Hungry... Like the Wolf.

I think about food constantly.

If I'm not eating, I'm planning what I'll eat next. If I am eating, most of the time I'm savouring the flavours of what I am chewing and enjoying every minute of it. I sometimes think I enjoy food more than pretty much anything.. sex included. Which at this point in my life (i.e. relationship-less) it's a wonder I'm not tipping the scales at 300 lbs.

I spent 2 days last week eating nothing but cereal - Rice Krispies to be specific. I was feeling lazy since I had no one to cook for but myself... and went with convenience. Of course, whilst eating the cereal I was thinking of all the delicious things I COULD have made, but didn't. Yeah, I'm weird.

I think most peoples' love affair with food begins at an early age. I know mine did. My best food memories are those of my grandmother's cooking (sorry Mom)... Every year on my birthday, my grandmother would make me perogies and doughnuts. My grandmother made the most delicious doughnuts known to all humankind. Tim Horton's are giant blocks of wood or rock comparatively speaking. Krispy Kreme are flavourless hunks of deep fried crap compared to Grandma's. They were warm and light and delicious and covered in cinnamon and sugar. Honestly, I have a hard time eating doughnuts now. I've never been a fan since I have eaten the finest doughnuts ever made. Little pieces of heaven. She also made fabulous bread. Oh my. She and my grandfather had a bakery before my father was born and I guess she perfected her craft there.

Now, when most people think perogies, they think of those potato ones you get deep fried in bars and crap. Well.. those are not the Lithuanian perogies of my childhood. My grandmother would spend hours crafting (yes, I said CRAFTING) the finest perogies ever.. one batch potato with onion and cheese, the other batch ham. She would use a manual meat grinder to grind up the ham and make the delectable filling.. (stops typing to wipe drool). The perogies would then be boiled and served with melted butter. Delectable. I think this is my favourite food ever.

My cute little Irish-Scottish mother learned from her Lithuanian mother in law how to make the perogies and now it's a request for every birthday.. however the family has grown so large that it's tough to make as many perogies as is required .. it's an all day job. I know for fact as I, too, have learned how to make them from scratch (I haven't for a very long time though..). One of the first times I cooked perogies, I made them for my ex-husband's family at his parents house.. and it was a learning experience. My ex had extolled the virtues of the Lithuanian perogies and therefore there was much anticipation surrounding my dinner. Which was a huge and total flop.
I hadn't mastered the art of rolling the dough to the practically paper thin weight required.. and my delicious fillings were surrounded with tough, thick boiled dough that resembled cooked playdoh but lacking the flavour. *sigh* I have since learned the secrets and my perogies are pretty good.. not as good as Grandma's or Mom's.. but I don't have the years of practice... or the patience required for that matter.

I learned to cook at a very young age.. mostly by watching my mother and then experimenting myself. I remember showing a friend how to fry eggs and ham.. I was about 9.. and he marvelled at the fact that I could do that. At one point .. I was about maybe 12.. my aunts came to visit. I felt the need to make a lavish meal for them and insisted I cook. I vividly remember looking up all the fancy dishes that I had heard on tv and then made.. from scratch.. cheese souffle, asparagus with homemade hollandaise sauce, veal parmagiana and pasta. From what I recall, it was terrific. You thought there was going to be some hilarious story here, didn't you?

My sister and I went through a phase where we liked to bake and cook a lot.. specifically candy. We became expert brownie makers.. and learned how to cook things to the "soft ball" and "hard ball" stages. I think we spent an entire summer making fudge and penuche (a brown sugar fudge)... which probably explains why I don't often care for it now.. I ingested about 500 lbs of sugar that summer I'm sure. It's amazing we didn't become diabetic.

I don't think I actually have any foods I HATE.. when asked, I'll say cooked carrots, but I'll eat them.. growing up, I was not a huge fan of red meat as we seemed to eat roast every Sunday and I grew tired of it.. but it's all right now. I love brussell sprouts, broccoli, and all other green vegetables including spinach. I'll try anything.. not much I don't like as a result.

As a result of my love of food, I have become a pretty decent cook. Probably my best dishes are ones that I just have thrown together. I make a wicked Shrimp with Mango and Garlic.. I can make gnocchi from scratch... anything Italian I totally rock (apparently I was Italian in a past life).. and I make great bread. In fact, my father says I have inherited my grandmother's talent. And this I consider to be the best compliment ever..

I think I better go make something to eat.

Life: Things are in flux. I'll keep ya posted.
Love: I love food. It makes me happier than most other things.. LOL
Pants: I must not revert back to my candy making days otherwise they won't fit. Other then that.. going well.