What is the most memorable advice you received from your mother?
Mine told me "Girls should never call boys" and "always use half the sugar called for [in recipes]". I'll let you know if I remember more.
"Check the roll before you sit down." Loveya, Mom!
"Always wear clean underwear".
"Refuse it." That is what she would say whenever I got hurt in some minor way -- a burn from the oven, stubbed toe, etc. I always thought it was crazy when I was younger, but I've since learned that what she was talking about was basically the power of positive thinking.
"Don't eat the yellow snow." Very important in upstate NY.
Although I suppose later in life, "do what makes you happy" was much more helpful. I mean, I would have probably figured the first out on my own. Happy Mom's day to all you mothers out there.
Not sure why this one came to mind, but it did.
When it comes to shoes and toilet paper, it's never worth it to buy cheap stuff.
"Praise publicly, punish privately."
It seems simple, but it was the best advice anyone has ever given me. I recommend it.
[Edit] Speaking of recipes, here's one for a nice Applesauce Cake I just made today.
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ea. cinnamon, cloves, allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used 1 cup pecans)
1 cup raisins
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water
Cream butter and sugar together; blend in egg, and applesauce. Dissolve soda in water, and add alternatively with the dry ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees, for an hour, in a 13x9x2 pan.
I grease the pan and then dust it lightly with flour. Test at 50 minutes with a cool knife to see if it's done.
Don't have sex. It hurts and it's messy. She was a real romantic:)
Practical: Using the response "Your lack of planning does not constitute my emergency" when somebody is being pushy about needing something at the last minute.
Life advice: "You can't fix the whole world" or something to that effect. The words I've forgotten, but the message stays with me.
@shrdlu: Yum! How would it taste with half the sugar? ;-)
Speaking of kitchen advice, another gem is "you can always put more in, but you can't ever take it out" (regarding milk, water, sugar, whatever)
My mother passed away when I was 18. The most memorable advice that she ever gave me was, "You can be whatever you want to be. Don't let anyone stop you or convince that you can't do something because you're a woman. Oh, but whatever you do, you can't study psychology."
If you note my username, you might be able to guess what field I went into. :) It was not an easy decision and I circled around it for several years before deciding that I needed to be true to myself; I'm passionate about my field and find my work endlessly fascinating. I think we all have hopes/dreams for our children and while I hope that mine will eventually make choices within the ethical and moral framework that I hope to impart, as long as they're not hurting anyone, my greatest wish for them will be that they construct for themselves an adult life filled with joy, love, and laughter.
@notanaardvark: How would it taste with half the sugar? Disgusting. Sugar is an important ingredient, and it won't bind correctly, nor will it set up right. That recipe is older even than I (no small accomplishment), and I translated it long ago from "Set a fire to make a medium oven." I've older recipes that start with "Take a half peck of finely milled flour, and sift carefully."
Just make it up as it is. It's very good. I'll eat it for breakfast, with a small bowl of apricots on the side, and a glass of cold milk.
Sugar isn't a bad thing. Sitting instead of doing is what's bad.
"Lord loves a workin' man; don't trust whitey; see a doctor and get rid of it. "
Be a simple kind of man. If i do this it will help me some sunny day.
@shrdlu: Touché. While my sugar question was rhetorical, your answer reminded me of a 1950s Betty Crocker cookbook that my mother loved. She liked it because it called for old fashioned natural, unprocessed ingredients.
Another memory – I once stayed in a cabin that had a wood-burning oven. Not being versed in its use, I built a fire in the oven itself instead of the firebox side. Big oops.
So I surprisingly have the ingredients on hand for your cake recipe. I may give it a try if it doesn’t get too hot this weekend. Thanks for sharing it.
@notanaardvark: I used to test the oven by throwing drops of water on the stove. If they bounced before turning into steam, the oven was the right temperature (a medium oven). A hot oven (between 375 and 425 in today's terms) would cause them to sizzle and turn to steam. A slow oven (275 to 325), and they'd neither bounce, nor turn instantly to steam.
You can safely cut sugar when canning fruit. I never use the full amount called for in jams and preservers, and only use a simple syrup for canning fruit (one part sugar, one part water). Most fruits in cans in the grocery store used to be in heavy syrup (three parts sugar, one part water), which is far too sweet and gooey for my taste.
If you're using commercial applesauce, you might want to increase the cinnamon to 1 tsp, unless your applesauce already has cinnamon in it.
@brian188: My momma told me "You better shop around".
"Quit being a dumbass and grow up" lol my mom is the best!
stupid is as stupid does.
"When I was 18, I could drink, so I think it's OK if you do. Just be responsible, don't drink and drive, call us anytime you need a ride home, but if I catch you smoking I'll f*cking kill you." - X's Mom circa June 1993.
"Don't eat that!"
Usually commanded when I've picked up something absolutely disgusting off the floor, like a 2-year-old hairy Dorito I found when I moved the couch. Always commanded in front of my friends, so they'd look at me like maybe I actually was going to eat that and needed my mom to tell me not to. Maximum embarrassment, moms are awesome at it. <3 <3
Close runner-up came after my brother had a messy breakup with a long-time girlfriend. Mom very sagely said, "Well, you know what they say: b** be crazy."
"Do what you have a passion for"
"Tigers don't change their stripes"....she was right.
@lmensor: in my case, it was leopards! Same good advice!
"Stop hitting your brother" :P
@kamikazeken: Don't trust which one? Boxer, Baseball player, Basketball player, Football player, mobster, or surfer? So many Whiteys!
@klozitshoper: Leopards have stripes?
J/K Everyone knows that they are always plaid.
"I read an article on the power of placebos, maybe you should try a placebo."
I wish I was kidding.
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