Margaret Pilgrim

I'm on the next plane.

Possibly some direction here.

I have been asked to create a binder of favorite and doable recipes for a 9 year old grandson. I'm going to include his favorite cheese sauce, Velveeta melted in milk to dunking consistency. Well, may as well be honest!

I'm reminded of French hosts who told of visiting an American family. They were there for several days when their American host mentioned that they, the French, would probably enjoy some wine with dinner. "Well, yes, that would be lovely!" So they went to the state liquor store and found a bottle of wine. Outside, the wife said, "We should have some cheese with this wine." "How thoughtful of you!" So they went into a supermarket and asked their French friends, "What color do you prefer, yellow or blue?" The French people didn't understand, so it was explained, "Yellow can or blue can?" Ah. "Spray cheese,"

I have been wondering how many people are thinking of stale saltines, which are, granted, a horrid thing. While fresh, first out of the tube, are a totally different animal.

My Mame-like aunt used to amuse 5 year old me with a snack of several soda crackers on a saucer, topped with a spoon of canned milk and boiling water, sprinkle of sugar. She gave it some fanciful name and I thought it was wonderful. I'd go home and tell my mother who would shake her head in disgust. But I remember these "treats" as delicious to this day.

Salt in my wound, my friend. Because we enjoyed them so much and I found them so useful in constructing "what's to eat when there's nothing to eat" dinners, I picked up few to feed the freezer every time I came across them. Then a week or so ago, dh announces that he's "getting kinda tired of dishes based on hot sausages." Okay. It'll take a couple of months to begin with them again.

Townsend's creamed spinach was a downtown SF ladies' lunch favorite. My roommate and I used to meet maybe once a month over this ultimate comfort bowl. This recipe says "chop" but I remember it as a velvety puree.

Lovely! Nice amount of black pepper. I'd have plopped the eggs on top of the bok choy, but I guess it all gets there eventually.

Thanks for this, b_d. These names from the past bring back many memories as well as moist eyes as I realize how many are no longer with us.

You've been watching! My favorites were oyster crackers, kinda mini-saltines. Grab a handful and drop them into soup. Instant dumplings.

Here, BK seems to advertise once a month in those mailed flyers. Also Subway, but less frequently -> $3.99 6" sub. Subway is a good "have it your way" sandwich but is huge, and one every month or so is enough. My subway order: Italian deli meat (pepperoni, salami and ham) on fresh whole grain sub, pepper jack cheese, toasted, then added lettuce, tomato, red onion, large handful of jalapeno and dill pickle chips, mayo, chipotle mayo. DH's is much more refined.

I grew up o Roman Meal. Very difficult to trade sandwiches at lunch in grade school.

Red Cholula was my constant travel companion for a decade. It makes any airline meal palatable. For me, at least.

I recall some years ago (15?) that hot sauces/salsas collectively had outsold catsup in the US.

I have never heard of this preference. My dh does often request garlic bread when we're having something something that sops.

Thanks, @rotuts. We often/usually have fast food or taco truck lunches en route to and from the country. We have found that at fast food places, splitting a sandwich and fries, with a drink for dh, is correct for us. Our two favorites are Carl's Jr. Santa Fe chicken, which is grilled, not fried, or Burger King's Big Fish, a large fried fish fillet with lettuce, cheese and tartar sauce. I can't get my arms around the pricing on published lists since our tab at either place hovers between $12 and $13, for one sandwich on the meal deal (I.e., plus fries and huge drink). We don't quibble since these serve us well as junk splurges, but it is puzzling. We do periodically play the system by using coupons for a 2 for meal. Like 2 Jr. Whoppers + 2 medium fries for $5.49. Woohoo! Such a deal!

Anna, you say you beat the egg, but then it is fried like beginning an omelet? Looks quite okay in your photo.

Word.

While Maite is very funny, one needn't understand French to get the gist of and to howl at this. I would never argue with her. What ever she says, GOES with me!

An all time favorite of mine.

This is one of those things dh dropped into the shopping cart while my back was turned. Oh, well...okay. In the country. Spaghetti night. He decides to bake up his purchase. Smells good. Tastes surprisingly good. We wound up turning off the boiling water, refrigerating spaghetti sauce and having these and salad for a very satisfying supper. Would buy again.

I have understood your quest but have paid more attention to external and internal textures than to regularity of external color. I.e., I condone white butt.

A bag in the freezer = instant happy lunch!

Curing is exactly what you write. There is a very precise curing procedure that, as I recall, required several heatings over time. No maximum firing. It took a week or so before oven could be used for pizza. And one should also note that building an oven can nickel and dime you to death. We bought an Italian masonry kit at no small price, and still had to provide cement block base, a cement base on top of that, chimney, roof, etc. We could have bought a half dozen upper end Oonis for the final amount we were in.