Hodging Things Up

Julie G. -

Two weeks have passed since Dad left us to go up to heaven and we are missing him more than ever.  As time passes I continue to think to myself - "oh I should call Dad and ask him...shoot...never mind".  I wonder if that will ever go away?

A few more memories of Dad have come to mind that I want to share.

Story #1 Control

As kids, especially with two brothers, we were always playing rough and getting into tickle fights.  Being the 1969 State Wrestling Champ, Dad always wanted his kids to be tough (unfortunately for him we are all weenies...but that is besides the point).   One thing I will never forget is picking fights with Dad, and having him grab us by the feet and tickle us mercilessly until we learned control.  That meant that he told us that he should be able to tickle our feet and we should be able to not laugh or squirm.  I remember being so proud when I had finally learned CONTROL and loved torturing others who hadn't yet learned such a thing.

Story #2 Hodging Things Up

There is no doubt my Dad was an excellent cook.  He could grill, cook on stovetop, bake, make an awesome stir fry, and pretty much anything else you can think of.  He loved making new things and including his own additions.  However, from time to time he would add a few "additional" ingredients that would make us ask...WHAAAAATTT are you doing!??

These add-ins which were his standard must go in everything included:

• mushrooms
• onions
• garlic
• peas

These additional ingredients became known as a cooking style called "Hodging Things Up".  Taking a somewhat normal dish and adding the above ingredients even when it didn't make sense.  I remember on more than one occasion scolding him that mushrooms DO NOT belong in Chili, not every dish needs to have peas added into it and that sometimes following a recipe exactly has the best turn out.  He didn't always like to hear this advice, but instead led to him creating his own dishes for everyone else and making a special "Julie-dish" void of onions and peas (probably just to get me to shut up).  I'm going to be honest when I say I have adapted my own Hodged Up way of cooking and almost always add a little flair to recipes that need a little oomph!
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I hope you will continue sending me stories that come into your mind as time passes.  No memory is too short or too silly to share.  I will keep them coming as they come to mind.