Day 7: What dish transports you to a different place and time in your life?

Today, I decided to take a clue from my Blogher writing prompts.   The reason is even though I had sign up to write the prompts for almost two years now, I have not written a BlogHer prompt in 2 months.

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Everyone has a dish they really love.  It does not matter if it is a hearty soup, sweets, or a savory dish, there is a dish for everyone.

I do not have a particular dish that transports me to a different time in my life, I have several dishes, so rather than giving you my one dish, I am going to give you several dishes.

·         Sweet potato pie:  Sorry Ms. Patti Labelle, but I have to go with my mom’s Sweet potato pie to sing the praise of.  I did not feed into the hype of that You Tube Video, because I was not going money for something I can get for free.  Yes, the pie is good for those who do not have a loved one to bake one for them, and actually my Aunt Liz bakes a good sweet potato pie as well.  The Sweet potato pie recipe was handed down from my grandmother.

·         Grits:  OK, so it is Hominy Grits, and there is nothing special about this corn item, except when I was a little girl, that was how my mom disguised my eggs in.  She mixed my scrambled eggs in the grits (of course after they were cooked).  I ate them that way, and I still do.  Another favorite way is Shrimp and Grits.

·         Seafood:  Speaking of shrimp, I am a big seafood lover (different from See Food).  I have eaten my fill of seafood, even gone as far as trying sushi, and loving it.  I get my love for seafood from my father (except he does not like sushi)

·         Pork products:  In addition to your traditional pork products (pork chops, honey baked ham, ribs), I also like Chitterlings and pig’s feet, another love that me and my father share.  However, this is every once in a while delicacy, since being told that I have High Blood Pressure in 2004.  As of 2016, it will be less than that because I am headed towards a cleaner eating lifestyle, and pork is not on the menu.  (neither is beef, but I am not cutting that out yet) I am not upset about it, and I have one cousin who has stopped already eating it.

·         Mac and Cheese:  OK, out of all of this, I love this dish, both the way mom makes it (custard style) and the way I make it (sauce style, no yellow powder).  My mom makes her by boiling the mac, and layering mac, then the cheese (she uses a cheddar/sharp blend) like you make lasagna.  She mixes the milk and egg into a custard base, and then she pours that mixture on top and bake it at 350° for about 30 -45 mins.   My version is made like the box mac and cheese, except no yellow powder.  I either make a béchamel sauce (basic white sauce) and add 3-6 different kinds of cheese in it and pour it over the boiled mac before baking it, or I just take Con Queso sauce, heat it, and add the 3-6 cheeses and let them melt the sauce.  In either case, I top it with more cheese so it can brown on the top before baking it at 350° for 45 mins for a huge pan, less for a smaller pan.  This is so that the mac can mingle with the cheese sauce and the cheese on top can brown a little.

·         Chocolate:  This is my go-to

dessert.  Nothing says dessert like chocolate, even though I have ventured out with other flavors.

Well that is it for now.  I also like to try international foods, but that is another subject for a different day.  It is the end of day 7, so make it a good night, and I will see you tomorrow.