Thanks to inspiration from my co-host Donna and from the delightful Julia series on Crave TV, I recently became once again consumed with the idea of trying out some of Julia Child’s recipes. When the movie Julie and Julia came out, I was charmed by the idea of working my way through a cookbook like that (and also blogging about it). As I was firmly entrenched as the Mayor of Crazytown at that time, it was only a pipe dream (that I soon forgot about).
But now I am retired and I have an Amazon Prime membership, so it was only a matter a time before Amazon notified me of a price drop…
But what to cook first? The next time I was on YouTube, this video showed up in my feed as a “suggestion” to watch. Coincidence or was Big Brother watching/listening? You decide.
I’d like to tell you that I had some kind of epiphany while attempting this recipe…well, actually I did. But not in the way that I thought I would. Hear me out. I thought that perhaps making one of Julia Child’s recipes would revolutionize the way I cooked from that moment forward. No high expectations here, eh? Instead, my revolution came in the knowledge that Julia Child was asking me to cook meat exactly the way I had been first taught by my mother.
Uh huh. Long before fat (especially butter) became a kitchen pariah, Mom was showing me how to cook the Dutch way. Melt plenty of butter (or *gasp* margarine because we were a broke-ass immigrant family) in the pan and wait until the foaming subsides and the fat starts to turn brown to introduce the meat.
I have to say that I was kinda disappointed and thrilled at the same time. Weird as that sounds. Even the addition of more margarine butter later in the recipe, to make a sauce/thin gravy to accompany the meat was what I learned at the kitchen stove from my mom. No wonder people sang the praises of her cooking…
Nope, I am not going to be working my way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking anytime soon. But I may dip into it for inspiration (and a challenge) from time to time.
Please let my co-host Donna or myself know what’s on your plate at your house, in the Comments section of either of our WOYPBC posts (or both, if you are so inclined!). Please check out Donna’s July post, where she posts some mouth-watering photos of her vacation in the mountains.
Trying this InLinkz thing once again – thanks to Donna for setting this up!
Bon appétit and rock on,
The WB
What a fun ‘epiphany’! Thanks for hosting – have added in my most recent food related post.
Yes, it certainly was! Thank you 💕. Looking forward to reading your post!
You are going great Deb and love the lessons learnt from our mums 🙂
Thank you very much, Debbie 💕
Ah, butter. A chefs best friend.
👍
Truth! 😁 Thanks, Rivergirl 💕
I’ll confess I’ve never been tempted to cook through an entire cookbook. The equivalent for me is to be drawn to reading through my entire bookshelf. So far it hasn’t happened though!
It’s a lovely dream though, isn’t it? 😁 Thanks, Susan 💕
Deb, Julia let me done once and I’ve never used her book again. Harsh, but it was Christmas and we were serving 10 people. Her duck was supposed to be ‘no fail.’ Wrong, it was a massive fail. Thank goodness there were plenty of side dishes and a couple of amazing desserts. Who needs Julia when you have Mum?
Oh, that’s terrible! Hopefully by now you have gotten a funny story out of it, although it was far from funny at the time. Thanks, Suzanne 💕
Moms, way before readily available prepared food, cooked fabulous meals. Then we started tweaking it because butter was bad, eggs were bad, good lord who knows what else will kill us. Many years ago, I reverted back to mom’s cooking style. I weigh less, feel full faster. They had something there. I don’t go bat shit crazy with grease but a properly placed dab does the trick!
Back then (in our moms’ time), people were a lot thinner as a population than we are now with all our supposed increased health knowledge and “healthier” food options. I agree with you 100% about reverting to an older cooking style. My parents almost never ate at restaurants (special occasions only), processed or “convenience” foods never came home from the grocery store, and fat was not the enemy. Too much sugary food was what my mother worried about, but it wasn’t banned or swapped out for artificial sweeteners…it was kept as a special treat. Dessert was after Sunday night supper only. Thanks, Kate 💕
Our mothers may have been sisters! 🙂
It could be because my mom’s dad was never named. My grandmother had her out of wedlock and nobody talked about the horrific scandal that it was back then! 😬
We had one of those in the family but it was my mother’s older sister that has my cousin without a dad named.
Maybe your mom learned from Julie. Either way that was a fun discovery and your plate looks great!
My mom learned from her mom, who learned from her mom and so on and so forth. TV watching was not a big thing at our house – we only got 2 channels (none of which were PBS) on the best weather days, and TV was only turned on after supper. As for the book, English was Mom’s 2nd language and any cookbooks she did own were Dutch. It WAS a fun discovery! Thanks, Jean 💕
Mmmmm, I can smell those delicious burgers and fries from here! Learning from our moms is the best cooking advice ever! I am impressed that you have continued blogging and trying new recipes while moving and puppy-sitting! 🙂
Hehehe! I’m reverting back to my old high intensity, project-juggling work-life self. Not sure I like it, but I guess I still got it? 😜 Thanks, Donna 💕
“Tasted like my childhood…” I’m sure it’d taste similar to mine. My grandma (and mom) used to make hamburgers like this. I’m sure it smelled delicious in your kitchen.
