Foodie Friday -- "The Last Supper"

I've been packing and organzing for hours, I totally lost track of time.  Before I knew it, Friday had passed me by!  Pardon my tardiness.

Well folks, tonight was my last night in town.  And, subsequently, my last home cooked meal by dear old dad.  Breaking from tradition, my father has always been the cook and baker in the family.  My parents were never trying to "make a statement."  Rather, my mom's culinary talents include hard boiled eggs, sandwiches, and hot dogs . . . which got old shortly after they were married.  My dad is a whiz in the kitchen.  It's probably genetic, as his mother (may she rest in peace) was an amazing cook in her day. 

I always miss my dad's cooking when I'm away.  I longed for his homemade spaghetti bolognese when I was far away at college and dreamt about his famous potato salad.  As I digest my last dad-cooked meal for a while, I am beginning to miss it already!

Sometimes my dad and I would cook or bake together, like for school projects or holidays.  Here's a few of my most happy cooking-related memories of my dad and I together:

1.  FLAN.  In the 6th or 7th grade I had a Spanish class project to make a Latin American dish to share with the class.  I don't remember who came up with the idea, but we decided on flan. 

Get in my belly!

We could have taken the easy route and get the already made stuff or a mix, but OH NO, we made that treat from scratch.  I even remember caramelizing the sugar in the pan for an authentic taste.  It was a new adventure for both of us and I was very proud of the final result.  Needless to say, my classmates polished off my pan.

2. Christmas Cookies.  Okay technically I'm Jewish but my dad's family are not so we have gotten into the habit of celebrating Christmas.  I love that we do both traditions.  Mostly I am just a fan of "Christmas spirit," an excuse to eat my body weight in holiday treats, Christmas trees, and Santa.  Anyways, most years I didin't bother with making Christmas cookies because my cousin tends to make a delicious batch for the family.  But a year or two ago, I was particularly poor and decided I would bake and decorate cookies for friends and family as gifts.  I really went all-out, I even got cookie press to make cute and festive shapes.  I spent a small fortune on icing and sprinkles.  I was ready. 

This is a weapon of mass cookie construction

Mid-decoration, my dad came downstairs to check on my progress and joined right in.  I was very impressed with his artistic skills with the red and green icing.  We were both quiet, deep in concentration, but bonded over the fun holiday activity.  I almost felt like a kid again.

3. Sundays with grandpa.  Since my grandma passed away two years ago, we've started a semi-tradition of eating dinner with my grandpa on Sundays at his apartment.  My grandma (his wife) usually prepared his meals when they didn't eat in the community cafeteria, so we knew when she passed away he could use the company and the meal.  Sometimes we brought pizza or took him out somewhere but my favorites were the times dad would make his yummy meatloaf and potatoes and we would bring it over.  The whole car ride over, all I could smell was the oven-fresh loaf that I would soon devour.  Both the meal and the time together was delicious.

Sometimes food is just food.  Like when you scarf down your lunch at your desk on a busy day or hit the McDonald's in the wee hours after a late night out.  But sometimes food is a memory, it's an expression of love, it's the catalyst for bringing loved ones together.  I hope that when my parents come to visit us in August that I can repay the favor by making a home cooked meal for my parents and we can catch up at the dinner table.  

What's your favorite home-cooked meal?

So TOMORROW I am off to England!  EEEKKKK!!  Can it be??  Is it really here??  It still seems surreal even though my bags are in the hallway (bursting at the seams, I might add).  Too many emotions and thoughts running through my head to list here, but I'll be sure to write a post once I've slept off the jet lag and unpacked my underoos.

Wish me luck!

A