|
|
|
|
|
Straight Talk from a Comfort Foodie - Fast Food
My parents lived for convenience when it came to feeding their children. I was a Beech-Nut kid, and breast-feeding wasn't my mother's idea of liberation. I was weaned on A&W root beer served by a car-hop at a local joint called "Suds n' Dogs." Dad was a cosmetic salesman, and, though he was raised in an orthodox Jewish household by a mother that adhered to the kosher principles, he lived on a steady diet of quick stop specialties regardless of their orientation. On Sunday mornings we would scarf down some bacon and eggs and then pile into Dad's 67' Impala and head to Brooklyn for a visit with his parents. They were immigrants who spoke Yiddish and little English and had raised four children in their two-bedroom apartment. Somewhere along the way we'd stop for burgers and fries. Visiting McDonald's, in those days, was different than it is today. Outside you could run along the red and white tiled wrap-around bench and look through the impressive glass walls surrounding the kitchen to watch the burgers being cooked and the assembly line churn out perfectly packaged sandwiches. (When Burger King eventually came to our hometown, we actually got dressed up to try their flame-broiled brand.) There was no drive through then, and very few people called it "fast food". My sister and I would eat the stuff in the back seat, using the fries as swords in a dual, while Dad drove and Mom bit her nails. Before arriving at my Grandparents third floor walk-up in Flatbush, a small crowded apartment that was always filled with the aroma of garlic and onions, Dad would stop at a dumpster and throw away any remnants of our lunch - including all the paper packaging. The four of us would get out of the car so he could spray it down with air freshener, pile back in, turn the block, and arrive. He figured what Grandma didn't know wouldn't hurt her. Sometimes we would bring shopping bags full of peaches or apples from the local farmers market on Long Island for Grandma to use in the fruitcake recipe that she'd brought with her from Poland. If there came a Sunday when the previous weeks' produce hadn't been processed, there was an ingenious, if not totally devious, procedure for letting us know. Rather than call us directly, and incur a toll call, she'd place a collect-call to our home and ask for "Mrs. Noapel". This being the code name for "NO Apple" - Dad would decline the incoming call by saying there was no one there by that name. Then he knew not to bring any fruit. My Dad and his mother wrote the book on "the art of the food trick". One of my fondest memories was the day Dad ordered home delivery of Cott soda. Two cases would arrive every week; an assortment of grape, cola, black cherry, and the coveted Cream - that was always the first one tapped. Folks in our suburban neighborhood got their Charles Chips home delivered in huge brown cans. Others got milk and eggs delivered, but our house got the goods. No wonder our milk-fed friends were begging to have dinner at our house. My folks never had a problem finding a teenaged baby-sitter, because the word was out about our junk-food stockpile. Whipped cream from a can was a trendy delicacy in those days. It was also good for a half an hour of entertainment. My sister and I would compete by standing with our mouths open as the baby-sitter injected as much whippedcream as the space would hold. Who ever gagged or exploded lost. Mom liked to sleep in. Getting up with the sun to serve a warm breakfast to her school-aged children was a far and few between event. The day I started first grade was the day I received a crash-course in the morning meal. "Isn't Mom going to make us breakfast?" I had asked my older sister. I was hoping for a hot bowl of Farina. "Mom doesn't get up early, just get used to it", she had replied, and had walked off to forage through the pile of Drake's cakes stored in the oven. We ate Yankee Doodles for breakfast, and had Green Giant creamed vegetables with dinner. Even after I had been to college and had my dietary world revolutionized -returned home with an armful of bottles from the vitamin/health food store to concoct a soy lecithin, wheat germ and organic honey gruel-dad was still doing the morning cup of coffee with a cupcake chaser. Grandma's Apple Cake 3 cups flour Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease and flour a large rectangular pan (lasagna-type). 2. Combine the first seven ingredients and beat at medium speed for 10 minutes. 3. Peel and thickly slice the apples and add cinnamon and sugar. 4. Layer half of the batter in pan; add apples, then the rest of the batter. Sprinkle top with additional cinnamon and sugar. 5. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Marti Ladd is the cookbook author and food product designer for "The Recipe Company". See her media kit at http://www.martiladd.com or visit her virtual cookbook store at http://www.ecookbookstore.