Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, happy Monday.
Tomorrow is… National Working Parents Day. Hence, happy Working Parents “Eve”, as well. Working parents are the silent heroes in our society so this is the perfect time to say “thank you” to moms and dads who work hard at their jobs, as well as at home, taking care of their families and everything that entails.
In today’s American households, over two-thirds of families experience both parents needing to work to get by. Working parents aren’t new to our society but they are an increasingly growing culture. They deserve to be honored, as they face a variety of challenges such as juggling daycare and various schedules, just to name a couple that top the list.
Working parents strive to find time with each other, as well as with their children, because many times they’ll work different shifts so at least one of them can be home with the kids. Such a balancing act requires some good organizing skills and communication, along with a lot of love and patience.
“Making money was not the purpose of my publication – even though it was the necessity that dictated whether or not I would succeed where my competitors failed.” – Gloria Pitzer, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report (Secret Recipe Report, St. Clair, MI; Issue 85, January 1981; p. 1)
Like most couples who were raising families in the 1960s and 1970s, it was a struggle for my parents, too. They both needed to work while raising five kids. It’s hardly different for parents, today, as history tends to repeat itself.
The way Mom used to describe it, when I was young – she and Dad would earn just enough money each month, between the two of them, to make ends meet; only to find that the ends would continuously move a little further and further apart. Budgeting was a constant way of life.
Somehow, my parents always found a way to get through those “trying times”. It helped that Mom was crafty and made a lot of things she and Dad couldn’t afford to buy – such as clothes, personal care and grocery products, as well as restaurant dishes (for “eating out at home”).
Her copycat cookery concept came about when she and Dad, similar to many other couples, were struggling to eke out a living, while meeting their family’s needs. Because we couldn’t always afford luxuries, like eating out, Mom figured out how to imitate fast food and restaurant dishes at home.
Like the old proverb says, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” If Mom could save our family money, by making so many things herself, she wanted to share her ideas with other struggling families so they could save money, too. She started writing and self-publishing cookbooks in 1973 then expanded with a monthly newsletter in 1974.
In 1976, Dad retired from his job at the sign company to start working with Mom full-time, in their growing recipes company. He managed the business side of Secret RecipesTM, while Mom took care of the creative and promotional sides. They worked together, side-by-side, everyday, for over 37 years.
“Homemade” was once a way of life for most everyone. At some point, our time became more valuable than money. For decades, people chose to spend their time on things other than cooking from scratch, growing vegetables, canning, raising chickens, and the like. We’re a convenience driven society.
However, convenience is a matter of interpretation. Now that more people are once again struggling to make ends meet, financially, some are going back to those money-saving “homesteading” ways, as the value of the dollar is regaining its value over that of our time.
Since grocery prices continue to rise… many people have decided to hone their farming skills, by growing and canning at least some of their own food. In the past five years, more people than ever before have started raising chickens, going fishing, and hunting to supplement the rising costs of eggs and meat.
You could say homesteading has found a rejuvenation with new generations. Inflation and the high costs of food is not a new subject. Mom was writing about price increases and the food crisis in her syndicated column, No Laugh ‘N’ Matter, 50 years ago, in the 1970s.
Mom was a freelance writer long before she became the Secret Recipes© DetectiveTM. More than half a century later, I’m still amazed by the timelessness of the many issues about which she wrote, as history tends to repeat itself.
The roads still need to be fixed and there’s still political corruption. We still have, on occasions, inflation hikes or a food crisis; as well as a flood or draught or some other disaster. Somehow, history always tends to repeat itself in new forms of old events.
“Food For Thought”, a syndicated column by Gloria Pitzer (circa 1970s)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SUGAR?
BACK IN THE GOOD old days of hearth-minding and homemaking, about all a woman had to be concerned with was disguising her leftovers. Today, we have Hamburger Helper – and what luck! It no longer has anything to help.
Look what’s happened to sugar, for instance. Somebody figured out recently that there has been an 80% increase in the price of sugar in the last 12 months.
What I still can’t understand, though, is how sugar can be so expensive, and be boycotted by so many homemakers, who are learning to do without; and we still have 100% attendance, plus, a membership waiting list, at my weekly Weight Watchers© meeting.
You know what’s wrong with this country? We’re putting Platformate in our gasoline to make it go further – when it’s our money that needs it. That’s like adding love to dog food when it’s marriage that needs it.
The new cars are coming out soon and they say these will be going up in price, too. If things get any worse, when you ask to have a foreign economy model, about all you’ll be able to afford is a rickshaw.
I had this ridiculous dream the other night that went much like an editorial cartoon in the newspaper. I saw this large, strong hand come out of nowhere, labeled ‘Public Resistance’. It grabbed the arm of the supermarket dock clerk, who was just about to erase a price on a bag of sugar and stamp on a higher price.
