For the love of food
“The taste, smell, and texture of food can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back memories not just of eating food itself but also of place and setting. Food is an effective trigger of deeper memories of feelings and emotions, internal states of the mind and body.” ”
Food plays an interesting role in our lives. The food we share is central to celebrations and holidays. Family vacations are planned around food. Food triggers vivid memories and is often the star of family get-togethers and social events. The above quote is from The Omnivorous Mind, where John S. Allen looks at the powerful role food plays in human memory.
Some of my very favorite memories are vivid recollections related to food. On rainy school vacations, I would eat Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup with soda crackers and peanut butter and a tall glass of milk while watching All my Children with my mom. To this day when I have Chicken Noodle soup, I always eat it with crackers & peanut butter. Another strong memory is spending evenings on the couch with Mom watching TV with a bowl of popcorn and a root beer float served in a milk glass tumbler. Scroll forward 40+ years and now I’m the proud owner of those milk glass tumblers. Strawberry milkshakes made with locally picked berries and Vanilla Häagen Dazs ice cream never tasted better.
Now that we’re all spending more time at home, people are rediscovering their kitchens and making new food memories. The Internet has been flooded with loaves of banana bread, sour dough starters and Instagram-worthy Dalgona whipped coffee, to name a few. While some people may be using this time to try a complicated recipe they’ve never had time to make, recipes with accessible ingredients that don’t take too much thought, preparation or labor, and that take us back to easier times, may be just what we need.
If you’re tired of banana bread, try this super simple pie recipe that has stood the test of time in my family. Chocolate Candy Bar Pie: A recipe from my mom who I believe got it from one of those “send-in-your-best recipe for the classroom” cookbook aka Christmas gift. This is truly the most simple pie. Especially if you buy premade piecrust. I make this pie every Fourth of July holiday that we share with our dear friends at their beach house in Seaside, Oregon. (Even the year the power went out and we had to hand-whip the cream.)
Chocolate Candy Bar Pie
½ cup milk
20 big marshmallows
6 Hershey Almond bars
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Baked pie shell
Melt marshmallows in milk over low heat. Add five broken candy bars and stir until melted. Let cool. Whip 1 cup cream and fold into chocolate. Pour into shell. Chill in fridge. Top with other cup whipped cream and sixth grated candy bar.
* Or make fancy chocolate curls with your vegetable peeler and mound them on top to up the presentation.
Another favorite memory is having homemade chili. Well ... it was really more about what went with the chili. On these occasions my mom would also make bread, so we had warm rolls with the chili and glorious cinnamon rolls—with maple frosting—for dessert. (If everyone has cut back on carbs ... why are the shelves empty of flour? hmm) These cinnamon rolls fill me with nostalgia. This is where my love affair with maple frosting began.
The role of food in our lives extends far beyond the food itself. It’s the memories created while enjoying the food. It’s the time spent with loved ones and celebrating life’s moments. While many of us are busy cooking and baking at home, we can’t wait to visit our favorite restaurants again. To support America’s restaurant industry, Penguin Random House has announced a digital collection of 50 easy recipes from its family of food and drink authors. Family Meal: Recipes from Our Community include easy-to-make recipes from chefs and recipe book authors. Some favorites of mine: Ina Garten, Samin Nosrat, Alison Roman and Ruth Reichl.
For the love of food and the love of our restaurants, let’s eat.