I think about my mom every day. I admit that I do not think of her as often as I used to when she was still with us; however, she is still very much alive in everything I do. She taught me so many lessons in life, particularly in the area of hospitality. She taught me to think of ways to be creative with the product I would have on hand, to not be wasteful and to always “do it right the first time,” so I wouldn’t have to do it over again.
Mother’s Day is a very special day each year in which we take time to honor our mothers and make them feel even more special—to pamper them and remind them of how grateful we are that they have given us life and love. Because I am no longer able to celebrate with my mother, I have chosen this year to create a tablescape in her honor.
Jessie Roberta Allred Watson grew up in rural Alabama. She obtained a ninth-grade education, was married at the age of 13 to my father, a coal miner with a sixth-grade education, and gave birth to her first child when she was 16 years of age. They always had a huge garden that produced enough vegetables for our family, as well as many of our neighbors. Many hot summer afternoons were spent shelling peas, shucking corn and canning, freezing or “puttin’ up” the vegetables for the winter months. Nothing went to waste. With this in mind, I have decided to design a tablescape where “nothing will go to waste”—an edible table. The idea is that the entire table will be completely set before the guests arrive, and they will simply sit down and eat until the tablescape is gone! Ok, it may be a bit much to eat it all; however, the leftovers can easily be stored.
We begin by covering the table with butcher paper and a layer of red leaf lettuce leaves. The charger plates, made of focaccia bread, designate each guest’s place setting. Small food vessels are made from leaves of bibb lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. These hold small portions of pimento cheese, curried egg salad and chicken salad. Each of these items can be rolled with the lettuce off the table to make individual lettuce wrap sandwiches or eaten with a bite of the charger plate throughout the meal. An edible bread bowl holds fresh gazpacho; the soup should not be poured into the bowl until just prior to your guests arriving to avoid “soggiosity.” The centerpiece for the tablescape is a combination of fruits and vegetables that can also be refrigerated after the meal for snacks later. Although I dare say that my mom never made or ate gazpacho in her lifetime (cold soup, are you kidding me?), I am sure she would have loved to get her hands on the leftover vegetables in the centerpiece so she could “put them up” for the winter months to come!
Let’s all celebrate our mothers and enjoy some food with them, or in their honor!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!