Wouldn’t things be wonderful if it worked that way? If King George had done to sugar what he did to tea, 200 years ago, our forefathers would’ve had to rename Boston Harbor ‘Sugar Bay’!
Perhaps we’ve been so busy, being angry about what is going on in the stock market, we haven’t had the time nor energy to get angry enough to do something about what’s going on in our supermarket.
It isn’t sugar – or cars, or gasoline, or any other of the other commodities we object to being more expensive. Sugar is only a representation of public passive resistance to almost everything that requires individual attention and involvement.
Making money isn’t the real problem these days – it’s saving it that gives us all the trouble. The ‘whatever-the-traffic-will-bare’ theory has become the rule when it used to be the exception. Sugar isn’t the only problem.
Somebody figured out the other day why the price of bread has gone up, too. Remember when they said, ‘man cannot live by bread alone’? He can today if he can get financing!
Somebody reminded us recently that the bumper wheat crop we had not long ago should have kept the price of bread down. Do you know where we buy most of our wheat? Canada! Do you know where they get it? From Russia! And where did Russia get it? From us!
By the way, last Wednesday was National Swap Ideas Day – another one of those observances you can do every day. That’s what Mom loved to do in all of her newsletters and books. Nowadays, it’s called “networking”. It’s very helpful and beneficial for parents to network with others, experiencing similar struggles.
Families with working parents often make it work, by having everyone in the household in charge of their own responsibilities. Breaking the antiquated stereotyping and delegating household responsibilities among all of the household members helped me tremendously. Just like “it takes a village…”, it also takes a household.
If you’re a working parent, NationalDay.com suggests: “While you’re celebrating, share your best tips and tricks for organizing your busy life.” Post them on social media platforms with hashtags for #WorkingParentsDay and #NationalSwapIdeasDay.
READER REQUESTS…
On August 28, “Marlene” asked me, on my post of Mom’s recipe for JL Hudson’s Make Alike Corn Muffins: “Do you happen to have the recipe for JL Hudson’s spice muffins?”
Mom has at least 79 copycat recipes (on the Master Index Tab) for duplicating the famous JL Hudson’s dishes. It was one of her favorite places to shop and dine, for many decades. Mom called her copycat version “Pumpkin Muffins”.
In honor of National Swap Ideas Day, here’s a bonus recipe today because Mom always believed that “great recipes need to be shared!” This recipe (pictured below) was first printed in her self-published newsletter… Gloria Pitzer’s Secret RecipesTM Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov.-Dec. 1992, Issue 159, p. 5).
[NOTE: As always, asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share this.]
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of Wednesday, being National Apple Dumpling Day, here’s another one of Mom’s JL Hudson’s copycat recipes; for “Apple Dumplings”, as seen in her self-published cookbook… Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes of Famous Favorites (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1990, p. 63). As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
September observes… Better Breakfast Month, National Americana Month, National Blueberry Popsicle Month, National Chicken Month, National Honey Month, National Italian Cheese Month, National Library Card Sign Up Month, National Mushroom Month, National Potato Month, National Rice Month, National Sewing Month, Self-Improvement Month, Whole Grains Month, and more.
Today is also… National Cheese Toast Day, National Linguine Day, National Double Cheeseburger Day, and National Creme de Menthe Day. Plus, it’s also the start of… Hispanic Heritage Month (which is always September 15th to October 15th).
Tomorrow is… National Play-Doh Day, National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day, National Guacamole Day, and National Step Family Day.
Wednesday, September 17th, is… National Professional House Cleaners Day and National Monte Cristo Day. This is also the 7th anniversary of the start of Mondays & Memories Of My Mom. Writing about Mom’s “Legacy of Love” has become my “Legacy of Love”.
September 18th is… Air Force Birthday and National Cheeseburger Day. Plus, as the third Thursday in September (for 2025), it’s also… National Pawpaw Day.
Friday, September 19th, is… National Butterscotch Pudding Day and Talk Like A Pirate Day.
September 20th is… National Fried Rice Day, National Pepperoni Pizza Day, National Punch Day, and National String Cheese Day. Plus, as the third Saturday in September (for 2025), it’s also… National Dance Day, National Gymnastics Day, Boys’ and Girls’ Club Day for Kids, Responsible Dog Ownership Day, and National Clean Up Day.
September 21st is… National Chai Day, National Pecan Cookie Day, and National New York Day. Plus, as the third Sunday in September (for 2025), it’s also… National Wife Appreciation Day.
Additionally, as the start of the third week in September (for 2025), it’s also the start of… National Farm Animals Awareness Week and National Indoor Plant Week. It’s also the start of the last (full) week in September (for 2025), making it the start of… National Keep Kids Creative Week.
Have a great week!
…37 down and 15 to go!
