Foodie

Sometimes I have been called a “Foodie.” Now that can be a complement or it can be an insult. Yes, I have cooked and baked and canned and dehydrated ever since I was young. I watched my grandma and my mother and learned from them. After all, when I was growing up, putting food on the table was the main occupation of a housewife along with raising children and keeping the home in order. There was a lot of “farmer” in my family and times were hard so frugality was necessary. Have you ever had to eat something you didn’t like or even hated? I have. To this day I cannot eat sweet potatoes. They gag me. 

Whenever a rabbit or chicken was butchered (I might add right in our back yard) my mother would call us to come see how it was done, pointing out and naming each part and what it was for. Whenever the produce from the garden was brought in, the correct and proper handling of it was explained and wasting even the tiniest beet leaf was frowned upon. The compost bucket was important. There was no trash as such, just recyclable trimmings. 

So, yes, food and preparation have always been important to me. Hey, I just remembered Dad bringing home a little box of honeycomb with honey. On his travels doing the state milk tester’s job, he often stopped at stands, with assorted items that we didn’t have nearby. What a special treat! With a teaspoon, you just scooped out a chunk, sucked all the honey out of it and chewed the wax until your jaws ached. Have you ever done that? Sometimes several big and fully ripe sunflowers would show up in the garage. We knew we could pluck a seed, give it a pinch and get to the innards of that treat! It took many for a really good kernel flavor to be savored. We didn’t buy berries, we hunted for them down the road and into the woods a bit. We suffered scratches but oh what jelly they made! The paraffin pot was special and was in use almost all summer long. Do you know how to test to see if your bubbling caramel is ready for you to add the peanuts for brittle?

Today I do little baking from scratch - especially breads. Little baker pot breads are the exception. I’ve grown too fussy to have the flour mess and too lazy too. Cookies are an exception. I have never bought a cookie that can compare with a homemade one. I’m not one for fancy decorations or presentations. Just keeping it simple. 

As for protein, my favorite is the fish category. Any fresh fish, shellfish, or fish product will always come before red meats. BUT! I LOVE LIVER. Next favorite is chicken. There isn’t a single vegetable other than the one mentioned above, that I don’t like. I like them better cooked than raw. All cheeses, yoghurt, eggs and milk are automatically included for protein. (and ice cream) Starch is a weakness. I love noodles, pasta of all shapes and content. Bread favorites are rye (without seeds) whole wheat, sourdough, Italian and pumpernickel. I’ll eat potatoes prepared any way, but not chips! Too salty. I love rice. 

In other words, I’m a Foodie! When in doubt, give me soup! Or fruit - I forgot fruit. Red grapefruit is my favorite.

Oops, I forgot! I do not like hot spicy anything.