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new to this group-- hello

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
20 June 2007
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22 June 2007
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P. Blackthorn
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  1. I've lurked here in the past off and on... although between last
    October and this May I don't think I logged in more than once due to
    the strangeness of my recent life. This group has a lovely and lively
    interchange of voices, although between some deaths and other passings
    (people moving on and such) and a larger influx of [censored]/cross posting
    and trolls (why would anyone, anywhere, respond to AChung?) the
    dynamic seems to be ebbing a bit right now.

    Of course, I could be way off base here-- my perceptions have been
    adjusted so much these past few months that the change perhaps is in
    me, not in the flow of voices and personalities and viewpoints.

    Jeez, what a stupid way to start. It sounds like an insult. Try
    again: I really enjoy this group! (As an outsider who's been away
    for awhile, maybe the changes are just more noticable to me, but the
    essence of the group remains.)

    I've recently moved to central California from interesting times in
    the upper midwest. I grew up here in the west, made a life to the
    east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home. I'm
    going from the world of business to the world of education, with all
    the lifestyle changes that implies. I'm not going willingly, but it
    is my choice to approach this as a way to grow.

    Food?

    For the last six years, I've averaged only two or three meals a week
    at home. (I always cooked at least one of those,) Everything else
    has been at restaurants of one stripe or another. Not only am I not
    going to be able to afford this anymore, I'm coming to realize that
    perhaps this has something to do with the lack of connection I've been
    feeling for some time now, long before this move.

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    My first day in the new house-- after a gruelling day of unpacking and
    a guelling week of travel (including mechanical problems), my nephew
    sits on the sofa in front of the TV watching my "Seven Samurai" DVD,
    drinking sweet tea on ice with the oscillating fan fixed on his
    position until the newly-repaired HVAC unit cools the place down. I
    run to the local market to pick us up some dinner. (First thought was
    to order in some pizza, but I remind myself of my intentions about
    cooking, and besides I have no idea if any delivery here is good.)

    I came up with:

    Chicken sausage with garlic, onions, mushrooms, and sage. (Pretty
    self-explanatory.)

    Corn fritters: a can of creamed corn, two parts corn meal to one part
    flour, one egg, baking powder. Combine, then cook like dollar
    pancakes. (That's what my mom wrote in her cooking notebook from the
    early days of her marriage-- I had watched her make these enough as a
    kid that I remember how to make sense of the "recipe".)

    Afterwards, I made my great uncle's lemon pie:

    5 eggs
    3/4 C. sugar
    1 1/4 C. white Karo
    juice and rind of two lemons
    1/4 cup melted butter

    Beat eggs, mix with syrup; add juice, rind, sugar- mix; add butter,
    beat all together. Pour into unbaked pie shell, bake in bottom of 380
    oven for ten minutes; move to middle shelf, lower to 350, bake 35
    minutes. (His original calls for only one lemon and another quarter
    cup each of Karo and sugar. Too cloying for me, even when
    refrigerated, which is how I recommend it-- with a nice strong cup of
    good coffee, which we didn't have.)

    I also didn't have a sheet pan to put the pie on- spilled a bit of it
    on the open door of the oven as I moved it. Had to clean it up before
    sticking the pan on the upper rack. Ugh.)

    After dinner and the movie, I started to tell Keith where the recipes
    came from, but he was asleep.

    Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
    for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

    -PB

  2. P. Blackthorn said:

    Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
    for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

    -PB

    what condition? I don't actually read these things, Im just looking
    for something with a pulse to aggrivate

    on a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being ready to pull your hair out, about how
    aggrivated would you say you are?

    just kidding. the recipe looks kingly

  3. P Blackthorn said:

    east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home.

    Welcome home, BP. I see you're up in the Motherload East of Stockton.
    Great country. You got back too late for The Jumps. Hope to be
    hearing more from you.

    nb

  4. P. Blackthorn said:

    I've recently moved to central California from interesting times in
    the upper midwest. I grew up here in the west, made a life to the
    east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home. I'm
    going from the world of business to the world of education, with all
    the lifestyle changes that implies. I'm not going willingly, but it
    is my choice to approach this as a way to grow.

