I've lurked here in the past off and on... although between last
October and this May I don't think I logged in more than once due to
the strangeness of my recent life. This group has a lovely and lively
interchange of voices, although between some deaths and other passings
(people moving on and such) and a larger influx of crap/cross posting
and trolls (why would anyone, anywhere, respond to AChung?) the
dynamic seems to be ebbing a bit right now.

Of course, I could be way off base here-- my perceptions have been
adjusted so much these past few months that the change perhaps is in
me, not in the flow of voices and personalities and viewpoints.

Jeez, what a stupid way to start. It sounds like an insult. Try
again: I really enjoy this group! (As an outsider who's been away
for awhile, maybe the changes are just more noticable to me, but the
essence of the group remains.)

I've recently moved to central California from interesting times in
the upper midwest. I grew up here in the west, made a life to the
east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home. I'm
going from the world of business to the world of education, with all
the lifestyle changes that implies. I'm not going willingly, but it
is my choice to approach this as a way to grow.

Food?

For the last six years, I've averaged only two or three meals a week
at home. (I always cooked at least one of those,) Everything else
has been at restaurants of one stripe or another. Not only am I not
going to be able to afford this anymore, I'm coming to realize that
perhaps this has something to do with the lack of connection I've been
feeling for some time now, long before this move.

Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
any experience with this?


My first day in the new house-- after a gruelling day of unpacking and
a guelling week of travel (including mechanical problems), my nephew
sits on the sofa in front of the TV watching my "Seven Samurai" DVD,
drinking sweet tea on ice with the oscillating fan fixed on his
position until the newly-repaired HVAC unit cools the place down. I
run to the local market to pick us up some dinner. (First thought was
to order in some pizza, but I remind myself of my intentions about
cooking, and besides I have no idea if any delivery here is good.)

I came up with:

Chicken sausage with garlic, onions, mushrooms, and sage. (Pretty
self-explanatory.)

Corn fritters: a can of creamed corn, two parts corn meal to one part
flour, one egg, baking powder. Combine, then cook like dollar
pancakes. (That's what my mom wrote in her cooking notebook from the
early days of her marriage-- I had watched her make these enough as a
kid that I remember how to make sense of the "recipe".)

Afterwards, I made my great uncle's lemon pie:

5 eggs
3/4 C. sugar
1 1/4 C. white Karo
juice and rind of two lemons
1/4 cup melted butter

Beat eggs, mix with syrup; add juice, rind, sugar- mix; add butter,
beat all together. Pour into unbaked pie shell, bake in bottom of 380
oven for ten minutes; move to middle shelf, lower to 350, bake 35
minutes. (His original calls for only one lemon and another quarter
cup each of Karo and sugar. Too cloying for me, even when
refrigerated, which is how I recommend it-- with a nice strong cup of
good coffee, which we didn't have.)

I also didn't have a sheet pan to put the pie on- spilled a bit of it
on the open door of the oven as I moved it. Had to clean it up before
sticking the pan on the upper rack. Ugh.)

After dinner and the movie, I started to tell Keith where the recipes
came from, but he was asleep.

Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

-PB