A Meal for Momma

At 93, my Mom's mobile days are few. I took advantage of a good day-the day I took her to the Veterans cemetery to see Dad-and stopped at the adjourning park. The day was warm with a little breeze and I positioned her to view the lake while I set the table with some foods I thought she'd enjoy. Mom has a good appetite and went to work on some foods she hadn't had for a while.  First the Two Bean Salad, then the watermelon and then a crab salad. I stopped on the trip over at a lake bakery to buy the jumbo muffins.  Moms' was blueberry and mine carrot. We ate 1/2 and she took the rest home to hopefully enjoy later. I was so pleased to watch her clean the plate.  Here are the salad recipes I assembled and kept cold between ice packs during my 1 1/2 hour trip.

Two Bean Salad 

(Serves 2)

Mix beans, onion, pepper and tomatoes.  Cover with parsley, sugar, vinegar, oil and celery seed.  Toss, refrigerate and allow tastes to develop.  
1 cup cooked green beans
1/4 cup cooked kidney beans
1 green onion, diced
1 mini sweet yellow pepper, seeded and diced
4 yellow cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, snipped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon celery seed 

Crab Salad

(Serves 2)

Mix crab, celery, onion, pimiento and mayonnaise.  Keep cold.
4 ounce wild jumbo crab
2 tablespoon celery, diced
1 teaspoon green onion
1 tablespoon pimiento
2 tablespoon mayonnaise with olive oil

We often say the view from the Veterans Cemetery reminds us of the view from Mom and Dads' backyard.  I told her that was Dad fishing on the lake in front of us.

I enjoyed hearing a couple of her stories on the trip to and from the park.  One of driving from her sister's home in a snow storm (she thought my Grandma actually enjoyed the excitement when they pulled off the road and waited for a snow plow).  My favorite story was when she took me to an area pool by a factory (both long gone) as a very young girl and describing the lifeguard's panic when I jumped in the deep water.  I was a fish and he soon learned I could swim.
Today was one of those memories I hope to remember.