    Food?

    For the last six years, I've averaged only two or three meals a week
    at home. (I always cooked at least one of those,) Everything else
    has been at restaurants of one stripe or another. Not only am I not
    going to be able to afford this anymore, I'm coming to realize that
    perhaps this has something to do with the lack of connection I've been
    feeling for some time now, long before this move.

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)?

    Yes.

    In more than one way. Google on "gefilte fish line." Quick & dirty
    summary: There are regional differences in recipes, and knowing which
    region your family's recipe came from can narrow down where your
    ancestors came from. Which can be helpful if you're trying to track
    your genealogy.

    Quoted message said:

    Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    I don't, I'm afraid.

    What was your cooking heritage?

    --
    Dan Goodman
    "You, each of you, have some special wild cards. Play with them.
    Find out what makes you different and better. Because it is there,
    if only you can find it." Vernor Vinge, _Rainbows End_
    Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
    Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
    Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood

  5. P. Blackthorn <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:

    I've lurked here in the past off and on... although between
    last October and this May I don't think I logged in more than
    once due to the strangeness of my recent life. This group has
    a lovely and lively interchange of voices,

    Welcome. :-)

  6. P. Blackthorn said:


    I've recently moved to central California from interesting times in
    the upper midwest. I grew up here in the west, made a life to the
    east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home. I'm
    going from the world of business to the world of education, with all
    the lifestyle changes that implies. I'm not going willingly, but it
    is my choice to approach this as a way to grow.


    Sounds like you're coming at things with a level head and a desire for
    growth. I'd say that's a very good start.

    Quoted message said:

    Food?

    Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    In a way, yes. But I haven't experienced what you seem to ask about
    alone, only in a family context. We had a death in our family early
    this spring, and as the days of hope and despair in the hospital
    stretched into weeks we found ourselves eating almost every meal at
    restaurants. When death finally came, our grief and our relief from
    the worries came together in waves. Our first meal together as a
    family unit afterwards was expensive and very good, but still it was
    in a restaurant. The next night, our family gathered at our home for
    the first time in two weeks, and I cooked for us. It was truly
    therapeutic. After the meal (whatever it was) we sat together at the
    table and talked and visited and finished a bottle of wine. We sat
    there for about two hours, I think. Meals together mean a lot.

    I use what I know from my family's cooking habits (not to say
    traditions) in what I do in the kitchen, but it's the sharing at the
    table that counts for me. Then again, cooking and eating are so
    deeply embedded in out psyches -- primordial, even. We can't help but
    invest them with a sense of connectedness to others.

    Quoted message said:

    Corn fritters: a can of creamed corn, two parts corn meal to one part
    flour, one egg, baking powder. Combine, then cook like dollar
    pancakes. (That's what my mom wrote in her cooking notebook from the
    early days of her marriage-- I had watched her make these enough as a
    kid that I remember how to make sense of the "recipe".)


    That's a good connection! And you can make it your own as you get
    more connected with it -- adjusting proportions, trying creaming your
    own corn.

    Welcome, and good luck.

    modom

  7. On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:12:51 GMT, P. Blackthorn <[email hidden]>
    magnanimously proffered:

    Quoted message said:

    I've lurked here in the past off and on...

    I'm not a regular by a long shot ... and I lurk a lot more than I post
    (which probably isn't a bad thing). But allow me to join in on saying
    Welcome to rfc. I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and
    finding out what other people think about one of my favourite
    pastimes. b

    --

    una cerveza mas por favor ...

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  8. bob said:

    I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and finding out what other
    people think about one of my favourite pastimes.

    Cat juggling?

    DEPLORABLE!

