Introduction - Who of us never gets nostalgic for the sights, sounds, and tastes of our childhood? Maybe it was Mother who stood blessing the Sabbath candles, or a beloved grandmother; but Friday nights, holiday nights—indeed every night—the Jewish home was redolent of the smells of wonderful cooking. The welcome sign was out and a dozen at dinner was an average number.

01. Thoughts About Food - While it is true that we do not live to eat, but eat to live, we spend so much time at it that good eating and good living become almost synonymous. I have found that it is not necessary to be a woman of means to prepare and serve food "fit for a king." Let me tell you some of the things I have myself learned about making the most of food.

Never shop for only one meal. If you do, you will lose the fun of glorifying leftovers; and furthermore, should a friend arrive unexpectedly around the dinner hour, you will be torn between finding a way to stretch your meal or, far worse, finding an excuse to exclude a guest.

02. Time Savers - Mama brought up a family of seven children. She was also the breadwinner for the family, so you will under­stand she was quite a woman. Her preparation for the weekly Sabbath feast was something to remember. The saying in Poor Richard's Almanac, "Fools make feasts and wise men eat them," did not impress her at all. She maintained that holidays must be festive, and what are feasts without guests?

03. Fish + Appetizers - Most of the fish recipes are used as appetizers. You will also find recipes for appetizers in the poultry and beef sections, and throughout the book. You can use any of the given recipes for appetizers as main dishes, provided you also serve some kind of soup and an ample side dish and dessert.

GEFILTE FISH

5 lbs. fish (whitefish, carp and yellow pike—mostly whitefish)

2 ts. salt

1 t. pepper

04. Soups - I use the pressure cooker for soups. It saves time and you can cook any soup in the pressure cooker for 20 minutes, then let the pressure down and finish seasoning, adding whatever else you want to the soup, and continue cooking it for another half hour. Let me try to explain: Suppose you are cooking a meat soup of some kind and you want a lima bean base for it.

05. Poultry - 1 stewing chicken (yearling)

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 stalk celery

1  T. salt (level)

Dash of pepper

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. tomato juice (or ¾c. canned tomatoes)

2  Ts. chicken fat

Clean chicken and cut into quarters or smaller portions. Cut up and sauté the onion, green pepper and celery. Put chicken portions into the sautéed mixture. Make flame higher until chicken is seared on all sides. Lower flame, add all other ingredients and cook for 11/2 hours, or until chicken is tender.

06. Beef - OVEN ROAST

4 or 5 lbs. rib or chuck roast 1 T. salt

1  t. onion salt

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/2 t. paprika

Dash of pepper

3 Ts. chicken fat

2  Ts. matzo meal

Mix all seasonings well, rub roast with seasoning mixture on all sides, brush with fat, sprinkle lightly with matzo meal. Put into moderate, 350°, oven, 20 minutes to the pound.

07. Veal - VEAL ROAST

1  shoulder of veal

1  T. salt

1  t. onion salt

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. paprika

2  Ts. matzo meal

Trim meat of all fat; mix seasoning and rub roast with it. Brush with chicken fat; sprinkle lightly with matzo meal and put into moderate, 350°, oven; give it 20 minutes to the pound. Baste often.

08. Side Dishes - BROWN BUCKWHEAT KASHA

2 cs. coarse buckwheat groats

1 egg (well beaten)

4 Ts. fat

1  large onion (minced)

2  stalks celery (cut in small pieces)

3  1 T. salt

Dash of pepper

4 cs. water

Sauté onion and celery in 2 Ts. fat and let stand. In separate frying pan put 2 Ts. fat, 1 egg blended with the groats and seasoning. Heat groats on medium flame about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until the groats are coated with the egg. Pour boiling water into the groats, lower the flame, and simmer until the water has been absorbed.

09. Chollents + Casseroles - For the young housekeeper—or the veteran—the most wonderful help in the world is a third hand. I call my complete oven meal my "third" hand. If I have a freezer, the meal can come out of that freezer. If not, the meal can be prepared a day or several days before. On the day my company arrives, I need not be tired, anxious and divided between the pots on the stove and the guests in the living room. Nothing is going to burn!

10. Stuffings - BREAD STUFFING (#1)

1  green pepper

1  large onion

1  stalk celery

8  slices of white bread (or 3 stale rolls)

3  eggs

1  t. salt

Dash of pepper

3  Ts. chicken fat

Cut up and sauté onion, celery and green pepper in the fat. Soak bread or rolls in cold water—squeeze out water. Use only the pulp and combine all ingredients.

11. Cakes + Desserts - Traditional Jewish cookery is not very famous for either its salads or desserts, so if you find a few dessert recipes that sound a bit too modern, please remember that I, too, am a Mama.

PASSOVER WALNUT CAKE

10 eggs (separated) ¾ c. sugar

1 lemon (juice and rind)

1 c. finely ground walnuts

3 Ts. cake meal

Beat egg yolks until light-colored, gradually add sugar, lemon juice and rind, cake meal and nuts. Beat egg whites stiff but not dry, and gently fold into batter.

12. Salads + Relishes - Salads and greens were very few and far between at Mama's table. Papa's pet phrase, whenever he saw a green salad on the table, was, "Oh, you are putting us out to pasture again." Since Papa set the standard of living in our home in all ways, Mama seldom served what didn't please him. I will give you a few of the recipes for salads that were served frequently.

13. Holiday Food - When Jews came to visit each other on a Saturday, or Sabbath, the greeting words were "Goot Shabbos." When they parted, the parting words were, "A Gooten Shabbos." For us children the Shabbus or Sabbath, whichever way you called it, was always good, for on that day we had Mama to ourselves. On that day Mama was free of all labor and gave herself to the family. The flavor of the meals she prepared for us still clings to my palate.

14. What Made Mama - When Jews came to visit each other on a Saturday, or Sabbath, the greeting words were "Goot Shabbos." When they parted, the parting words were, "A Gooten Shabbos." For us children the Shabbus or Sabbath, whichever way you called it, was always good, for on that day we had Mama to ourselves. On that day Mama was free of all labor and gave herself to the family. The flavor of the meals she prepared for us still clings to my palate.

THE END