Paper Palate

I make no bones about it, I’m not a big fan of Sandra Lee’s cooking, or her Food Network show, Semi-Homemade. That being said, after reading a recent excerpt from her new memoir Made from Scratch in People Magazine, while I may not be a fan of Sandra Lee’s cooking, I am now a fan of her as a person. She definitely is a survivor, having made it through a very rough childhood, and I give her complete props for coming out on top.

As a toddler, she was bounced around various relatives, but eventually went back to live with her abusive, mentally ill mother at age 6. By the ripe old age of 12, Sandra Lee was the main caregiver to her four siblings. As she said in People magazine, “People watch the show and see this Stepford kitchen and perfect little blonde - it’s important for them to know you can create a beautiful rose garden out of a pile of manure. If I did it, others can too.”

An excerpt from her new book, Made from Scratch:

I was doing all the laundry, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping. I daydreamed of being a normal kid, but that wasn’t the reality. [My mother] Vicky spent most of her days watching soap operas. All she seemed to do was use her nasal spray, take her pills and scream at me. We were forced to go on welfare and collect food stamps so we could eat. I had become mom, sister, caretaker and homemaker of our family.

[When I was 15], one morning Vicky looked me in the eyes and said, “You are going to be so much more than I am when you grow up.” She was right. I was going to be so much more in ways she couldn’t possibly imagine. I stared at her in disgust and said, “You’re right. I am going to be more than you.” She flew into an uncontrollable rage. Her punches were landing fast and hard - I could barely catch my breath. Both of my eyes were swollen and my body was covered in welts. I had a boyfriend at the time named Duane, and I called and asked him to come get me. He took one look at me and said, “Go pack your stuff.”