Nothin' Fancy

My mother who could have been known as a human dynamo even though she was a five-by-five, was not only fiercely independent, she was also never depressed or flustered. I don't think anything bad could catch up with her. When she heard that she was having company in the next few hours or days, she didn't panic. She flew to the fridge and grabbed every vegetable and scrap of meat she could find. It didn't matter if the tomatoes looked a tiny bit wrinkled or the potatoes were starting to reach out their little white seekers, she took them out, gave them a scrub and put them into the pot, skins and all. Well, not the little seekers. Usually there was some roast beef or perhaps a bit of chicken left over and since she "went through" The Great Depression, there was always a goodly supply of emergency stewing beef in the freezer. These she chucked into a large pot and tossed in some water and maybe a can of corn or pork and beans and let it boil up to a simmer. In went a generous chopping of carrots, turnip, onions and a garlic clove or two, salt and ground pepper. The whole house began to smell like Ireland.  If you get the call I just did, that visitors are coming around tomorrow for lunch, I think about that woman, the one I once called Mummy. Off I go to the fridge where I will find everything mentioned afore. Don't worry about your company or the dust bunnies. Your visitors won't, or shouldn't be there to check out your decor, but to sit down and have a chat with you because they care. And if they're the latter kind, they'll love to be asked into the kitchen for a "bite". Speaking of "biting", nothing with soup goes off better than good old hot buttered toast. Soup and thick toasted bread with a slide of garlic butter on it, is the perfect accompaniment to home-made soup especially when beforehand you've put the slices on a cookie sheet and sprinkled the toast with Parmesan cheese. You can serve just about anything to drink with your homey dinner, but I like warm apple juice to which some cinnamon and a drift of cloves have been added in the pan. It beats tea or coffee and goes with the soup and all, like a charm which is what your guests will feel when they take a second cup of it to sit down in the living room with you for that visit and chat. Needless to say, no one is going to see the dishes washed for a long time.