There’s nothing better than a big ol’ plate of Spaghetti and Meatballs – especially when you have fresh-from-the-oven bread to eat along with it. Unless, of course, you’re a 92 year old who no longer likes spaghetti. Or homemade sauce. Or homemade bread.

I kinda get the spaghetti. It’s difficult for her to eat. She prefers smaller pasta like penne or orecchiette that she can easily get on her fork. But now, the sauce isn’t to her liking, either. She thought it was too hot tonight – even though there wasn’t anything spicy in it. Her taste buds seem to change daily – things she loved she now won’t touch. The list of things she won’t eat is outnumbering the things she will. And we never quite know what’s going to show up on the list until it’s been served.

It’s definitely a challenge for someone who loves to cook and loves to eat anything and everything under the sun, but… if she wants – and will eat – the bland 99¢ sauce from Wegmans served atop overcooked pasta, so be it. Cooking two meals is now the norm. So be it, as well.

While she was disdaining dinner, we were enjoying every bite! The sauce was perfection, the meatballs totally delicious, and the bread wasn’t bad, either. A great Sunday treat.

Dessert is awaiting in the form of a Spice Cake with a Caramel Frosting.

My mom made a spice cake with a particular icing that really was good. Always made in a 9×13 pan, it was a brown sugary affair that was more glaze than frosting – but more frosting than glaze. I called my sister to get an idea of how she did it and we pretty much got the ingredients down, but I made it wrong. I ended up making a caramel icing that’s really good – but it wasn’t mom’s. And… I think I just found the one she made attached to an Applesauce Spice Cake that may very well be the cake she used to make, as well. I cheated and used a Betty Crocker! In fact, the whole idea started when I was getting my Italian “00” flour at the grocery store and glanced over and saw a Spice Cake mix. I haven’t had a spice cake in years and immediately flashed on the cake mom made and that specific frosting. Just because I’m a totally opinionated food snob doesn’t mean Betty or Duncan can’t come and visit now and again. I mean. Really.

I shall have to experiment with the frosting when we get back from California! We’re meeting all of my siblings in Sonoma this week for a long weekend of fun and frolicking amongst the grape vines. It’s the first time all six of us will be together under one roof in forever. Fortunately, we all actually like one another and have a great time when we are together. Maybe we’ll just have to make one while we’re there and get everyone’s opinion. The house we’ve rented has a huge kitchen…

And I’ll keep ya posted if we need a GoFundMe for bail money.

Knowing us, it could happen.