Quick Update...

...I left a message on my Mom's answering machine asking what she would substitute for the veal. I had it cooked before she called back and I told her I substituted a bit of ground turkey and some ground beef to get the beef flavor and keep it tender. She said she didn't realize veal came from cows - thought it was from another animal, like lamb or something. That's funny to me. Once she was cooking a $60 roast and I asked what she was going to do to it. "Oh, just a little salt an pepper." I flipped out. "Mom, where's your garlic?" I had to borrow some from the neighbors.

We used to joke that my Mom's recipe book was an address book - The pizza place, the Chinese place, etc.

But then I'm on the other extreme - I made a rub using $20 worth of spices in my spice grinder and $10 worth of Southern Comfort for the mop on my $25 ham on the rotisserie.

Don't get me wrong - I love my Mom's. She just drives me a little nuts when I let her.

And I really wish she and my Dad were going to be here tomorrow.