It wouldn’t matter if Mom and I used the same recipe, same cooking utensils and same baking dishes…hers will always taste better. Is it a secret potion moms know how to sneak in whatever it is they are serving up? I hope at some point that transformation occurs for me. You know how boys love their mothers’ home-cooked meals!

My mom cooked breakfast and supper every day for our family. Even when we were all busy with work, piano lessons, dance class, church, cheerleading, softball and basketball, she made sure we ate those two meals together as a family sitting at our round wooden table. We lived in an old Victorian with creaky floors and drafty windows and doors. The central heat never seemed to keep up in the winter. Dad would build a fire in the evenings, but we relied on trusty space heaters in the mornings. Katie and I would argue over who sat in the ladder-back chair closest to the kitchen heater in the winter. Mom and Dad eventually solved that dilemma by rotating our seats each winter. Sibling rivalry was ferocious in our household. Yes, even with seating assignments at the dinner table.

I don’t remember when Mom first began the tradition of cheese biscuits on Saturdays. My sister was a cheese-aholic. She primarily dined on a diet of cheddar cheese, baked potatoes, chicken cutlets sauteed in soy sauce and hamburger patties for several years during childhood. She has since branched out, but Mom might have added cheese to her biscuits to coax Katie into trying anything new.

When all the cousins would travel to the beach for our annual vacation, Mom and Aunt Zanne would take turns cooking breakfast with Aunt Gee for all the kids. Mom never forgot her box of Pioneer biscuit mix for her morning. The biscuits have garnered a following over the years. Donnie looks forward to weekend get-togethers at Mom and Dad’s for Mom’s breakfast as much as the fellowship. Even my picky little eater, Jack, loves Dodie’s cheese biscuits.

Light and fluffy inside with a little crunch on the outside…best enjoyed right from the oven. The shredded cheddar makes little pockets of oozing cheese inside the biscuits. Donnie and Jack eat theirs with fruit preserves, but I like mine plain.

Dodie’s Cheese Biscuits

3 cups Pioneer Biscuit Mix

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

vegetable oil

Stir together biscuit mix and milk until combined. Gently mix in cheese. Sprinkle counter with 1/4 cup baking mix. Turn dough onto floured surface. Knead a few times. Roll 1/2-inch thick. Cut biscuits with a 2-inch cutter. Pour 2 T vegetable oil in 9 x 13 baking dish. Place biscuits in dish, turning each biscuit over once coating both sides with vegetable oil in baking dish. (This is her secret for perfectly crisp outside and fluffy inside!) Bake at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

We did not make our annual pilgrimage to Aunt Gee’s Sea Turtle on Edisto Island this year. Not because I didn’t want to feel the sticky ocean breeze on my sun-kissed skin. Just didn’t sound like a good time to make the 14-hour-plus trek in a car with a 2 year-old and a newborn. Didn’t let geography stop me from recreating that coastal vibe right here in land-locked north Louisiana, though. I hopped on my retro beach cruiser and pedaled around my neighborhood slicing through the molasses-thick humidity allowing the warm air to blow through my hair. I listened as the crickets performed their dependable summer symphony just as they do on the Jungle Trail at the beach. Instead of drinking in the beach house scenery, watching parents and children with beach garb in tow, I whizzed past sturdy brick homes under towering pine trees. Not quite the same as Palmetto-lined boulevards, but I was able to clear my head and breathe deeply. I returned home, poured myself a glass of Beach Bourbon Slush and made my way to the rockers on the front porch with a copy of Dorothea Benton Frank’s newest novel, Return to Sullivan Island. The novel is set in South Carolina, so I was able to maintain my Carolina state of mind.

I am always on the lookout for great make-ahead breakfast ideas. A morning person I am not. If I can steal an extra 45 minutes of sleep, I will. Especially these days (with a newborn). I am typing this at 3am. Baby Brett enjoys his 2a to 4a playtime. We’ve decided to just give in. Put him in his bouncy seat and let him kick and coo. I love to hear his sweet little talk and see his big grin. I just have to stay active or I will doze off.