It certainly did! Some smells are even more delicious thanks to the nostalgia they evoke. Thanks, Kari 💕
There were frozen bits & bobs of leftover meals from houseguests (x 2 wks) so those have been on the menu in June. Cool, rainy weather yesterday prompted me to make a pot of split pea soup from frozen ham bones. My son & his family visited on July 1 w/e so there were pulled pork & brisket sandwiches with coleslaw & quinoa salad. One thing I’ve really been enjoying is watermelon, feta cheese & fresh basil. I was gifted a huge pot of basil and some is drying on the counter. Fingers crossed. It’s been so humid and it’s taking a long time to dry. I dislike labelling food as good or bad. I strive for balance in calories in/out & nutrient dense/empty foods.
Yum! Sounds delicious. I agree with your food philosophy. Having lived through “sugar is bad”, “no, it’s fat that is bad”, “no, fat is good again – carbs are bad”, it seems to me that having balance in your life (and diet) is a sound way of thinking. Thanks, Mona 💕
I enjoyed this one. Reminded me of when my parents’s income reached the point where Mom declared she was never using anything but butter again. I admit I’ve stuck to that advice (except for those early divorce years.) I love how those patties have been disguised as health food! Yum!
Ahhh, to reach the “butter only” years! 😉 Happy to read that mine wasn’t the only family that relied on margarine when money was tight. Thanks, Tracey 💕
Great presentation Deb!
Leslie
Thanks, Leslie 💕
Fat – from butter and dairy – got such a bad rap for a while but it seems to be in everyone’s good graces once again, thank goodness. Your meal looks colorful and yummy… and very satisfying. Your mom and Julia (and, it appears now, you) knew what they were doing!
Sometimes the old ways prove to be the best ways. Thanks, Janis 💕
… and now you have me thinking about cooking through Julia’s cookbook too! Your dinner looks lovely, although I think the chef deserves twice the amount of truffle fries!
I might have went for seconds on the truffle fries 😊. Thanks, Sandy 💕
Certain foods and recipes can bring back memories, for sure. Hey, I grew up with margarine in Belgium as well…
I remember when margarine was thought of as a health food…Thanks, Liesbet 💕
Oh gosh! Those burgers so look ans sound like my mom’s except she overcooked everything. Always. Running after 4 kids or ??? My mom didn’t learn to cook growing up and my dad taught her. Maybe he learned to overcook food from his mom, my Nanna. The things my mom made well always seem to feature cream! Ah life on a dairy farm. Bernie
I find a lot of people overcook things. I remember my mom shushing me as a wee child when we were at someone’s house for dinner. I was told we were having steak but the shoe leather on the plate told a different story and I asked where was the steak? 🤭 Thanks, Bernie 💕
That is hilarious! Although I suspect your mom didn’t think so!!
I was just saying what everybody else in my family was thinking 😉. No doubt she was slightly embarrassed…out of the mouths of babes, and all that.
I’ve sent this post to my wife, Deb. She’s a huge fan of Julia Child and has all of her books. This is wonderful! – Marty
Thank you, Marty! 💕
My mum hated cooking – still does. You can hear her muttering away most nights “what’s for ruddy dinner?”. And she overcooked everything. Mind you, her mum didn’t cook either and dad does like his meat overcooked. Dad was always battling cholesterol so margarine was (and still is the thing) in hour family home and butter was the stuff of dreams. I too have flirted with the idea of cooking my way through Child’s books and am sort of doing that through Nigella’s How To Eat… sort of. And finally (to end this very rambling comment) truffled fries. Yum.
My mother hated cooking too, but her need to be “perfect” and “above reproach” (to make up for being born out of wedlock…as if it was her fault!) meant she turned out delicious meals every night. Even using margarine! Thanks, Jo 💕
https://equipoiselife.wordpress.com/2022/07/08/whats-on-fridays-plate/
Delicious post! Thanks, Bernie 💕
Not sure if Linkz was down? Didn’t say it was closed. Just weird other mumbo-jumbo. So old school way of sharing.
I don’t know. I don’t like InLinkz and only post it because Donna and other bloggers like it. Old school is fine with me, Bernie 💕
I actually find, as a rule, the InLinkz is easy. But old school works! Glad to eat alongside my awesome hosts!
Hi Deb, Funny how YouTube gets into our brains and knows what we are thinking (Big Brother?). I am intrigued by your cookbook holder upper. Hmmmm, something I ‘need.’ The meal is a feast for the eyes and healthy. Pretty place mat…wine…the entire meal – awesome! (glad your WP working…delayed responding – family medical emergency in Lower Mainland – all stable for the moment – now off to read about your grandpuppy – puts a smile on my face 😀) 💕
It can’t always be a coincidence, right???? That cookbook holder came to me courtesy of Amazon. It’s something I “needed” for a long time. I usually have my cookbook on the counter with a can of tomatoes or some such to hold it open to the correct page. Sorry to read about the medical emergency – fingers crossed for a speedy and complete recovery! Thanks, Erica 💕
Hi Deb – this is fun … I’ve been tied up, somewhat lazy perhaps, but other things going on – but I so agree I love making my own hamburgers – trouble is I always eat too many. That dish looks scrumptious and I bet it was … brilliant and happy post – thank you – cheers Hilary
They were delicious burgers and I agree with you – homemade is best. Hope you get “untied” soon 😁 Thanks, Hilary 💕