    Bob

  9. On 20 Jun 2007 00:03:02 -0500, "Bob Terwilliger"
    <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> magnanimously proffered:

    Quoted message said:
    bob said:

    I enjoy reading about new recipes, new ideas and finding out what other
    people think about one of my favourite pastimes.

    Cat juggling?

    DEPLORABLE!

    Only one at a time ...

    --

    una cerveza mas por favor ...

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  10. P. Blackthorn said:

    Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
    for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

    Nice notes, welcome on RFC 😉
    --
    Vilco
    Think pink, drink rose'

  11. P. Blackthorn <[email hidden]> wrote in
    news:[email hidden]:

    Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    Creating something with your own 2 hands is always helpful to the soul.
    Doesn't matter if it's a paint by number picture, a popsicle log house or a
    good meal. To be able to look at/taste something your own hands have made
    and say that's good, is very reaffirming.

    --

    The house of the burning beet-Alan

    It'll be a sunny day in August, when the Moon will shine that night-
    Elbonian Folklore

  12. P. Blackthorn <[email hidden]> dropped this turd
    news:[email hidden]: in rec.food.cooking

    <pruned for space>

    Quoted message said:

    I've recently moved to central California from interesting times in
    the upper midwest. I grew up here in the west, made a life to the
    east, and am now going to make another nearer my original home. I'm
    going from the world of business to the world of education, with all
    the lifestyle changes that implies. I'm not going willingly, but it
    is my choice to approach this as a way to grow.

    Welcome back Paul! You have a really positive attitude. Life changes
    can be a challenge sometimes. Besides, you're getting closer to your
    roots.

    Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    I don't have any family recipes personally, but many other people in this
    group do. I come from a no-cooking type of heritage. One of the reasons
    I enjoy this group so much is the varied background of so many of the
    posters. Then of course there are posters such as myself, that just enjoy
    cooking good food and are learning many things along the way.

    Quoted message said:


    I came up with:

    Chicken sausage with garlic, onions, mushrooms, and sage. (Pretty
    self-explanatory.)

    Corn fritters: a can of creamed corn, two parts corn meal to one part
    flour, one egg, baking powder. Combine, then cook like dollar
    pancakes. (That's what my mom wrote in her cooking notebook from the
    early days of her marriage-- I had watched her make these enough as a
    kid that I remember how to make sense of the "recipe".)

    <Lemon pie recipe snipped and saved>

    Quoted message said:

    Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
    for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

    LOL... all that moving day activity exhausted me after reading it. You
    moving day feast sounds excellent. I hope you weren't too tired to enjoy
    it.

    Michael

    --
    Due to recent cutbacks - The light at the end of the tunnel has been
    turned off.
    ~unknow author

  13. Dan Goodman said:
    Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)?

    Yes.

    In more than one way. Google on "gefilte fish line." Quick & dirty
    summary: There are regional differences in recipes, and knowing which
    region your family's recipe came from can narrow down where your
    ancestors came from. Which can be helpful if you're trying to track
    your genealogy.

    What was your cooking heritage?

    Well, it's no so much that I'm trying to connect with a food heritage,
    although every time I eat chicken fried steak or a fine pecan pie I'm
    reminded where I come from.

    In this case, I seem to have mislaid something at my core; I can't
    quite put my finger on it, but something I used to have I can no
    longer access inside myself. My wife has suggested it's just
    early-onset middle-age blues, one of my friends says it's part of a
    "global zeitgeist of malaise, dude"... I don't know.

    I'm wondering if years of restaurant eats is simultaneously a symptom
    and part of the cause of what's gone astray in my person. I have gone
    back to family meals as a way of trying to figure things out.

