When any of the Hagbergs return from travels anywhere, whether to a foreign land, a weekend in the Wine Country or just to visit friends, the first question out of the collective family mouth is not, "How was the weather?", "How are the Jones-Johnsons?"or "Did you get to see the pyramids?" and the like, but "What did you have to eat?" Now, we are not a family of overweight foodies. In fact, weight has never been a problem among us and sports and exercise are routine. But we love food. We love to cook it and eat it and talk about it. We exchange recipes like other people swap the latest gossip. We listen wide-eyed to descriptions of meals in famous or obscure restaurants, we fondly remember landmark feasts: a REAL clambake with lobsters, clams, corn on the cob, at the home of friends in Maine, a hot turkey sandwich at a San Francisco restaurant, Ulla's strömming, stuffed with dill, a catfish fry at a cousin's home in Montana, a roasted..........but I digress. We discuss what was served at each other's homes. Even the Head of the Household was addicted to the cooking shows on TV: Jacques Pepin, The Frugal Cook( what was his name?), Yan Can Cook, Julia Childs. All my kids are good cooks. Lisa is the most focused and innovative. She follows the latest trends (kale: who knew?) and adapts and experiments. Dave is the BBQ king, fearless with the use of spices in his formidable collection. Erika is a seat-of-the-pants, hmm, let's-see-what's-in-the-pantry cook, and it is always delicious. In waiting rooms, when I have forgotten to bring my knitting or the book I am reading, I grab the "women's" magazines and head straight for the back where the recipes are. No People's Magazine for me!
Most everybody I know enjoys good food, of course, but the only other person I can think of who really might share our family obsession with it is a lovely little friend whose initials are D.S.W. A true kindred spirit. And a fabulous cook, as well.
Bon appètit!
what makes DSW an honorary Hagberg in the kitchen is not only her cooking skills, but her humorous attitude towards it all....
ReplyDeleteI fondly remember a landmark feast on the patio of your home. It featured crawfish and was the first time that I had them. I think it was also the first of what was to become many memorable feasts with your family. I have so many food memories associated with you, Jeannie: your cheesecake - divine; your sister Iris' delicious recipe for sugar cookies. I still have the recipe card Erika wrote out for me and I was intrigued that it called for lard; glogg and skol - enough said; saving the butter wrapper for greasing baking pans - why did my mother not teach me this trick?? I still save all my butter wrappers and every time I tuck one away I think of you; and the one that has grown into a 10 binder obsession - storing my clipped and saved recipes in binders. I could go on but I hope you get the general idea. You and your family have made major contributions to my love of good food and cooking.
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