mmmMemories

This trip down food memory lane began with a muffaletta sandwich on a Saturday cooking show.  I used to make a muffaletta when we'd take the Kids on a picnic.  It was easier to make one big sandwich on a loaf of round crusty bread stuffed with all kinds of Italian meats and cheeses, dressed with a tangy olive tapenade than enough single sandwiches (10-12) for a family of six good eaters.

My then sister-in-law was a big influence on my learning and love of cooking.  We took turns hosting an annual grownups-only family dinner party, one trying to outdo the other.  One year I went Greek, even making dolmas (lamb and rice stuffed grape leaves) with leaves from my own vines.  I served avgolemono (lemon and egg soup), moussaka (eggplant, meat, cheeses, and two kinds of sauce, baked), and baklava (crisp filo, walnuts, and honey) for dessert.

I learned how to make croquembouche, a French tower of tiny cream puffs drizzled with honey.  I learned how to make authentic Mexican tamales.  I made blintzes by the dozens, and knishes.  I cooked Italian and German.  I made Japanese gyoza and sukiyaki.  I just loved to cook.

I would take at least three cookbooks at a time from the library and read them like novels.  Even now, I have a bookcase full of cookbooks, but, alas, now they just gather dust.  Good memories.

Dinner last night was frozen potstickers.  Sigh.