Eating Her Way Back Home

Vaya con dios, Ollie, Olivia, Grandma, 'Ami,' Mom!  After a two-month stay in our fair city, moving back and forth between the homes of her boys, my mother-in-law returned to Colorado late this afternoon.  Nervous though she was concerning the flight, flight in general, she was a trooper all the way and landed safely at good ol' DIA.  As is customary in our household, we said our goodbyes and rehashed our good times over -- what else -- food.  Though, to be fair, food has permeated just about every moment of our days and nights.  The woman baked fragrant cinnamon rolls, shaped tender tortillas, and whipped up comforting dinners in my California-trip absence.  And let's not forget the extravagant birthday surf n' turf bonanza in her honor last month.  Or the dining out for meals both large and small, in town and in a few neighboring 'burgs: Greek, Italian, seafood, Chinese, and American.  Oh, and JoZoara's Coffee House and Starbucks.  I'm getting full.  Yet again.

But the fond farewell feasting was my subject here. 

There was the last minute homemade chicken enchilada dinner that she actually prepared for us at the request of her youngest son.  With the help of her sous chefs, of course.  Lots of talk over the chopping and dicing and clinking of silverware and plates.  Think dark and flavorful red sauce draped over corn tortillas stuffed with savory shredded poultry and red onions, intermingled with melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, topped with crisp lettuce, sour cream, avocado, and fresh salsa from my garden.  My son, the budding comedian, a young man in need of constant attention and laughter, competed for top billing with his uncle.  Both were in excellent form.  Before we all retired for the evening, a quick run to the local Dairy Queen was in order for a round of chocolate-dip 'torches' (cones, but the alternative name came about within the larger family circle, and it stuck) and banana splits.  Olivia is quite fond of that crunchy outer coating over vanilla soft serve.

Breakfast involved one of our favorite special meals: whole grain crepes filled with berries set atop sweetened sour cream, rolled securely, drizzled with Mexican crema (basically a thick but not whipped cream) and dolloped with spray whipped cream.  That's a whole lotta dairy goin' on there!  For the hubby it was turkey sausage links, pork bacon, and basted eggs with buttered bakery Farmhouse White toast.  All during this preparation, Olivia was also putting together an enormous batch of potato salad to help me out with a wedding reception meal at our church tomorrow.  That woman gets down to business and gets it DONE!  The table chit-chat centered around the 4th dimension, aliens, hauntings, etc.  The grandpup and our old girl, Panda, meandered about the kitchen but never acted untoward concerning the victuals.  Outside, we could see the neighbor and his two young boys stretching atop their folding chairs to catch butterflies flitting about the top branches of my sprawling butterfly bush.  Just another Saturday morning at the Valdez house.

Through a sudden deluge of almost horizontal rain at times, and lightning which seemed to strike near the truck with each shattering display, we managed to deliver her to Southwest Airlines in plenty of time.  (And this after the half hour we spent rearranging her luggage to ensure each bag weighed no more than 50 pounds; she's bringing back an entire kitchen collection of cutlery and such in them there bags!)  It helped that her flight was delayed by an hour.  My boy fought his tears valiantly; he doesn't like goodbyes and he deeply loves and enjoys his grandma.  He said if she lived around us, he'd be fat from all of her homestyle cooking.  I imagined her reading and rereading her WE'LL MISS YOU card with its cache of pictures and spending money, alternately smiling and crying just a bit.  She had herself a great time and the collection of stories in her heart will keep her going until next she comes.  It's a good thing to make a mom happy. 

Now, all of us left behind return to our normal.  School starts with one of those infamous 2-hour days next Wednesday . . . also my husband's 44th birthday.  Whatever shall we do?  Suggestions?  Anyone?