Remedy for a bad day: Make a retro-meal

     Despite the sun outside, it has been a gray day for me.

     A beloved dog, struggling with cancer, is clearly nearing the end of her battle. Our financial adviser somehow thought I was in Mitt Romney’s tax bracket when he sent me a distribution earlier this year, didn’t withhold enough taxes, and now I owe the IRS more than two grand. I face another 100-mile-round-trip work commute tomorrow. Spring is still too far away.

     And yet… I still have two dogs (and a cat and a bird) I love, I husband I love even more, I have friends, I’m employed and I have memories of childhood meals that could bring comfort on a day like this.

     So for a “virgin” activity today, I decided to re-create one of those meals my late mother would have set on the table back in the ‘50s with all of us there. I feel tears welling as I even type this.

     The menu came from recipes from the Good Housekeeping Cook Book (published in 1942) that my mother passed on to me: meatloaf (being vegetarian, I substituted a soy substitute for the ground meat) with criss-cross cheese on top, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans (from our garden! frozen, and thawed), a salad of lettuce and tomato (iceberg would have been more authentic than my artisan lettuce, but I didn’t have any) with French dressing (didn’t have any bottled, so I made my own) and, for dessert, apple brown Betty. (OK, I don’t remember mom ever making apple brown Betty – Scotcheroos would have been more her style, but she would have liked this). It’s as close as I can get to a meal that would have been set out on our dining room table in Allen Park, Michigan.

     Then, Rick and I got out some vintage dishes, pulled out our version of TV tables and watched retro TV while we ate.

     The food was… wonderful. The day was… better.

     And, with leftovers, so will tomorrow be.

(Photo courtesy of TastofHome)