Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

Ahhh, food. One of my favorite topics. I live to eat and I eat to live. Comfort food, health food, leftovers, gourmet menus, international cuisine, a la carte and fixed price…I love it all.

And when did this love of food begin? My birthday. It was the one day each year when I could decide what the family would eat for dinner. And what did I choose? Lasagne and cheesecake. Every year.

So many more foods are a recipe for nostalgia. My Grandma Fyfe’s chocolate chip cookies in a coffee tin make me feel as though nothing could be wrong with the world, just like they did back then. Ice cream sundaes channel tv time with my dad. Eggplant Parms remind me of my hardworking mom, because that’s what my dad and I shared when we visited the restaurant during her shift. Macintosh apples and cheddar slices were shared after we picked a bushel in the fall. Chinese and champagne ring in the New Year. NY Deli bagels and chicken cutlet sandwiches are enough to persuade me to move back north. Late night microwaveable mac and cheese was always shared with my sister after a night on the town. Now she makes homemade, but she and I will always remember our roots. Shrimp cocktail, olives, and ham crisps usher in every holiday gathering. Peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and fluff, peanut butter and pickles… all labeled with my initials on a piece of masking tape that I’d shove in my backpack on the way to catch the school bus. My Uncle’s pea pancake surprises, my Aunt’s fruit Jell-O “delight,” my friend’s mom’s peanut butter fudge…

Well, I think it’s safe to say that if I ever run out of ideas for my blog about childhood, I’ve found my next theme!