/4 tsp creme of tartar, 1/2 tsp lemon extract, 4 TBSP sugar)
Prepare graham cracker crust with 1/2 cup sugar and 6 TBSP melted butter in pie plate or use store-bought.
Separate yolks into bowl and beat slightly. Set aside whites for meringue. To yolks, add the sweetened condensed milk and the juice of the 6 lemons and beat on medium speed until thickened. Pour into pie crust. Bake 30 minutes in preheated 325 degree oven. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Make meringue while pie filling is baking. To make meringue, in a glass or metal bowl beat the 6 egg whites with creme of tartar and lemon extract until stiff. Slowly beat in sugar, until the mixture forms stiff peaks. Spoon mixture over hot pie filling and bake in 425 degree oven until meringue is golden brown. Let cool. Cut a slice, fork up a bite, and swoon– you’re in heaven.
All that’s left is YUM. Mama had the magic! 
