how to develop a recipe

My mom was a good cook and, God bless, she put dinner on the table every night for us four kids. No take out. Nothing frozen. Nothing premade. I’ll admit, some of the meals weren’t that fab – her pan-cooked (read: stewed/steamed not seared) cube steaks come to mind and, please, don’t ever mention Mom’s beets to me – but having raised only half as many children as she did, I give Mom a ton of credit for getting a home cooked meal on the table by 6:30 every night. One of Mom’s standouts was her baked chicken. Back in the day, these crispy-skinned chicken breasts made a weekly appearance on the table alongside steamed green beans and white rice drizzled with the rich pan juices, softened shallots and tender-sweet roasted garlic cloves. If you’re wondering who knew about shallots in the 60’s and early 70’s, it seems that my mom did. Less pungent than their larger yellow or red cousins, shallots, cooked or uncooked, add a flavorful perfume to mom’s green salads as well as in her homemade chicken or ham salad.

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