    Uncle Jerick's Beans

    Break down about 8-10 fatty pork ribs, oil and salt them. After ten
    minutes, drizzle a bit more oil in the cooking pot and brown the ribs.
    Remove ribs and set aside Deglaze with enough whisky to do the job.
    Throw in one large cut-up onion and a little butter, cook until light
    gold. Add a half-dozen chopped cloves of garlic, cook for a few
    minutes. Add four dried cascabel chiles (or a half-handful of dried
    pequins), one pound of soaked pinto beans, the ribs, and enough water
    to cover. Add salt and black pepper liberally. Cook covered
    medium-low until the water creams up, about two hours or so, stirring
    now and then. When you put the cornbread into the oven, remove and
    strip the meat from the ribs, then put it back into the pot with about
    a half cup of whiskey and a splash of liquid smoke. Take off the lid
    and take the heat to medium. Serve with red chile flakes on the top
    and sour cream, apple cider vinegar, and Crystal hot sauce on the
    side. (For kids, leave off the flakes and let them add ketchup if
    they want.) Serves four.

    Aunt Corinna's Cornbread

    In one bowl, thoroughly mix a cup of corn meal, a cup of flour, a
    scant 1/4 cup white sugar, 1 T. baking powder, 1t. salt. In another,
    mix one egg, 1/3 cup oil, 1 cup milk and the kernels of one ear of
    corn cut fresh from the cob. Add wet to dry, mix up all flour but
    don't worry about small lumps. Bake in a greased cast-iron skillet or
    8x8 pan for about 20 minutes at 400. Check center with a toothpick
    for doneness. (If using cast iron, be careful not to get too burned
    around the edges unless you like it that way.)

  14. Quoted message said:

    I use what I know from my family's cooking habits (not to say
    traditions) in what I do in the kitchen, but it's the sharing at the
    table that counts for me. Then again, cooking and eating are so
    deeply embedded in out psyches -- primordial, even. We can't help but
    invest them with a sense of connectedness to others.

    Excellent point-- thanks!

    Got to plan on having neighbors over, and friends as I make them at
    the new job.

    Thanks again...

  15. hahabogus said:
    Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?

    Creating something with your own 2 hands is always helpful to the soul.
    Doesn't matter if it's a paint by number picture, a popsicle log house or a
    good meal. To be able to look at/taste something your own hands have made
    and say that's good, is very reaffirming.

    The new house has no bookshelves, so I'm building a ton of them.
    You're right-- it's very satisfying (although my first few sets I'm
    already planning on rebuilding in time-- my carpentry skills have
    really gone to hell over twenty years of disuse).

  16. Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

    LOL... all that moving day activity exhausted me after reading it. You
    moving day feast sounds excellent. I hope you weren't too tired to enjoy
    it.

    Michael

    No, it was fine. Thanks for your kind response... (Let me know what
    you think about the pie when you make it! It's best with a homemade
    crust, but I just tossed it into a Sara Lee that night and it turned
    out pretty well.)


  17. Quoted message said:

    Is it possible to reconnect to one's core through cooking, more
    specifically heritage cooking (old family recipes)? Does anyone have
    any experience with this?


    Greetings, PB
    I think you can connect to a certain degree. When I was growing up,
    my grandmother would have dinner parties occasionally. We always had
    the same thing- Chicken & Polenta. Basically, it was chicken fried
    with lots of rosemary and sage. My grandma would make cream gravy from
    the drippings, and then served it over polenta. Great stuff, and every
    time I make it myself, those great old memories are back there. Just
    the smell makes me feel good. I was lucky enough to go to Italy about
    10 years ago, and got to meet family that we'd never met before. They
    lived in a little village in the northern part of the country, and
    owned the hotel/restaurant in town, so of course we stayed with them.
    One night, we were talking about food, and chicken & polenta came up.
    They seemed quite surprised that we ate it. They then cooked their
    version of it, which was more "stewed" than our version, but it was
    delicious. Hope that's what you are asking for. I'm a big believer in
    "comfort foods"!

  18. "b" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    P. Blackthorn said:

    Hope I haven't put the rest of you into the same condition. Thanks
    for reading-- comments and recommendations welcomed.

    -PB

    what condition? I don't actually read these things, Im just looking
    for something with a pulse to aggrivate

    If you're going to do that, learn to spell "aggravate."

    For God's sake.

    --
    Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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