We usually grab cereal (Donnie) or a spoonful of Nutella, a banana and a glass of milk (me) for breakfast during the week. Weekends present the opportunity for experimenting and heartier fare. Jack is usually not ready for breakfast until about 10am, so we like to enjoy brunch on Saturdays. I make cheese biscuits, sausage and eggs most Saturday mornings. Occasionally Donnie whips up blueberry pancakes. If we’re home on Friday night and have sausage on hand, I make Shamrock Casserole…eggs, cheese, sausage.

I discovered this recipe, a Louisiana twist on the Shamrock Casserole tradition, in Mardi Gras to Mistletoe: A Collection of Festive Favorites from the Junior League of Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana. I bought the cookbook for Mom a couple of years ago for Christmas. Imagine my surprise when I unwrapped the same cookbook! Good thing neither of us bought a copy for ourselves. My mom and my sister share the thrill of the hunt for a new recipe that will become an old stand-by. You know, one of those recipes that your family requests and you make so often you don’t have to use the recipe? Those are my favorites. Maybe you can add this one to your list.

Cajun Strata

2 T butter

2 c sliced fresh mushrooms

1 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 c French bread, cubed

1 lb. andouille, thinly sliced

12 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c chopped green onions

2 c milk

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 T Dijon mustard

1 t Creole seasoning

Melt butter in a skillet and add veggies and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Layer half the bread, half the sausage, half the cheese, half the veggies and all the green onions in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Top with remaining bread, sausage, cheese and veggies.

Whisk milk, eggs, mustard and Creole seasoning in a bowl until blended and pour over prepared layers. Chill, covered, 8 to 10 hours. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Gorgeous isn’t it? I definitely eat with my eyes first, and this screams, “Eat me!” I wait impatiently all year for summer vegetables. There is nothing on earth like homegrown squash and zucchini. My intention was to plant a garden this year with lots of squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bells and corn. Baby-to-be changed those plans a wee bit. Did not expect bedrest. Lucky for me Mom and Dad planted a lovely garden this year. They called us last week to harvest the fruits of their labor while they were in Utah. Jack, my 3 year-old, and I tromped through the garden basket-in-hand to collect the goods. A little scary reaching down in those bushy squash and zucchini plants, but we managed to pluck enough to take home and enjoy. I usually cook zucchini and squash the way my mom does. She thinly slices the squash and an onion, tosses both with cooking spray and lots of black pepper, then pops it in the microwave until tender. And, honestly, that is tough to beat. Since Mom and Dad moved to the country and discovered their farmer alter-egos, they have been grilling lots of squash and zucchini. She slices the squash lengthwise, sprays it with cooking spray, douses it with Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning and Dad fires up the grill. My favorite method is to cut the squash into 1-inch rounds along with a thinly sliced onion, toss with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper and roast in the oven. The squash and onion caramelize perfectly leaving crispy little bits that pop and sizzle in your mouth if eaten straight from the oven.

After employing all three familiar methods last week, I was looking for a fresh idea to use the rest of our bounty. I ran across this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Sara Foster’s Fresh Everyday. Can’t say that I have ever eaten raw squash and zucchini before. Can’t say that I have ever wanted to eat raw squash and zucchini. I have seen pretty little pictures of crudite platters with raw squash and zucchini in magazines, but I was happy eating mine the way I always had. Until now. This recipe will definitely be filed under “keeper.” My favorite dressing was the creamy dressing, of course. But the vinegary dressing was delicious, too. I loved the soft but still crunchy texture of the summer squash. The bell pepper added a little bite and the next step of crunch factor. When my squash and zucchini are flourishing next year, I will be sure to have both dressings on hand at all times! I will just have to make lots of trips to Dodie and Poppie’s this summer and hope that they share!

Zucchini Slaw Two Ways

(makes 4-6 servings)
2 medium zucchinis, cut into 2-inch julienne
2 yellow summer squash, cut into 2-inch julienne
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch julienne
4 scallions, julienne (white and green parts)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Creamy Slaw Dressing or Sweet and Tart Slaw Dressing
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Combine the veggies and parsley in a large bowl as you cut them. Drizzle with the dressing, salt and pepper, and toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container. With the creamy dressing the slaw will keep nicely for up to 3 days. With the sweet and tart dressing the slaw should be served immediately.

Creamy Slaw Dressing (makes about 3/4 cup)
1/2 mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.

Sweet and Tart Slaw Dressing (makes about 1 cup)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake until the sugar dissolves. Use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to one week.