Well, no matter what I do, mine don't taste like that...

Have you ever tried to recreate a meal or a recipe that you've had somewhere else ? It might be a pot of soup that you had at a local deli or your grandmother's meatballs, the odds are, you're not going to 'Nail It'. Now it might be good. It might be better than the original but there's something missing. It's just not right... Well there are several things that contribute to this.


I used the examples of soup and meatballs simply because that's the 2 things I've tried to recreate with some success.


The soup, Beefy Lintel... A deli in Pulaski Tennessee called 'The Yellow Deli' has the best that I've ever had. I wrote about this place a couple of blogs back. BUT, before you go up there thinking that you have to try it, call first. Its not on the menu every day. They have a 'Soup of the Day' and if your lucky, beefy lintel will be on it, when you go.

The above pic is my cookbook collection. I read through just about every cookbook that I have, researched on line recipes and when it was all said and done, I combined 3 different recipes to come up with something, that to me, was better than what I had there but it just wasn't the same.




The meatballs belonged to Dorothy Hutchenson (my grandmother). They were so simple, no secret ingredients (just ingredients... we'll get to that in a minute). Ground beef, onions and tomato juice. I've made these meatballs several times over the years and they're always good and go great with a pan of cornbread.


Before my sister passed away, she and I and my mother would talk about things my grandmother made and how we missed her cooking. Her fried pies, her fried chicken... her meatballs. The joke is ALWAYS her biscuits. Could possibly be the worst that I've eaten. They were so heavy. Full of buttermilk and lard but anyway, back to the meatballs. Like I said, all they were was ground beef, finely diced onion and an egg for binder, rolled into a ball and browed slightly before she would pour tomato juice over them, cover and simmer until done.


It wasn't until about 2 years ago, while watching Anthony Bourdain, that it was made crystal clear as to why my meatballs don't taste like hers. You see, she used simple ingredients and so do I but I have no idea where she got them or what brand she used. Was her beef ground special for her, at the grocery store ? Did she like a certain cut of beef ground into burger ? Where did she get her eggs ? We're they fresh eggs ? Did they have the same stuff pumped into their 'laying chickens' back then (antibiotics and steroids) ? I'm going to say absolutely not. Were her onions locally grown or possibly grown in her back yard ? You see, we can use the same ingredients in a recipe but they might not be SAME ingredients. On the episode of his show that day, he was eating meatballs that a little old lady in Italy had made. She was explaining to him that her and her daughter make meatballs exactly the same but they taste different. Now this gets a little weird but true, she claimed that the oils in their skin were different therefore, when rolling the meatballs they would absorb the oils in their skin, adding to the flavor of the finished product and I think she's right.


You see, you can do everything in your power to recreate something and not get it right. Don't be too hard on yourself. Embrace the fact that you make it good and that you'll always miss the recipes and the loved ones that made them before you. Now if your fortunate enough o know exactly how someone made something and you've nail it or have the EXACT recipe, congratulations to you !!!


These past conversations, with my mother and sister, inspired my mother to write 2 cookbooks. She wrote them and had them printed and we all have copies, family and friends. She's taken the time to write down just how she does what and so for many years to come, her family and friends can and will enjoy the recipes that she's made for us over the years.

The white paperback was her first and man have we used it. I don't even keep it with my other cookbooks. It stays in a drawer right next to the stove...


So there you have it, why your recipe might not taste just like what you want it to BUT, it still taste good and one day your kids will say, I wish I knew how HE/SHE made this or that, talking about you so I urge you to spend time with them in the kitchen. Teach and show them what your doing. Make those memories !!! I guarantee, it will be time well spent. There's an old country song and the pivotal line is "She thinks we're just fishing'... Let them think that your just cooking. The rest will sink in later...