From the cradle to the kitchen
When I was growing up in Chicago, evening supper was something that always brought our large family together on a nightly basis. My father was a police officer and worked the night shift for many years when I was young, and like so many others of his generation, he had a second job during the day. Dinner would be the one time where I, the youngest of five kids, could be sure to see Dad, as well as my older brothers.
My grandmother Corcoran was an excellent cook and handled all the holiday meals. She in turn taught my mother, who taught me. The first thing mom taught me to make when I was about ten, was pancakes. On birthdays and holiday mornings mom would make them special by filling them with cherry or blueberry pie filling and sprinkling them with powdered sugar. We would skip the maple syrup on those days!
