Long, long ago when I was a but child-bride, I yearned to please my handsome husband so I dreamed of concocting hearty breakfasts, luscious lunches, and delightful dinners. This wasn’t to be. We had wisely married while still in college so were in possession of two things money couldn’t buy, abject poverty and true love. We were just scraping by. After about two weeks, about all we had left in the refrigerator was a half-loaf of bread, mustard, a couple of lonely, frozen chicken gizzards, and an old, dry sliver of cheddar cheese. I fried those chicken gizzards up nice and hard, sliced them as thin as possible, added the slivered cheddar cheese and sat down with My Darling to enjoy the amazing delicacy. It was the worst thing I ever tried to eat. The piquant taste of overdone gizzard slathered with mustard was not a good companion taste for the dried out cheddar cheese. I was never tempted to try that combo again.
I was bad at synchronizing my meals, so it was ready at the same time. Invariably something would get burnt. One day in church, the minister was giving a sermon on forbearance and how we have to have the attitude of this husband who, as he’s walking up to his house with an invited guest and sees smoke coming from a window, comments, “Well, I see my wife has prepared another burnt offering.”
My then husband turns and points at me in a very animated fashion to let everyone know that was me. Memories. Ain’t they grand?
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I spent the first year of my marriage burning and cutting myself.
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I”m a slow learner and I lived by this cookbook my first hubby gave me and still have it. Online I was able to find copies for m girls. They love it. I have other cookbooks as well, but this simple basic one with “menus” was my favorite.
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I had Betty Crocker. Still use it. Some pages are worn and stained.
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Mine was called The Modern Family Cookbook C 1942 – LOL
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That is amazing. The bad salad, i will imagine it’s only a bad dream🤪
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My poor guests never knew about the extra protein.
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our generation has such memories (gruesome comb0s)but we lived through it and somethings come from it. the victory of hotdogs-ravioli etc-well, we can look back on survival. Many now, will not have that.
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I’ve always been grateful for experience.
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Oh, how you made me laugh with this post; and, oh, the memories you stirred in me about being young, married, poor and in college. They were wonderful years filled with the sort of laughter you must have enjoyed trying to eat the worst sandwich ever.
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One time I was making scalloped potato’s and sliced off the end of my thumb. Bud had to dig the piece out , wash, the blood out of the potato’s, and finish cooking. We never told our guests.
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Even funnier! but I well know the need to not waste those potatoes, which cot good money!
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Indeed. There as no replacement.
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Great story. I learnt to cook at my mother’s knee, just post rationing. No gizzard, liver or chicken heart was ever wasted and I still make ‘force meat balls’ (breadcrumbs, herbs, egg and chopped turkey giblets) at Christmas.
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We never wasted anything. Bony chicken parts were taken off the bone and went into dumplings, soup, or spaghetti. A chicken made 3 meals. Fried or baked legs and thighs first night, breast and wings, second night, and bony parts third night. We made 4 meals out of a pound of ground meat with sauces and casseroles. I threatened my husband if he got into leftovers, the next night’s dinner. He worked in college cafeteria so I’m sure he filled up there before he came home. That probably kept him from starving. He had a huge appetite. We only bought powdered milk. He could have all the milk he wanted in cafeteria. I think he grabbed it when trays came back in if it was unopened. Some nights he drank six cartons.
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I think it would be quite funny for you to make that sandwich again and see what he thinks…. 🙂
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Uh. I suspect I know.
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It would be a great April Fool’s joke….
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Try it. But maybe have a ham for backup.
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Good plan !
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Looks pretty, though.
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That picture was from Pixabay, not the real thing.
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Oh lol! I made my first ever omelette as a newly wed blushing bride – burnt to a crisp. He ate it without a murmur of complaint 🙂
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I made tomato soup one time and over cooked. I drained it through a dish towel. Nothing left but tomato water. We drank it with hot water cornbread.
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Lol !! great memories 🙂
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I don’t think I’ll try it. I’m not that curious. 🙂 — Suzanne
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That’s smart.
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I love honeymoon stories like yours. Love rules!
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It was a fun time.
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Goodness I remember being newly married and poor, but thankfully chicken gizzard wasn’t on the menu, I feel my mouth screwing up at the thought of it….we did have a few cheap pasta dishes as I recall.
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We had spaghetti twice a week.
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Good that you did it… now you know what doesn’t work… lol!
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Right about that!
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Well at least you can say you tried some culinary ingenuity.
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More like desperation.
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Oh! That is priceless! Two things money can’t buy! We had only one meal we couldn’t eat. We took a bite, looked at each other, scrambled for cash, and went to the diner. All we could afford was a hot dog apiece, but it tasted good to us.
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We only went out to eat one time the first year. Ray’s Burgers had endless fries for $.50. It was a big mistake for them.
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We may have gone out to eat more than once the first year, but it was certainly rare. And it wasn’t rare steak we got! That’s amusing that you still remember the price of the endless fries. Hope they tasted good!
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They were heavenly.
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He he he Linda 😀
We learn by experience and among some of those, we will never repeat 🙂
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No kidding.
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That mix of ingredients should be a challenge on chopped.
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Absolutely.
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As I knew bride, I served my husband spaghetti sauce over raviolis. I defrosted the raviolis, poured the sauce over and added a slice of garlic toast to the side.
I didn’t realize I was also supposed to cook the ravioli until I saw the expression on my husband’s face!
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New!
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He didn’t like Ravioli-sickles. He’s too picky.
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I was such a bad new bride !
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I’ll bet not.
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Sweet. I guess not if we are on 27 years!
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Living on love. Buying on time.Without somebody life just ain’t worth a dime.Like an old fashion storybook rhyme. Living on love.
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Wonderful times.
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