Will eggs be cheaper? No, they won’t. Gas? That’s a big NOPE on that, too. Peace in Gaza? Hah! But those are subjects for another post.
I’ll hope to have more useful things to say about the next two years of American politics. In the meantime, join me as I look towards the comfort foods of my childhood.
Tonight, we had roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and peas for dinner.
I’m looking forward this week to baked sweet potatoes, macaroni & cheese, Chinese take-out, an egg bagel with cream cheese, quite possibly a knishe, and a Diet Coke. Not all at the same meal.
Potato Pancakes with applesauce & sour cream. (c)2024
I never ate oatmeal as a kid, but when I started attending retreats, I began to eat oatmeal for breakfast on any of the weekend retreats that I went on.
I can’t explain why or how much I love oatmeal on the retreat weekends.
I get an extra helping and add butter, brown sugar, and craisins.
I eat it slowly and savor it. It’s warm and wholesome, and all I need to start my day.
Well, with a cup of tea, but that is how I start my days on retreat.
I plan to share some of the amazing vacation food we enjoyed on our visit to Canada. When we returned, we had our thirtieth anniversary and the end of summer through Labor Day and there was food fun throughout!
I tried this recipe last week with a larger loaf of bread and it wasn’t quite right. When I sliced the Italian bread into thinner, medium slices, the oil was perfect. My son likes to make simple garlic bread with garlic powder, but I find that it doesn’t quite have the same oomph as using fresh garlic.
I take about half a head of garlic, but use as many cloves as you want. Mash them in a mortar and pestle or just with a spoon.
Put a small skillet on medium heat, and add olive oil, I probably used about two tablespoons, then added the garlic, oregano, and basil, and let it saute until the garlic was fragrant.
Pour over sliced bread. I made six slices.
Broil on high for five minutes, perhaps longer, but watch it carefully.
I’ve decided to share two recent family dinners, put together easily. The first one is a tiny bit more work than the second but they were both extremely satisfying. Give them a try.
As these come up in my life, I notice them more and more. I know that they are idiosyncratic, and some are downright weird, but they are what they are, and I thought I’d share them with you. Please share some of yours in the comments.
I call everything “jelly,” but I never buy jelly. I only buy jam or preserves.
When I add ice to my cup at McDonald’s, I always pour out a couple of cubes.
I only and always eat latkes with applesauce AND sour cream. I also eat them year-round, and more at Passover than at Chanukah.
This isn’t food related, but I put NO Chanukah ornaments on our Christmas tree.
Now that I have a collection of Big Mac Sauce packets, I bring them with me when we go to a local restaurant that has patty melts (which I love) but no Thousand Island dressing.
Food adjacent – I don’t use Saran Wrap. It never works.
I wing cooking but never baking. Baking is too precise.
I won’t eat matzo or gefilte fish after Passover. I may make an exception for matzo brei.
I only eat kosher all beef hot dogs. When people talk about not knowing what’s in their hot dogs, I have no idea what they’re talking about. My hot dogs only have beef, no fillers, no anything else. Also, Mustard only. And sauerkraut when available.
Real NY bagels – never toasted.
I love bagels and lox, but I only eat it on Fridays in Lent.
The only soda I drink is Diet Coke. Not Pepsi, not Coke Zero, not RC.
I have had a recent obsession with peanut butter and bananas – any bread including matzo. (Not pictured English muffin.)
Peanut butter and banana on a Waffle. (c)2024Peanut butter and banana on egg bagel. (c)2024Peanut butter and banana on matzo. (c)2024
Brand names. I am a good tryer of generic and store brand foods. Except:
Cream Cheese – Philadelphia Kraft
Macaroni & Cheese – Kraft in the blue box, 7.25 oz.
Butter – Land O Lakes or Cabot. Exception for Kerrygold when I have the money for it.
Orange Juice – Tropicana or Florida’s Natural
Bachman Jax Cheese Curls only.
Skippy Peanut Butter.
Pretzels – Rold Gold
Hot dog rolls – Martin’s Potato Long Rolls
Craisins – Ocean Spray only
This is also food adjacent: Ziploc bags and Reynold’s Aluminum Foil. Hands down, generic just doesn’t have the same strength.
From the top, clockwise: Peanut butter and banana on toast, egg bagel with cream cheese and lox, sweet potato, grilled cheese, Berry French toast bake with strawberry syrup.
We all have foods that we go back to throughout our lives, a lot of them from our childhood. All of the above are in some way, shape or form from my childhood and teen years. My favorite thing as a child, home sick from school, was a soft, buttery sweet potato. I can recall sitting in the darkness of my mother’s bedroom, basking in the soft glow of the television eating this ever so slowly.
Recently, I have become obsessed with peanut butter and bananas. I’ve even slathered on the peanut butter and put a whole banana in the center of the bread and eaten it like a hot dog. A great snack!
Bagels with lox really needs no explanation; nor does grilled cheese. I enjoyed this on a few of my meat-free Fridays during Lent.
This French toast bake is from Cracker Barrel and has a custardy, cheesecake filling on top with whipped cream. Decdadent and delicious. This was a special treat. I am a French toast purist, dipped in egg, griddled, butter, and maple syrup.
In anticipation of Passover, my mouth is already watering when I think about the Matzo-brei that I will make, eat, and share with you here in a few weeks.
Griffins and Ginger Snaps 