Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Good Food

A little while ago Tara posted about comfort foods. Something she felt inspired to do by Amy over at My Merry Way. I felt compelled to do the same but never felt up to it.

Until now...

I am kind of weird about food. I think I may have even talked of this before. If I really like something the first time I have it, that is the way I think it should always be. Then I don't really like too many alterations. There are foods made be specific people in my life and I don't want the recipe repeated by anyone else.

My mom make lasagna that can't be beat. I try all the time, it is never the same. Part of the special- ness of her lasagna is the sauce. It doesn't really happen anymore, but when all three of us kids were living at home and older (like high school age) she would make sauce and each family member would wander through the kitchen and taste the sauce. Everyone had an opinion and added more of something to the pot. More oregano, more basil, more garlic (usually my vote), maybe some hot sauce, or a little salt. After the sauce had simmered for awhile, the entire family had been involved, usually more than once. This is probably why my mom doesn't have a recipe to give, and I can't recreate the sauce. I also loved to eat the shredded cheese that lay on the cutting board waiting for the layering. But this drove my mom crazy... because as anyone who has grated mozzarella knows, it is not the easiest, being a soft cheese. So I try to avoid pissing off the chef and would take slices and then dip them in the hot sauce bubbling away on the stove. I even had a friend who liked to make lasagna sandwiches, which are so good also. She was big on pasta sandwiches (spaghetti, lasagna, penne, whatever she had between two slices of garlic bread). So I often describe this as my favorite food.



But while living in Alaska... something new. Something GREAT. Something really so basic and not so special but that I love so much, I make Tara make it for me (I could do this one myself, but for some reason, it needs to be done by Tara) every time I'm up there. Cornflake Chicken. She found the recipe in a Weight Watchers cookbook. I don't think we use any of the low fat items it calls for and we use all the full fat versions (like mayonnaise). It is such a basic recipe, but I love the juicy chicken and the crunchy cornflakes. She usually makes a tasty veggie to go with. And it is a recipe that her whole family enjoys. Which can be particularly hard with her picky husband and step-son.

I am getting hungry!! Oh, so is my dog, here she comes to try to get me to feed her. Well, I've probably bored enough with only two of my favorite dishes. What of Moner's macaroni and cheese, or Kyle's fried rice, or dessert, or breakfast. Alright, off to eat something.

For being a food lover, I have to say, I had a hard time spelling a lot food words. Spell check left me with big yellow slashes all over this post.

(Above is a picture completely unrelated to food. Kokanee LOVES to sit on our lap. So much so that getting on the floor for any reason usually entails her right up in our faces. Here she is getting brushed by Kyle and loving the attention.)

2 comments:

Tara said...

The Weight Watchers recipe does call for mayo, just the reduced fat kind, which I've actually started buying. It tastes exactly the same as the original fat kind to me. I just hate miracle whip...yuck.
I'm so happy to be in your food memory blog. I'll have to make some cornflake chicken soon in your honor. And then call you to tell you I'm eating it. :)

Unknown said...

We have an australian cattle dog too. She is a sweetheart and loves the laps... but we don't really enjoy it so much. Poor thing.

And if I'm ever in Alaska, I know where to go.. Tara's!

A lot of my food memories are actually for restaurants, which I wonder if that is maybe pathetic.. :(