Anonymous wrote:MIL prides herself on her secret dishes/family recipes and does not share recipes with anyone not in the family--as in ME, who is only a "married-in." OK, whatever. It's not like there aren't 8,000 recipes out there freely available for any dish you could think up, so I don't get the secrecy.
She was at my house last weekend, and I served mashed potatoes. I use a little bit of cream cheese and a very little bit of Lawry's seasoned salt, in addition to the traditional salt/pepper/butter/cream. I also use mainly russet potatoes, but throw in a few Yukon Golds; the result is light and fluffy with a buttery taste and a touch more yellow color. They're good, but they're just mashed potatoes, and there are a million ways to make them that are tasty. So I don't think I make them perfect, or anything.
Anyway, everyone kept complimenting them, and MIL kept asking "what's your secret," which kind of got to me. The same woman who literally will not give me the recipe for her son's favorite Christmas cookies is now asking what my secret is? So I just smiled and shrugged and said, "You're probably just tasting extra butter."
Was I wrong?
I think your MIL's secret recipes are she opens a box, bag or can and dumps it in and then adds some seasoning. But I am a cynic like that........