Journal to a Muse

Hey, good lookin! Whatcha got cookin?

I saw this Cooking meme and didn't really have anything else to write about today!
1. What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I think I started making breakfast for my mother and me when I was about 7. I knew how to measure coffee into the percolator and put it on the gas stove. Every morning we had oj, a soft boiled egg and a piece of whole wheat toast. Dad woke me up, I got dressed, made breakfast, woke mother up then ate and then went to school.

2. Who had the most influence on your cooking?
Positive influence? Probably my father. He enjoyed inventing new combinations... if he could put it into a sandwich and add cheese, it would work for him.
Mom was a frightened cook... but she believed that if you could read, a cookbook would get you through. Joy of Cooking was the main one at our house. Later when Julia Child came on TV I began to rediscover the "fun" of technique.

3. Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
I'd love to, but don't have a scanner!! I'd gone to the beach, was hot, sandy and sunburned, but came home and made a 13 layer "torte" from the Good Housekeeping Picture Cookbook. You baked the layers on the backs of cake pans (cinnamon flavoring) and then slathered on gobs of whipped cream inbetween.

In the original photo, I have turquoise plastic rollers in my hair (post beach shower and hairwash) and there's a Fillmore-West style poster of a pink and orange cat behind me!Psychedelic, man.

4. Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
Anything that would start with a living critter: lobster, crab, fish....... most sushi or sashimi.


5. What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?
I love our non-stick pans and the ice maker.
I can't think of any letdowns--- well, maybe the breadmaker... It always seems slightly soggier than it ought to be. I'm sticking to muffins and quick breads!

6. Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
Grilled cheese sandwiches with Velveeta (!), ham and pineapple. It was one of my dad's favorites.

7. What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?
I've had such changes in diet/food a couple of times in my life, that no particular food is THAT important. I'm sure I'll always love any cookie, especially if it has chocolate in it. Cheeses. Otherwise, it could be anything.