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

On Jun 19, 8:12 pm, P. Blackthorn > wrote:

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

what condition? I don't actually read these things, Im just looking
for something with a pulse to aggrivate

on a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being ready to pull your hair out, about how
aggrivated would you say you are?

just kidding. the recipe looks kingly

On 2007-06-20, P Blackthorn > wrote:

> east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home.

Welcome home, BP. I see you're up in the Motherload East of Stockton.
Great country. You got back too late for The Jumps. Hope to be
hearing more from you.

nb

P. Blackthorn wrote:

> 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)?

Yes.

In more than one way. Google on "gefilte fish line." Quick & dirty
summary: There are regional differences in recipes, and knowing which
region your family's recipe came from can narrow down where your
ancestors came from. Which can be helpful if you're trying to track
your genealogy.

> Does anyone have
> any experience with this?

I don't, I'm afraid.

What was your cooking heritage?



--
Dan Goodman
"You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

P. Blackthorn > wrote in
:

> 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,

Welcome. :-)

On Jun 19, 7:12 pm, P. Blackthorn > wrote:
>
> 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.
>
Sounds like you're coming at things with a level head and a desire for
growth. I'd say that's a very good start.

> Food?

> 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?

In a way, yes. But I haven't experienced what you seem to ask about
alone, only in a family context. We had a death in our family early
this spring, and as the days of hope and despair in the hospital
stretched into weeks we found ourselves eating almost every meal at
restaurants. When death finally came, our grief and our relief from
the worries came together in waves. Our first meal together as a
family unit afterwards was expensive and very good, but still it was
in a restaurant. The next night, our family gathered at our home for
the first time in two weeks, and I cooked for us. It was truly
therapeutic. After the meal (whatever it was) we sat together at the
table and talked and visited and finished a bottle of wine. We sat
there for about two hours, I think. Meals together mean a lot.

I use what I know from my family's cooking habits (not to say
traditions) in what I do in the kitchen, but it's the sharing at the
table that counts for me. Then again, cooking and eating are so
deeply embedded in out psyches -- primordial, even. We can't help but
invest them with a sense of connectedness to others.
>
>
> 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".)
>
That's a good connection! And you can make it your own as you get
more connected with it -- adjusting proportions, trying creaming your
own corn.

Welcome, and good luck.

modom

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:12:51 GMT, P. Blackthorn >
magnanimously proffered:

>I've lurked here in the past off and on...

I'm not a regular by a long shot ... and I lurk a lot more than I post
(which probably isn't a bad thing). But allow me to join in on saying
Welcome to rfc. I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and
finding out what other people think about one of my favourite
pastimes. b


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

bob wrote:

> I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and finding out what other
> people think about one of my favourite pastimes.


Cat juggling?

DEPLORABLE!

Bob

On 20 Jun 2007 00:03:02 -0500, "Bob Terwilliger"
> magnanimously proffered:

>bob wrote:
>
>> I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and finding out what other
>> people think about one of my favourite pastimes.
>
>
>Cat juggling?
>
>DEPLORABLE!

Only one at a time ...



--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

P. Blackthorn wrote:

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

Nice notes, welcome on RFC
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'

P. Blackthorn > wrote in
:

> 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?
>

Creating something with your own 2 hands is always helpful to the soul.
Doesn't matter if it's a paint by number picture, a popsicle log house or a
good meal. To be able to look at/taste something your own hands have made
and say that's good, is very reaffirming.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
Elbonian Folklore

On 20 Jun 2007 01:13:35 GMT, "Dan Goodman" > wrote:

>> Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
>> specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)?
>
>Yes.
>
>In more than one way. Google on "gefilte fish line." Quick & dirty
>summary: There are regional differences in recipes, and knowing which
>region your family's recipe came from can narrow down where your
>ancestors came from. Which can be helpful if you're trying to track
>your genealogy.
>
>What was your cooking heritage?

Well, it's no so much that I'm trying to connect with a food heritage,
although every time I eat chicken fried steak or a fine pecan pie I'm
reminded where I come from.

In this case, I seem to have mislaid something at my core; I can't
quite put my finger on it, but something I used to have I can no
longer access inside myself. My wife has suggested it's just
early-onset middle-age blues, one of my friends says it's part of a
"global zeitgeist of malaise, dude"... I don't know.

