Ruth Reichl always thought of her mother, Miriam, as a great example of everything she didn’t want to be. But when she began poring through Miriam’s diaries and letters, she discovered a woman she had never known. In her new book, Not Becoming My Mother, Reichl explores how Miriam and many women of her generation sacrificed their ambitions for the sake of family.
Read the first chapter of Not Becoming My Mother and meet Ruth Reichl at an upcoming reading near you.
Purchase Not Becoming My Mother for 40% off at ecookbooks.com. Also available at bookstores nationwide.
Plus, enter to win a luxury vacation for two, including airfare and hotel.
Tender At The Bone
In the first chapter of her best-selling memoir, Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, Ruth Reichl introduces her mother, a notoriously bad cook who ultimately shaped Reichl’s view of food.
The Mother Lode
Our food editors raided old family recipe boxes to rediscover their childhood favorites.
Mother’s Little Helper
Stuffing envelopes is work a kid can get behind, but when your mom is host of a vegetable-driven cooking show, the duties can border on the onerous.
Ruth’s Mother’s Recipes
Shrimp in Beer
Here’s one of my mother’s very favorite dishes. She was a person who prided herself on the ability to get dinner on the table in five minutes flat, so it’s easy to see why she was so fond of it.
Moules Marinieres
Mom liked this dish even better than the shrimp, because mussels were not only quick and easy (especially if she could get me to clean them), but they also had one additional virtue: They were very inexpensive.
Green Bean Casserole
Mom loved this dish. So did every other mother in the ’50s.
Noodle Pudding
Mom had a friend who was an excellent cook, and we were lucky enough to spend most of the important holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas) at her house.
Hermine’s Oatmeal Cookies
These are not the usual oatmeal cookies—they are rich and nutty, and they look like lace.
Pâté de “Foie Gras”
Looking through my mother’s recipe file, I found a few doozies. I don’t remember that she ever cooked this very ’50s dish; I think I would have remembered.
Chutney Cheese Pâté
This is another strange blast from the past that I found among Mom’s clippings. I do remember this one; Mom was very fond of it.
More Mother’s Day Readings and Recipes
My Inner Italy
Many childhood memories are buried deep in our consciousness. Especially those involving spaghetti with bolognese sauce, a chunk of parmesan cheese, and garlic bread.
Ruth’s Favorite May Recipes
Take a look at the ten dishes from our May 2009 issue that our editor in chief can’t stop thinking about. We’re pretty sure they’ll captivate you, too.
The Kid’s Menu: Cookbooks for Moms
If you’ve ever, say, set your baby sling on fire while cooking, you probably understand why new mothers need special recipes.
