Do you remember your favorite foods back when you were a small child? Of course, you do. In case you have forgotten, older family members will remind you from time to time, sometimes in a joking manner. I remember foods from my childhood.

Biscuits especially loom large in my memory bank. Mother could make the very best biscuits. Oh, I know, your mother could make great biscuits, too, but not like Mom's. They were the best. Isn't that what nostalgia is made of? Sometimes it can be mistaken, like that of my husband when his memory of his mother's pancakes and milk gravy was more than a little off-kilter. They were the most awful, tasteless glops of “stuff” you could ever imagine. But then they weren't part of my memory bank. They lost their place in his list of favorite foods as well when his mother made them for him years later.

Did your mother make great meatloaf? Of course, you would think so, but my mother made the very best meatloaf. I wish I had her recipe. I have tried to dulpicate it over the years but to no avail. What could be so hard about making meatloaf? We all know the basic list of ingredients. I have tried adding mashed potatoes to it or frying the onions before adding them. I have played with the ratio of ground pork to that of ground beef. Nope. It isn't the same as Mom's.

I also remember the meatloaf Walgreens used to serve back in the day when they had a lunch counter. Now that was good eating, but not as good as their roast beef sandwiches served with mashed potatoes and gobs of gravy. I used to take my daughter Anne with me to enjoy that treat. Why didn't I make my own hot beef sandwiches, you ask? Easy. I wasn't very good at roasting beef. Ground beef and short ribs were about the only cuts of beef that I could afford back in the early days of my marriage. I don't remember Mother doing a beef roast, either.

I put together a cookbook of old family favorites back in 2012. A friend asked why there were no roast beef recipes in the book and why there were so many salmon recipes. I explained that my recipes reflected the cuts of meat, fish and poultry that I could afford. A 15 ounce can of pink salmon could be stretched with crackers and such to feed a family of five, our family.

Soda crackers or saltines are a great meat extender. You can flavor the dish any way you want. The only requirement is a small hunk of meat, some crackers, a couple eggs and some seasoning. Saltines even enhance the flavor of potato patties. Add a white sauce and saltines to a can of salmon and you have a tasty casserole. For a snack, I even like a pat of butter or margarine sandwiched between two saltines. Who's counting calories?

What about eggs? Just because I am allergic to egg yolk didn't mean that I wouldn't fix them for the family. Have you ever had creamed eggs on toast? Not just at Easter time either. Anne has said that I am the only one who can put a full meal on the table when there doesn't seem to be anything worthwhile to eat in the house. I'm not the only one. Just ask any mother who has lived through hard times. It is surprising what you can do with a can of tuna or a sleeve of crackers.