I do most of my writing at our small dining room table. It doubles as a desk and a filing cabinet as my papers and files spread out in a form of disarray that only I can understand. When company comes, I get out a laundry basket and pack up the mess. As the door has barely closed behind the departing guests, I wallow in the delight of reclaiming the table with my piles of organized chaos.
My recipe file is always close at hand at the table. This makes my writing locale even more satisfying because, like most seniors, I am also a food-oriented person: I think about what to have for dinner while I'm still eating my breakfast. I look at meals as a celebration – three times a day.
I was born in the 1920s. My childhood began with the stock market crash and ended with World War II. Eating out wasn't affordable in those times but, on the rare occasion we did go to a restaurant, my mother had us put any leftovers in our napkins. She collected these bundles in a brown paper sack brought along for just that purpose.
As a child I sat at the kitchen table and watched my mother prepare our meals. She made it seem so personal – almost a loving art form, never a chore. Her eyes teared as she scraped onion into a mound of ground meat with her small paring knife. Her mouth pursed just so as she sprinkled in the salt and pepper. Then the ultimate – the forming of the meat patties as handfuls of meat were molded – each one an exact duplicate of the one before.
I get the same great satisfaction now planning meal components and shopping for the best within the confines of a fixed-income. The climax is always the preparation. If one has the great good fortune of sharing the repast, as I do, it is surely a bonus. No matter how old the cook, there is an important intimacy about food, and even though my body does begin to look, feel and behave older, my sense of taste – for both life and food – remains strong.
Here's my favorite holiday breakfast menu and recipes:
Eggs Parmesan for Two
Whisk together 4 Eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Tsp garlic powder
Dash fresh ground pepper
Spray frying pan with PAM. Scramble eggs to desired doneness and serve with blueberry cornbread with marmalade butter.
Cranberry Cornbread
Mix together –
3/4 cup white cornmeal
3 tsps baking powder
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg well beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups halved cranberries
1 tsp lemon extract (it brings out the blueberry flavor)
When all the above are thoroughly mixed together, fold in cranberries. Pour into greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before cutting.
Marmalade Butter
4 Tbsp butter blend
2 tsps orange marmalade
1 tsp Honey
Blend all together until creamy.
The above breakfast would not be complete without a Mimosa (champagne and orange juice) with a drop or two of Angostura Bitters.
Bon Appetit and Happy Holidays!
