A Taste of Memory

Friday, October 31, 2025

I was grocery shopping the other day when a small glass jar caught my eye — gefilte fish. Just seeing it pulled me straight back into another time.

Years ago, when I lived in Kansas City, my eldest sister and her extended family hosted the big Jewish holiday meals. I joined them for Passover and Rosh Hashanah, learning about each celebration through its foods — matzos, sweet wine, and always, gefilte fish.

Those old gatherings were full of rhythm and ritual — the kinds that linger long after dessert. Although I hadn’t consciously thought about them in years, standing in that grocery aisle, staring at that jar, I felt old warmth suddenly stirring.

When I got home, I couldn’t wait. I opened the jar, spooned out a piece, bit into gelfilte fish — and in an instant, its taste carried me back to those Kansas City meals: tables set for family gatherings, the scents of brisket and simmering broth, the sounds of ritual stories retold.

This tasting struck me as extra-funny because I started wondering if I could make gefilte fish fit into my current diet, which doesn’t exactly follow that model. These days, I lean heavily toward Asian-inspired foods — ramen noodles, stir-fried vegetables, kimchee, tofu, and special sauces like miso and chili oils.

This isn’t the first time I’ve realized how deeply food memories root themselves. Experience has taught me that particular tastes may simply rest — until much later, when a single flavor recalls them and invites their return. Now again, one bite brings the past forward, rekindling memories of gatherings and essential connections that helped shape my life.

A little taste of something so humble — a small piece of fish — reunites my present self with the young person I was, and rekindles fondness for those who helped me grow into who I’ve become.

— Diana

Egg-zactly

Saturday, April 27, 2024

I love 30- to 60-second microwave meals made from scratch. This morning, a low-carb tortilla sprinkled with cheese turned into a cheesy melt breakfast delight in merely 30 seconds. Peaches, my Cockatoo, enjoyed a slice, too; he “hearts” anything with cheese.

My love affair with quick cooking started on a morning long ago. I was in a hurry and experimenting, so I microwaved a stirred egg for 45 seconds. To my surprise, it created a lovely little soufflé. After getting good at producing the basic cooked product, I played around by stirring simple ingredients into a raw egg, like bacon bits and a drop or two of cream. Those made my microwaved soufflés really pop.

All that happened because of my chickens. They lay bunches of beautiful eggs. After teaching myself to cook quickly, I began carrying a raw egg and a little cup to work and microwaved 45-second lunches. Coworkers became interested and learned the cooking process.

These days, after washing fresh eggs and setting them into one-dozen-size cartons, I refrigerate them. Periodically, I take eggs to work for coworkers. They contribute $2/dozen, which helps defray costs for bags of chicken feed. Happily for all, a fresh egg easily becomes a hot lunch.

Here are more quick microwaved-egg meals for protein-packed breakfasts or light lunches:

Mug Scramble: Whisk an egg in a mug with a splash of milk, chopped veggies (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes), and a sprinkle of cheese. Microwave for 45-60 seconds, stirring halfway.

Spicy Edamame: Toss frozen edamame into a microwave-safe bowl with a stirred egg, drizzle of olive oil, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt. For a hot and spicy snack, microwave for 30-45 seconds, stirring occasionally.

Mini Quiche: Prepare a small portion of pre-made pie crust dough and press it into a microwave-safe mug or ramekin. Fill with a beaten egg, shredded cheese, and chopped ham or bacon. Microwave for 45-60 seconds or until the egg is set.

Dear Friends: I am transformed into an egg guru, to my great surprise. Diana

Crackin’ Peachy

Monday, April 15, 2024

The header photo is an old selfie; it popped up and surprised me. I took it many years ago while driving to Sister’s, slowly, in heavy traffic. It was opening day for the Sister’s Quilt Show, an impressive annual event. Crackers, a Moluccan cockatoo, was on my shoulder. She was my buddy/visitor through that summer and we went everywhere together.

Crackers, a very affectionate bird, always dependably stayed on my shoulder. She had a huge vocabulary; we talked lots. I adored her–didn’t realize how much until after she was home again with her first family.

She’s why later I adopted Peaches, my Citron cockatoo.

Here’s Peaches, exploring a recent challenge.

Peaches’ personality is huge, like Crackers’, and he, too, has a large vocabulary. However, he often speaks less clearly than she–characteristics of their breed types. He loves being with me. One of my favorite things about Peaches is that he sings and creates humanlike melodies. We sing together, communicating that way is lovely.

Dear Friends: Yes, I’m a bird person, all because of my summer with Crackers. Diana

Holiday Fuss

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Happy Easter.

My cooking method involves using an InstaPot or an air fryer, but today, I plan to oven-roast a chicken. This is no big deal to most, but it is to me. Years ago, I grasped the ease and speed of cooking with alternate equipment and rededicated my oven, making it a storage space for little-used pots.

Today, I am home and have a fat chicken in my refrigerator. After spending time considering the options for that bird, I decided to just go ahead and cook it the “old way.” I’m a little short on memory, so visited YouTube University. A refresher course reminded me of beer-can chicken and that in my refrigerator is a can of beer.

My hatched plan starts by clearing the oven of unused, neglected skillets and pots and placing them out of the way temporarily. It feels a bit scary, wondering if my beer can chicken will turn out really good and make me reconsider doing oven cooking instead of using my quickie appliances.

You see, I’ve found that not much cooked with quickie appliances really satisfies. I’ve accepted that because, importantly, quickies cook rapidly with minimal effort. However, I often consider the tastes and textures inferior and recall them as more satisfying with variable temperatures and longer oven times.

As usual, I’m making a mountain out of a molehill. I hope my beer-can oven-cooked chicken looks and tastes special as a fine holiday meal. I also hope the chicken is only slightly better than my quickies would produce. That would satisfy; I’d happily return the old skillets and pots to my oven, call it a day, and continue the faster and easier quickie cooking.

Dear Friends: Best wishes to all for whom Easter is a special holiday. Diana