Foods From The Past

Today one of the blogs I follow mentioned a food I haven't heard of in many years. Remember the egg in a basket? My grandma and mom made these for my little brother growing up. In case you've never heard of it, it's basically a cute fusion of an egg with toast. To be honest, I don't think my mom ever made this for me since I've always been a scrambled egg fan. They're really cool now that I think about it. Since I don't have any kids, I may need to make one for my husband -- he calls me the breakfast chef.

Remember days when you had a tummy ache and Mom would make you something bland? The famous food for the sick, both at our house and at Grandma's, was Pastina. Maybe because we're Italian??? After I had my gall bladder removed, doctors said I could basically eat anything, as long as it wasn't fried. I didn't believe them, so I stuck to a bland diet for the first month. What was the first thing on my shopping list? Pastina of course. Make some and I promise you'll feel like you're three years old again. 


When I was five, my mom would make these awesome sandwiches that looked like happy faces. She would use olives or carrots as eyes and maybe a celery nose and half of a tomato slice for a mouth. Grandma would make us peanut butter and banana sandwiches. I made one the other day. It's not as tasty on whole grain wheat. Prior to the '90s, all of our sandwiches were served on white bread When it came to a standard sandwich, I preferred them cut diagonally or in quarters. Sometimes I still do this.

Today while baking my final batch of Christmas cookies, I realized that I didn't make any of my family's old recipes. Honestly, I don't think I've ever liked the old family cookies very much. I'm not a fan of cookies with nuts, peanut butter cookies or those buttery spritz cookies squeezed from a special cookie gun. I noticed cookie guns are a very popular item on most wedding registries. Instead, this week I made boring Toll House chocolate chips (recipe taken right from the bag). Sugar Cookies ala Martha Stewart and Gingerbread cookies (recipe taken from the McCormick website -- they made my ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Another popular Christmas dessert my family loves is called Struffoli - they're honey balls. I can't stand them! They're sticky and just like these little little puffs of dry pastry. I think they're totally gross and it has nothing to do with who made them. I've tried them at various holiday gatherings. I just don't think they're very tasty. As with most menu items, they're a hit with everyone, but me.


Every Easter, my grandma would make several weird pies or breads. Another Italian specialty. One was a meat pie filled with bits of salami and other meats I don't particularly like. Obviously a favorite of everyone's. Grandma would dole out slices to my relatives. I passed on these funky pies. I'm so not a good Italian. Even looking at photos makes me feel a little ill. The other pie wasn't as bad, I think it was called spaghetti pie or spaghetti bread. It was basically spaghetti, egg, cheese and flour - it wasn't that bad, but I always thought it was a bit weird. The family loved it!

Do you remember any weird dishes your family looked forward to every holiday? Are there any foods you loved as a child that you don't really eat much of today? As I write this, I'm craving an egg in a basket! Not a fan of soft yoke, I will have to fry it well. I'm sooo totally making this next time I make us breakfast!