Here's a little mom confession....I get tired of thinking up what to have for dinner. Everyday the family comes home in the evening expecting to be fed. I hate the question, "What's for dinner?" It seems to be one of the first questions my family asks upon walking in the door after school or work, or in the car after being picked up from practice. The kids have been known to even text me this question towards the end of the school day during 6th or 7th period. I hate even more when that question followed by a groan of displeasure over what ever I have painstakingly taken the time to think up, shop for and cook. I also know better than to ask them what they want. It is sure to be something really unhealthy and more often than not would probably involve not eating at home.
I know this is nothing new. Mothers for centuries have struggled with that age old question..."what am I going to fix for dinner this week?" My Mom, as she was meal planning when I was a kid, would sometimes ask me what I wanted to have for dinner. Although, I'm not really sure why she did because I always gave the same answer...PIZZA! To which she eventually changed her tactics and asked "what do you want for dinner? and NOT pizza". In case you are thinking that solved the problem for her, my second choice was always the same too: Betty Malone's Casserole. Now , I'm sure, you are scratching your head thinking, what on earth is Betty Malone's Casserole? It's not really a what as much as a who.
Betty Malone was a woman who went to our church when I was a little girl living in Virginia. That is about all I can tell you about her. I think she also might have been the church organist who sawed off a couple of her fingers with a bandsaw. I'm a little unsure on that point though. It may have really been 2 different women at the same church who get merged together in my head. You know how it is when you are young and memorable events happen to people your parents know. It gets a little mixed up. Anyway, when I was about 5, my mom had to have surgery and being a sweet southern woman, Betty Malone brought us dinner. I actually have no memories of her so she may have been a mean, horrid little thing, but in my mind she is a sweet woman who brought my family the most wonderful concoction. It was the 70s and the beginning of mainstream Mexican food. This casserole was full of "Mexican" yumminess that I am sure no real Mexican would ever claim as created in his country. Ground beef, refried beans, crunched taco shells, cheddar cheese, and enchilada sauce mixed with, like so many 1970s casseroles, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup. Really authentic stuff, huh? It didn't matter that this wasn't true Mexican food, my brother and I loved it! So my Mom asked ol' Betty for the recipe and in the Miller household, for lack of a better name, Betty Malone's Casserole was born.
I'm happy to say my taste in Mexican food has developed and grown and while we eat Mexican food at least once a week, I almost never make Betty Malone's. My kids think it's good, but they would rather have tacos or some of the other Mexican dishes I make. But every now and then as I flip through my recipes, I come across an old, stained recipe card copied by myself at about age 22 when I was a young newlywed and excited about this whole what's for dinner concept. The memories remind me how much I used to love it and occasionally I decide to put it on the menu. Today was such a day. I don't think I've made this casserole in 9 months or more, but this afternoon, I made 2; one for tonight and one for the freezer.
It often causes me to wonder what ever happened to Betty Malone. Does she still live in Virginia Beach? Is she even alive 37 years later? My parents have kept up with many people from that time and place, but she isn't one of them. So, where ever you are Betty Malone, thanks for the casserole and your name lives on in my heart and my recipe book!
**You may have noticed this blog post is called "What's for Dinner? part 2" The original "What's for dinner?" post is about a different time in the life of the Gilmers and can be read here: http://thegilmers.blogspot.com/2005/11/whats-for-dinner.html The next time Will complains about my dinner choice, I should make him read and remember!
