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A Birthday, a Story, & a Recipe

A Birthday, a Story, & a RecipeToday is my mom’s birthday. She doesn’t care for the spotlight, but I couldn’t let the day pass without sharing a short story about her here.

One of the things I remember best from all my growing up years is the way Mom made our house a home. No easy feat, given that we changed houses (and coasts) every two to three years following Dad’s naval career.

But no matter our location, Mom’s cheerful, “I’m here” presence remained a constant. She was a stay-at-home mom of the best sort. She sang when she cleaned house. (I never do that, no matter how good my mood.) She sewed my prom dresses. And decorated my room pink. She arose early every morning to cook my dad, brothers and me a hot breakfast, and hand-packed our lunches for school. And when I came home, she was always, always willing to hear my stories, no matter how mundane.

She was the first to show me that my stories mattered.

And usually, while I told my stories (yes, the conversation tended to be a wee bit one-sided), she cooked dinner.

Some good moments, those. Because then I knew that not only did my stories matter…I did too.

One of my all-time favorite said dinners was Cheddar Chowder. (It still is.) Whenever I found this simmering on the stove, regardless of whatever else my day had held, I knew life was good.

I still do.

So thanks, Mom, for being there. For making yummy soup. And for listening to my stories–then and now.

MOM’S CHEDDAR CHOWDERA Birthday, a Story, & a Recipe

1 potato, diced
4 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 c. water
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-2 c. cooked ham, cubed

Add vegetables to large sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, simmer until veggies are tender. Do not drain.

Meanwhile, in separate large pot, make white sauce with butter, flour, and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. When thickened, add cheese–stir until smooth. Add ham and un-drained cooked vegetables.

Serve with warm, crusty bread or blueberry muffins (my fave–that recipe for another day).

Serves 6-8.

After words: And you? Would love to hear some of your favorite mom memories. And recipes too, if you’d care to share. 🙂

6 responses to “A Birthday, a Story, & a Recipe”

  1. Love this Katherine and thank you for sharing! Mom’s are the best and happy birthday to yours! There’s tons of stories I could share, but I’ll just share one – I went away to college (but close enough I still came home for church), but my mom would still send me care packages throughout the year because she knew how much I loved surprises like that. They weren’t anything huge, just to show me she loves me :).

  2. P.S. The soup sounds delicious!

  3. Virginia Meadows says:

    Great story and tribute to your Mom. Please tell her hello for me and that I wish her a happy birthday. She is a remarkable person. I miss her and your Dad. Two of my favorite people at KCC. The soup recipe sounds so good. I will try it. Thanks for sharing.

  4. Katherine says:

    I will, Virginia! Am taking her to lunch today and will be sure to pass along your greetings. We miss you too!

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