Childhood & Teenage Comfort Dishes

[Claire]

Love the garden memory. When I was in my young teens, with three younger sibs, somehow Mom & Dad met a local guy who did mid-scale gardening (I think it was an acre). He had a soft spot for our family. My parents bought produce from him whenever it was ready, but his real contribution to our family income was that when he and his wife had picked and sold as much as they could, they'd call us up and have us clear the fields, "gleaning" the last of the produce which he'd just give us. But I mostly remember this huge glider type swing that we'd take turns on (it could sit 4 or even 6 adults) near a plum tree. I think of them every year, even though I haven't seen them since 1970 or so, they probably aren't alive. But my favorite seed company is Park's, and that was their name. Yesterday I asked hubby to move my bench down to the green bean patch that no longer has any blossoms and has some kind of beetle infestation. So I was pulling up plants, gleaning the last of the "haricots verts" and remembering the guy we called "old Mr. Parks." No, no relationship to the seed family, just more or less in the same business.

 

[justplainbill]

Farina with sugar, heavy cream and sometimes cinnamon was my favorite early childhood breakfast food. Steaks broiled over the hard coal in our steam furnace was always a treat. The meager funds that I was able to acquire at ages 11 - 15 from doing deliveries, mowing lawns, collecting Coke deposit bottles, and working at the local library were spent on pizza, large barrel cured pickles, knishes, frankfurters, occasional ice cream sundaes like banana splits, and lunchtime sandwiches self-made from 1/4 pound of baloney and a long hard roll purchased from the deli next to my school; often could not afford a grape soda to go with the baloney sandwich.
I still fondly remember my foray, with my Aunt, to Lundy's where I was treated to little necks on the half shell and some of Burt and Harry's Piels draught beer.

 

[taxlady]

Rødgrød med fløde. It's a Danish dessert and translates to something like red pudding with cream. It's made from red fruits and thickened with potato flour. I love this stuff, but I have had a lot of trouble trying to make it as good as my mother's or that of other Danes. Even when it turns out pretty good, Stirling is completely unimpressed. "Rødgrød med fløde" is a tongue twister and very hard for anyone not raised in Danish to say:

Rødgrød Med Fløde - YouTube