Memory Well: Cooking for Grandpa

I've never been much of a precision cook - my style has always been more jazz rather than classical.  I prefer to dump things in a pot or a casserole dish, take basic bones of a recipe and then add or subtract based on my feelings on the day (or my cupboards). And because I grew up in the 60s and 70s, I'm a firm believer in Campbells Cream of Whatever as a binder - I can make a basic white sauce, but why bother?  I know, it doesn't sound all that appetizing, but I haven't had many complaints, and I have had people ask for my recipes before (which can get a little embarrassing, but that's a different story).

But this one time, the family was gathered together in Ogden for some big event - I can't remember exactly what it was - might have been Mom's 50th birthday, but I'm not sure (my personal event memory is even less precise than my cooking at times.)  At any rate, because it was a special occasion, I decided that this one time, I'd go ahead and pull out all the stops, and actually follow a recipe for once.  I decided to make Beef Stroganoff, following the recipe exactly with the tomato paste and cooking sherry and caramelizing the onions and...  being very careful to measure everything, time everything.  I spent way too much time in the kitchen, frankly, for something that would normally take me about 20 minutes (and that includes boiling the egg noodles.)

Anyway, we sat down to eat, everyone is tucking away, having a great time, talking away, and Grandpa issues his pronouncement on the meal...  "Good gravy."  Yep.  Good gravy.  This is why I went back to Campbells.