LISTENING IN AND TRUSTING YOUR GUT
This week I offer a glimpse into how I’ve gotten through some of the initial frenzy of moving house.
In a recent interview I heard on Milk Street Radio, Al Roker, the Today show host said, “if you’re someone who doesn’t like pie or pigs in a blanket, then I don’t think we can be friends.”
Al Roker and I could be friends in real life if ever our paths should cross.
After listening to his Milk Street interview, we seem like two peas in a pod.
Last week, after a ton of unpacking and organizing, I decided the callouses on my feet needed more attention than I could give them. A pedicure was in order. I was aiming for a slightly elevated experience, the kind of pedicure where they ask you what kind of herbal tea you’d like to sip while your feet are soaking in lavender scented water.
I found a nail salon close to my new neighborhood. In case you missed it or are new to BFB, I moved 3 weeks ago. Since this was my first visit to this particular nail salon, the pedicurist and I chatted away, getting to know each other. Somehow, the subject of breakfast came up. Imagine my delight when she said she can’t function, can’t get through her day without eating breakfast. Not only did I get a great pedicure, but I’ll definitely be going back to chat more with a fellow breakfast eater. Another pea in the pod situation.
Unpacking boxes while listening to podcasts takes some of the sting out of being confronted yet again by how much stuff–kitchen stuff in particular– I have. As I unpacked yet another box labeled “KITCHEN” I listened to Frances Lam of The Splendid Table interview Bee Wilson, the British writer, about her first cookbook The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen which came out in September 2023. Bee Wilson is an acclaimed journalist, food writer and food historian. Though not a trained chef, she is an avid cook. What makes her cookbook quite unique is that it is organized around the different phases of life we all find ourselves in rather than the usual appetizers, mains, soups and desserts format found in many cookbooks. The chapter called Use the tools you have and get the tools you need, features recipes which rely heavily on using the box grater. Do you know any single person who doesn’t have a box grater? I don’t.
Box graters are the precursors to food processors. They’ve been around since our great, great (not grate) grandmothers cooked in their kitchens. Show me the kitchen where there is no box grater stashed on a shelf, and I’ll tell you that the person who lives in that house is not doing much cooking. The person whose kitchen lacks a box grater is one who depends on others to feed them.
Wilson opened up during the interview saying that a large portion of the book was written in the aftermath of the dissolution of her marriage. Loss, fear, and longing are important ingredients in her recipes as well. With chapter headings like Cut yourself some slack and Treat cooking as a remedy (because it is) are so intriguing that I want to run right out and buy a copy.
Wilson also said something that I identify with in a big way, especially now as I’m taking stock of this year, getting ready to celebrate a birthday on the 24th, thinking ahead towards 2025:
It’s funny with nostalgia foods. Sometimes you go back and it’s not the same as you remember.
This is so true. It’s something I experienced as recently as last week when I bought a bag of Empire apples at a local market. It has been decades since I’ve eaten an Empire apple. Growing up on the east coast, Empires were readily available, but they never seem to be one of the varieties on offer here in the southwestern U.S. I thought I remembered them well, but upon taking the first bite it became obvious that my memory of Empire apples had zero to do with the way they actually taste and everything to do with a sense of nostalgia about childhood outings to apple orchards and fruit stands.
Unless I can find my rolling pin in the next few days, I’ll be making an apple crisp with these beauties pictured below. They are crispy and just sweet enough to eat out of hand. They are also great for baking and would probably be delicious coated in caramel.
But first, I’m going to pull out my box grater and make Bee Wilson’s Magic Mushroom Pasta. Just follow this link to the recipe: Magic Pasta with Mushrooms Garlic Cream and Wine.
If there’s any left, you know I’ll be eating it for breakfast!
Wishing you much love, happy holidays, and good cheer for 2025!!