Toomey J Gazette (Vol. 11, No. 1, 1968 - Polio Place

I CAN'T STAND COOKING, BUT I LIKE TO, , ,
I can't really call myself a cook, but I
feel that planning and being interested in
what the family eats is half the battle. The
general atmosphere of a household has much to
do with good appetites. Catering to individ-
ual tastes is 'lspolling" them, but it's what
makes a house a home.
I plan all meals, make lists, and tell
everyone what to do. (They don't always mind
me!) My helper is Ruth, an earth-angel who
doesn't live with us, but manages to meet our needs so well
that I am under the illusion that I am running my om house.
Ruth does most of our food shopping, as I know from ex-
perience grocery scrounging is a hard task for a husband.
Bud used to take me to the store and it was a struggle for
both of us, and more expensive. Men are such impulse buyers
and so impatient with your utter confusion about "where is
it?" in a supermarket! You don't need Tootsie Rolls, but you
get them when he is along. Ruth gets exactly what is on the
list with only suggested substitutes. We keep a running list
of what ie needed. If I can't remember everything that's in
the freezer, storage cabinets and refrigerator, we check be-
fore making new purchases. I telephone certain meat or drug
ordero for easy pick-up to save her shopping time.
Respiratory polio quad
Since our dinner hour is usually two hours after Ruth goes
home, we plan together and 8he "sets the stage" for me to
prepare dinner. We are always on the lookout for tricks which
might help me. Instead of heavy glass or metal lids on cook-
ing pans, we use a piece of foil, which I can lift and discard,
Ruth lines most casseroles with foil (unless they require
stirring) for easy clean-up or for "freezing the rest1'. She
always makes, things like spaghetti sauce in double batches,
and we freeze half. Next time we only have ta heat that and
boil fresh spaghetti. She makes at least three meat loaves
at a time, for easy re-runs. Maybe all housewives are wise
to that.
Our kitchen lunch counter is about wheelchair level, and I
prepare several meals a week in my electric skillet. I can
handle foods there which need attention I can't give in my
double ovens, or on the stove top. The higher oven which I
can't reach Is automatic and wonderful for timed meats that
need no attention, and the lower oven lets me help it some:
My favorite skillet meal is pot roast or swiss steak, with
carrots and potatoes added during the last hour. Ruth places
the meat in the skillet in pieces I can manage with my long-
handled fork. She prepares the vegetables and liquids which I
add at the proper times. By the time Bud arrives the meal is
ready to serve. It makes me feel like a housewife, and I get
the credit or blame as the case may be.