Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.

Culinary Pitfalls

Posted Saturday, December 31, 2022, at 3:03 AM

It’s not Mom's fault. One could surmise that I, as the first-born of first-borns, might stubbornly balk at tasks needing to measure up to overachievers' standards. But, no.

I didn’t balk exactly. I just didn’t listen if I wasn’t particularly interested in the activity at hand. I did just enough sewing to get the desired Girl Scout badge. It did not involve a machine, an overwhelmingly complex contraption to my mind in 7th-grade home ec.

When it came to helping in the kitchen, it was appealing only if sugar and chocolate were involved. At some point Mom accepted that I would not be an asset in domestic chores and left me to my books and bikes, ball games and TV shows and simple jobs like washing dishes, folding towels and washcloths and ironing hankies.

During summer break after my sophomore year in college, Mom decided to push the issue and tormented me with cooking assignments. If I never married, I would still hopefully leave home and need to feed myself. That seemed to be her premise. It was not a fun summer for me or anyone around at meal time. I bet Dad ate more cans of beanie weenies and Vienna sausages from his store that summer.

When the mood strikes or potucks prevail, I can prepare a meal or whip up a plate of something. I lament not paying attention when one of my childhood favorites doesn’t measure up. (Examples: Mom’s potato salad, Momo’s fried okra, Grandma Tom’s cornbread)

For me, accidents lurk, waiting and watching to muck up: a kitchen floor, a new pair of socks, my schedule and my mealtime contribution. I have a growing list of culinary catastrophes that includes spilling a large pot of potato soup in the back of the car,

With my obsessive need for simpe printed recipes, I appreciate the ton of desserts cropping up in social media this holiday season. Not much is easier or faster than Rolo Ritz cookies - unless you drop the pan after melting the Rolos and it flips upside down before hitting the floor. One more oopsie to add to my list.

Thank goodness for bags of Hostess powdered donuts at Hartland and a reprieve from party preparations at the start of the new year.

(For 12/28/2022)