 Big Guy and I were in the mood to get out of the house and roam around despite the cloudy day. We knew we needed to stop by the grocery store, but we did not wish to go until we ate lunch. We did our usual routine of what food sounded good for lunch. We decided @llywelynspub fit the bill. The food is typically good and would be close to the various stores we planned to visit that day. Do you ever have a meal and say, “I did not know that is what I wanted, but that was exactly what I wanted?” We opted for the traditional pub fare by having Shepherd’s Pie for me and Fish and Chips for the Big Guy. The motto of the restaurant may be “Celtic for good times,” but they delivered on the food and service. It was the perfect comfort food to get us set for our busy day.
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 Big Guy and I enjoy eating at our local restaurants but have been, at times, challenged to eat the entire meal in one sitting. I do not know if our eating habits have changed or the portions are larger, but we laugh that we have become the older couple walking out of restaurant with enough food for the week that we used to observe in Florida when we went to dinner with my parents at four o’clock in the afternoon.
We were recently talking with friends who said they would rather eat leftovers than cook up a whole meal. I agreed, but also shared with them my love of taking those leftovers and creating a new meal. We recently ate @lacatrinastl which is always a wonderful experience from the friendly waitstaff to the delicious food. I opted for Chorizo Tacos, but soon found myself getting full. Inspiration hit and I decided to take my leftovers home to make eggs the next morning with the chorizo. What a fantastic way to kick off the weekend!  I had the honor, in my previous work life, to speak at graduations. As part of my speech, I used the Starfish Story to have the students not only remember their journey, but to show gratitude for those individuals who were important along the way to their degree.
If you do not know the story, spoiler alert, I will give you the end of the story. An older man observed a boy throwing starfish back into the ocean. Feeling wise, he told the boy that there were too many starfish to save on this day. The boy, wiser than the man, threw in another starfish and said, “You are correct, but I made a difference for that one.” Big Guy and I were recently eating lunch when a woman approached our table. “Excuse me, but do you work at Webster? My son started there, and you have been on my mind.” We quickly realized the connection from our past with quick stories of our time together. As we ended the conversation, she expressed her gratitude for my kindness and assistance when she was a student. As she walked away, Big Guy and I looked at one another with the knowledge that I had made a difference for her.  I am still on the childhood memory train this week especially with the wintry weather. We stopped by @legrandsmarket to pick up groceries when I spotted Kraft’s Mac and Cheese. The box had to come home with me.
I do not wish to disappoint anyone as I am perfectly capable of making my own version of it, but this weather has me grabbing for the simple meals that do not require too much thought or effort. The bonus is I get to play the game of deciding if the meal was “better” when I was a kid. I am happy to report the flavor is the same, but my adult taste buds, and cooking skills, had me grabbing for extra ingredients to push the flavor over the top. Is that not the joy of cooking?!  Big Guy and I have often pondered if the memory of our childhood favorite foods has changed over the years. For example, were Pop Tarts better when we were kids? Has the formula changed? Have we changed?
I would declare that we have changed as has our desire for certain foods. I will also state that one thing has not changed and that is my love of buttered bread with sugar and cinnamon. Growing up in Michigan, it was the perfect food for a chilly day. I am grateful that not all things have changed over the years!  I was wandering around the grocery store looking for inspiration. I picked up @fricksqualitymeats bacon thinking about sandwiches. As I walked past the freezer section, I noticed a @fricksqualitymeats ham which was the perfect size for the two of us.
Ham tends to be the domain of the Big Guy, so I left him to it in the kitchen. As I get to clean up the mess, it seemed fair to sit in my chair reading the latest Spenser novel, Broken Trust. Big Guy prefers to use a glaze on his ham and this time he decided to use one of the Southern Sauces made by @dukes_mayonnaise. He used the Carolina Gold BBQ sauce as it had a mustardy tangy finish which perfectly enhanced the ham. He served the ham with a side salad, scalloped potatoes, and buns. It was a slice of the holidays without the stress!  Big Guy and I would put the movie, 84 Charing Cross Road, at the top of our list of movies we watch often. We never get tired of the story of Helene Hanff and her twenty-year correspondence with Frank Doel, chief buyer of Marks and Co. in London, England, and his team in search of obscure classics and British literature that she could not find in New York. As she stated, “I don’t browse in bookshops, I browse in libraries, where you can take a book home and read it, and if you like it you go to a bookshop and buy it.” Which she did often in the movie!
As I perused the fruit section at the store, I remembered another quote from the movie. Helene and her friends were putting together a Christmas basket for their friends in England to help with the post-World War II food shortage. As they reviewed the list, Helene’s friend from England noted the selection of items in the catalog they could select including raspberries. He said the word as “rahs”berries. Helene’s response, as she mimicked her friend was, “Raspberries, don’t you just love that. Imagine a whole country says raspberries. Raspberries, raspberries, raspberries!” As the wind blows and the temperature drops, I was quoting the movie as I bought raspberries to add to my meals this week. “Raspberries, Raspberries, Raspberries!”  The comfort food train continues down the track with a childhood favorite…Sloppy Joe. There are variations on ingredients, but the main star is ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, and seasonings. You cannot go wrong with grabbing a pack of McCormick spice blend to take the guesswork out of the mix.
As I started typing this blog, I wondered about the origin story of Sloppy Joe. The internet is a wonderful tool for the curious, so I was fascinated that early and mid-20th century American cookbooks offered variations on a theme under other names such as “toasted deviled hamburgers, chopped meat sandwiches, Spanish hamburgers, and Hamburg a la Creole.” There were various stories about the origin of this meal, but I liked the version whereby a loose meat sandwich made in Sioux City, Iowa in the 1930’s created by a cook named Joe. I could also believe the theory it started in Havana, Cuba as an interpretation of ropa vieja by bar owner Jose “Sloppy Joe” Abeal y Otero. The bottom line for me is a Sloppy Joe sandwich is delicious and packed full of vegetables and beef. How could it be bad?  I know I am showing my age when I admit I look forward to my weekly delivery of my Closer Magazine. While I still get People, I have seldom asked who someone was or what show they are on with Closer.
To my delight, this week’s edition highlighted recipes from four of Hollywood’s classic stars. How can you go wrong tempting me with meal ideas from Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, or Joan Crawford? Ok, Cary’s recipe may be suspect based on my readings of his life, but who cares, it was fun to include him too! As I read the recipes, I did notice a couple of trends that I do not usually see in current recipes. Cary and Joan both used Worcestershire and A-1 steak sauce in their recipes. Katharine used cocoa in her brownies. Lucille, from yours truly, the Queen of the apple pie, I am not sure I can buy into the use of biscuit mix to top my apple crumble! Regardless, I love the history of these recipes. It is through this type of history that I can truly learn the evolution of dishes throughout the generations. Most interesting!  I can tell we are in the throws of winter because I am turning to my favorite comfort foods. I cannot eat it too often, but nothing fills the tummy like waffles and sausage. Big Guy and I eat it early, so we have all day to be satisfied, but with time to avoid going to bed on a full stomach. I admit I go for the Belgian Waffle Mix from Classique Fare as it is flavorful and easy to make for our meal. We add maple sausage links on the side, and we are ready to eat. Big Guy loves his waffles with butter and syrup. I do too, but I also add raspberries on top to make them extra special. Yum! |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
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