When we were coming home from our trip on Easter Sunday I had such a taste for real food…food from my own kitchen. Though I love to go out to eat, I get so tired of ‘the going out to eat thing’ when we’re on a trip. I think it is pretty much all about how I was raised.
Do you know that I actually remember when McDonald’s came to town? Ray Crock’s first Golden Arches was in a neighboring town, DesPlaines and then the Golden Arches came to the All American City….Niles! We had to save our own pennies to buy fries on the way home from the swimming pool in the summertime. Our parents never took us out to eat. We went camping in the summers…but we didn’t go out when we traveled, maybe an occasional Dog ‘n Suds. We always had delectable pb and j sandwiches at the wayside parks and my mom made grilled cheese on the Coleman stove at our site. We drank Tang and had popcorn and blackened marshmallows around the fire at night, now doesn’t that sound yummy? That was totally the routine in the ’60s and ’70s…oh of course, we also had girl scout thin mints to munch in March.
It was a different world when my kids were young; I think because many of us were frazzled working mothers. I frequented Olive Garden with Jeff in preschool. I taught half-time and we would seriously, go exercise, eat soup and salad, and then take a snooze… every day, or so it seemed. When Em started playing sports, after every meet or game I needed a stack of tens to get me through the week because the girls needed their after game ‘queso’ at Chiles. Yikes, when I think about it, I raised a bunch of fast food junkies!
Thank goodness, Shauna came along. Her short stories about living life inspire me to get out the spices, my food processor and give it a whirl. I turned on my music today and quickly created this healthy/dessert/breakfast food…one word…yummy.
ingredients: 1 c oatmeal, 4 cups of berries (I used raspberries, blueberries and blackberries), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 olive oil, 1/4 maple syrup,1/2 c almond meal (crushed small bag in processor), 1 c pecans (crushed or halved) 350 degrees for 40 minutes
Berries down first, crisp next….
Serve with yogurt for even breakfast…or for those who turn their noses up at ‘healthy’ …. ice cream for dessert.
It was so satisfying to make and to eat after a week eating out. Making food for loved ones is Shauna’s passion in life, that and her writing, of course.
Get her new book: Bread and Wine, it is inspiring! PS I love the recipes, but her thought-provoking stories will leave you very well fed.
PS Shauna Niequist’s new book is coming out soon…April 9. This book will be very interesting to those of you who are rearing or think about rearing young children…but also to the almost retired and retired among us.
I wrote another slice about this book in March; not too many of you saw it because I accidentally posted with the wrong date, In that post I included a snippet of her writing- just for a bit of flavor.
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That recipe sounds delicious! I must check out this book.
I know the feeling of wanting to cook after being away, too. If only someone would entertain my daughter while I cooked!
There is something satisfying about creating – cooking is just another form of creation.
Mmmmmm… It looks scrummy!
Wish I was there to share a bite. Love the berries with crunch! There is something satisfying about creating and cooking after being away, but I love the time away from the kitchen too.
That sounds like a recipe I need to make!
I’ll have to try out this recipe – it looks delicious – and the book too. Thanks for sharing. I don’t remember when McDonald’s came to our town in Central IL, but we didn’t go out much when I was growing up. When raising our family, we too hit the fast food joints, but mostly ate at home.
This looks delicious. There is something so satisfying about creating something good for you that is delicious too. Thanks for the book recommendation also.
Looks so delicious.
Yum, I will give this a try. I went back and read your slice about the book. I will have to look for that, too. A treasure trove of possibilities from you today. Thanks! 🙂
I remember that we rarely went out to eat in my growing up, too. One set of grandparents took me to a movie & out each Sunday night, a special time with them. But when we moved away, no more of that! I know what you mean about traveling, though. There are times when we’ve gotten home & I’ve quickly fixed mashed potatoes with some meat or other. We seemed to crave the home-cooked food. Fun slice!