I'm wondering if years of restaurant eats is simultaneously a symptom
and part of the cause of what's gone astray in my person. I have gone
back to family meals as a way of trying to figure things out.



Uncle Jerick's Beans

Break down about 8-10 fatty pork ribs, oil and salt them. After ten
minutes, drizzle a bit more oil in the cooking pot and brown the ribs.
Remove ribs and set aside Deglaze with enough whisky to do the job.
Throw in one large cut-up onion and a little butter, cook until light
gold. Add a half-dozen chopped cloves of garlic, cook for a few
minutes. Add four dried cascabel chiles (or a half-handful of dried
pequins), one pound of soaked pinto beans, the ribs, and enough water
to cover. Add salt and black pepper liberally. Cook covered
medium-low until the water creams up, about two hours or so, stirring
now and then. When you put the cornbread into the oven, remove and
strip the meat from the ribs, then put it back into the pot with about
a half cup of whiskey and a splash of liquid smoke. Take off the lid
and take the heat to medium. Serve with red chile flakes on the top
and sour cream, apple cider vinegar, and Crystal hot sauce on the
side. (For kids, leave off the flakes and let them add ketchup if
they want.) Serves four.


Aunt Corinna's Cornbread

In one bowl, thoroughly mix a cup of corn meal, a cup of flour, a
scant 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 T. baking powder, 1t. salt. In another,
mix one egg, 1/3 cup oil, 1 cup milk and the kernels of one ear of
corn cut fresh from the cob. Add wet to dry, mix up all flour but
don't worry about small lumps. Bake in a greased cast-iron skillet or
8x8 pan for about 20 minutes at 400. Check center with a toothpick
for doneness. (If using cast iron, be careful not to get too burned
around the edges unless you like it that way.)

On Tue, 19 Jun 2007 21:08:38 -0700, wrote:

>I use what I know from my family's cooking habits (not to say
>traditions) in what I do in the kitchen, but it's the sharing at the
>table that counts for me. Then again, cooking and eating are so
>deeply embedded in out psyches -- primordial, even. We can't help but
>invest them with a sense of connectedness to others.

Excellent point-- thanks!

Got to plan on having neighbors over, and friends as I make them at
the new job.

Thanks again...

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:05:45 GMT, hahabogus > wrote:

>> 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?
>>
>
>Creating something with your own 2 hands is always helpful to the soul.
>Doesn't matter if it's a paint by number picture, a popsicle log house or a
>good meal. To be able to look at/taste something your own hands have made
>and say that's good, is very reaffirming.

The new house has no bookshelves, so I'm building a ton of them.
You're right-- it's very satisfying (although my first few sets I'm
already planning on rebuilding in time-- my carpentry skills have
really gone to hell over twenty years of disuse).

On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:31:57 GMT, "Michael \"Dog3\" Lonergan"
> wrote:


>LOL... all that moving day activity exhausted me after reading it. You
>moving day feast sounds excellent. I hope you weren't too tired to enjoy
>it.
>
>Michael

No, it was fine. Thanks for your kind response... (Let me know what
you think about the pie when you make it! It's best with a homemade
crust, but I just tossed it into a Sara Lee that night and it turned
out pretty well.)

> 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?
Greetings, PB
I think you can connect to a certain degree. When I was growing up,
my grandmother would have dinner parties occasionally. We always had
the same thing- Chicken & Polenta. Basically, it was chicken fried
with lots of rosemary and sage. My grandma would make cream gravy from
the drippings, and then served it over polenta. Great stuff, and every
time I make it myself, those great old memories are back there. Just
the smell makes me feel good. I was lucky enough to go to Italy about
10 years ago, and got to meet family that we'd never met before. They
lived in a little village in the northern part of the country, and
owned the hotel/restaurant in town, so of course we stayed with them.
One night, we were talking about food, and chicken & polenta came up.
They seemed quite surprised that we ate it. They then cooked their
version of it, which was more "stewed" than our version, but it was
delicious. Hope that's what you are asking for. I'm a big believer in
"comfort foods"!

"b" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> On Jun 19, 8:12 pm, P. Blackthorn > wrote:
>
>> Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
>> for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.
>>
>> -PB
>
> what condition? I don't actually read these things, Im just looking
> for something with a pulse to aggrivate
>

If you're going to do that, learn to spell "aggravate."

For God's sake.



--
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