Daddy was so proud of himself. There on the counter were some green muffins. He grinned and said, “Try a muffin. They’re good.” I had no desire to taste his green muffins. They reminded me of the green kerosene biscuits I loathed as a kid. I pinched off a very tiny piece and that was too much. I said, “These are terrible. What did you make them out of?” He said, “Well – there was some left-over Split Pea Soup in the refrigerator…..” I like good Split Pea Soup, and though his muffins were not good, they were memorable.
About the only time daddy cooked was when Mama had surgery or was sick. When I was a kid, Mama had back surgery which also entailed having a bone removed from her leg and put in her back. She was out of commission for some time. Daddy cooked. Well, that term is used loosely. He attempted to cook. One day he decided to make biscuits. When his mom had started keeping house years earlier, she tried her hand at making biscuits. She used a mouse for target practice and killed it when she threw one of her biscuits at the little furry critter. I think Daddy inherited those skills. When my oldest brother smarted off about Daddy’s biscuits, he chunked one at my brother and it raised a welt on his arm. We were ecstatic when my grandmother came for a few days and took over cooking!
I fixed Daddy green pancakes with green eggs and bacon for St. Patrick’s Day breakfast
In later years, Daddy had to take up kitchen duty when Mama was sick. Even after she got better, he continued to do the cooking. She was just happy not having to plan meals after doing it all those years. Daddy would ask me how to make certain things. He would taste something and then quiz me on the ingredients. He liked to experiment with seasonings and other things. Though he never was the best cook, he did improve somewhat. He always knew when his food was done because the smoke alarm would go off.
I saw some strange things on his kitchen table. Green Split Pea Muffins were one of them. If something was unidentifiable, it was a good idea to ask, “What is it?” Who knows when you might be served Split Pea Soup Muffins!