My Family
Gran & Her Sisters
Gran: The only food I liked more than Camp Food was my grandmother’s, particularly Friday night Shabbat dinner and Sunday brunch. Homemade chicken noodle soup with pearls of chicken fat and thick chunks of carrots floating on top. Brisket with crispy ends, the middle so tender, no knife required. Crunchy iceberg lettuce smothered in Gran’s homemade Russian dressing – a secret combination of mayo, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish. Sara Lee banana cake.Read More
Max & Becca
Max: When I met Max he was a lanky, at 6’2”, 145-pound doctoral student, his stomach so concave his torso resembled a giant comma. On our first dinner date, at an Italian restaurant, we ordered pizza: half plain cheese (him), half pepperoni (me). He was the first guy who bought me wine with dinner, a bottle of Mateus. (I was 20-years old). Afterwards, I called my mother and asked, “do you think I can be in love with a man who doesn’t like to eat?”Read More
The Early Years: Twinkies, Hot Dogs & Fried Chicken
I grew up in Pikesville, a suburb of Baltimore, in the 1960s. My mother wasn’t much interested in cooking, and my father wasn’t interested in eating much beyond Twizzlers, ice cream, and Milk Duds. A typical weekday meal was broiled chicken, flaccid green beans out of a can, and an occasional baked potato with margarine. My favorite foods were Hostess Twinkies, broiled Hebrew National hot dogs wrapped in a slice of pan-fried bologna, coddies, and salami sandwiches on mustard-smeared Wonder bread. Read More