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Recipes - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Summer Basil Pasta Salad With the long hot days of summer, you will find that you will need something lighter than a T-bone steak.If you are seeking a fresh and light pasta salad, they you will need to serve this at your next gathering. Straight Talk from a Comfort Foodie: Strudel Makes the Woman Strudel Makes the WomanGrandpa Max loved butter cookies. He liked his Chivas Regal from a heavy cut-glass decanter, but the little butter cookies with coarse sugar sprinkles just had to come from a can. Swiss Cheese Fondue Ingredients600g white bread (I recommend baguette or any other kind of white bread with a lot of rind)600g Swiss cheese (e.g. The Secret To Making Perfect Chili Fit For A King Every autumn my thoughts turn to making chili. The garden is about done. Weight Loss Recipe: Turkey Tomato Wrap Are you struggling to lose or maintain your weight? Then this recipe can help you along the journey. Long term weight loss isn't about hunger, misery and crash dieting. Easy, Tasty Chicken Wing Recipes You can serve chicken wings hot or cold, for a meal, or for snacks. They're great as appetizers at parties, or when you're just looking for a tasty midnight snack. Farm To Market Days Summer may begin in June but, for many parts of the country, gardens don't reach their peak until August. Modern grocery stores manage to keep us satisfied with produce year round, but there is nothing like the flavor of farm fresh tomatoes, peaches, or sweet corn. Swordfish, a Nutritious and Healthy Addition to Any Diet Swordfish belongs to the group of fish that have recently become more appreciated for their contribution of omega-3 essential oils to the diet. These fats, which have to be provided by the diet, have now been shown to have a host of health giving benefits including combatting rheumatoid arthritis, heart attacks, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, psoriasis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multilple sclerosis and even mirgraine headaches. Steaks Eating steak has always been a symbol of prosperity. During theturn of the century, steak houses were patronized by the elite. Blue Cheese Omnivorous IngredientsRomaine Lettuce (head $1.29)1 pound of steak ($10 per pound)1 box of colorful pasta ($1. Ediths Cake That Thrilled the French Twenty-three chefs who cooked for world royalty and heads of state (The Club des Chefs des Chefs) were, during their 1987 visit to the U.S. How to Make a Tantalizing White Lightening Chili Chili cooks always want to discover that award-winning chili recipe that will be tantalizing for their family and friends and maybe even impress a few chili contest judges. Wouldn't it be exciting to UNLEASH your chili and rock your family and friends' worlds, save money and have a great time preparing it?In my interviews with outstanding chili cooks, I have developed some tantalizing chili recipes that are easy, time and money saving and make your body tingle from the first taste right down to your toes. Spanish Food - The Tasty Tortilla It certainly is a poor man or woman who cannot find a few eggs, a couple of potatoes and an onion in their store cupboard!The ever-practical Spaniard realized this and thus created their marvellous "tortilla" - an easy-to-make dish that could be savoured by rich and poor alike.Not only cheap to make the tortilla, or Spanish omelette, is immenseley adaptable: you can eat it hot or cold, depending on the weather and your mood; you can enjoy a small slice as a "tapa" (snack) in between meals; or, accompanied by a multi-coloured mixed salad and crusty, fresh Spanish bread, you have a marvellous main meal! Should unexpected guests come knocking at your door . What Wise Guys Eat When I lived in the North End of Boston, in the nineteen eighties and nineties, I hung around a neighborhood bar from time to time, called The Corner Caf. It was located on Prince Street near the corner of Salem Street. Vegetarian Gourmet----Meatless Makeovers Three years ago I decided to go "meatless." It wasn't a difficult decision as I wasn't a voracious carnivore to begin with, however there were a few dishes that I missed that contained meat and wondered how I was going to live without these favorites. Tayberry Jam The taste of Summer, bursting with flavour and anti-oxidant effects. Tayberries are a Raspberry / Blackberry cross that combines the best of both. Chocolate Zucchini Cake Creates National Zucchini Shortage There are few garden vegetable that are prolific as zucchini squash. Around my part of the northeast, beginning in mid summer till frost, zucchini squash is the number one garden commodity. Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake Bottom Layer:1/2 cup butter or margarine1 cup sugar2 cups flour1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking powder1/4 cup milk2 eggs1 teaspoon vanillaCream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and stir in milk. Spanish Recipes - Tempting Tapas Dishes Spain is famous for its tapas and, whichever Spanish bar youfrequent, in whichever area of the country, you are sure tofind them.So, what exactly are "tapas" and where did the name come from?Tapas are, essentially, snacks and the word literally means"cover". Toasted Spiced Walnuts You can trust me that I make sure to take care to have as EnergyRich? a vacation as possible (why come back from vacation feeling bloated, a few pounds heavier, experiencing heartburn etc, right?) and wanted to share one of my favorite recipes to help make that happen!First you need to be ready to ..
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
