Food, Cooking, Recipes

Did you have the chance as a kid to enjoy some really old-fashioned chicken dinner? Pity if you didn’t, because these chicken dinner will stay in my memory until my last days… It’s probably a strange thing to say, but when I went to my dad’s for the weekend, long before I went to live with him, one of the first things we got was a chicken dinner.

I don’t know what it was about this dinner, but it was always so good, and we could not wait until the next time we could have one. The restaurant that made them is long gone, and that is a huge shame. It was by far one of the best meals I had as a kid, and I could always count on it being the same each time I ordered it.

The chicken dinner we had came with two pieces of chicken, a bun, coleslaw (that we never ate) and a small portion of macaroni and cheese. My brother and I always asked for it the moment we came to Dad’s house, and many times he had already ordered it by the time we got there. He loved the chicken dinner as much as we did, and he waited until we were there for the weekend before he would get it for himself.
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There is such a variety in food nowadays that people don’t realize anymore what their parents and grandparents were eating. They didn’t have pizza bars around the corner, no exotic foods, no spicy delicious tastes… My husband and I are both from Belgian heritage.

As a result we both have similar tastes when it comes to decorating as well as the foods we like. We each grew up in a home where meat and potatoes were served at most meals. There were times when the potato recipes were substituted with dumplings; however my father had a passion for potatoes.

My father was a hard working farmer. He also had a full time job in a factory to supplement the family income. He always said that he worked to supplement his hobby of farming. He did not like fancy meals except when it came to potatoes.
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Picnic recipes always make me think about my grandma. I was still a kid when we were having those traditional summer picnic afternoons. Well, some things seem to have eternal youth…. My daughter and her husband were married 11 months ago. They both had significant debt when they got married. They are both working full time and are making good salaries, however they do not have extra cash on hand for entertainment. My daughter stopped over to ask if I had any suggestions of what they could do for their anniversary that would be fun, yet inexpensive.

I told her that one of the things that her father and I used to do when we were first married was to go on picnics. I have several picnic recipes that are fun and romantic. My daughter thought this was a great idea. They have several spots by area lakes, where they like to go for hikes. My daughter asked if I could share some of the picnic recipes with her, so she could make them a nice dinner.
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Also in the cooking world we can find collectible items today. Some people look for the right collection item and others start a collection through gifts or inheritance. The most popular collectible for years now is the cookie jar. You will find this cookie in most kitchens. There is such a wide selection to choose from, and the cookie jar makes an excellent hostess gift, especially around holiday time. Of course you can also offer the cookie jar as a traditional wedding shower gift.

The cookie jar dates back many years. There are several companies that have specialized in creating a new cookie jar each year for collectors. Many of these creations are of a limited number so the value increases rapidly through the years. An extensive collection of this type of cookie jar can be worth thousands of dollars.
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