When the day begins early you need a good breakfast — something with “staying power”
So in the pantry and fridge I began the day with Oatmeal and Orange juice.
What’s for later?
You’ll like it, Grandmother replied. I’m trying something new: fried Oysters with Oregano garnish.
My taste buds danced in anticipation. For as always at the table with such a meal, I’d find:
Olives of two different degrees of tart and Olive Oil to add sass to the salad.
I reached into Grandmother’s pantry and paused my hand over the noodles. Packaged?
“I gave up making my own — to difficult with age.”
Oh, but they were good. Rich with eggs, flavored with salt and the stiff dough rolled thin. I think they are my favorite “N” food. Let’s see…what else can we find for a meal. Oh, yes, we’ll garnish the Noodles with a few washed Nasturtium leaves. And we’ll dine on a handful of nuts to finish it off.
The photo? Neither Noodles nor Nuts — but…
Nutmegs ready for the grater. A little bit adds a lot of flavor and interest to many foods. My favorite meatball recipe includes a nice portion and pumpkin pie wouldn’t be complete without a dash.
Mmmm. What can I find in the kitchen today? I’m on the search for “M” foods.
Oh – look! There’s a Melon in the fridge. I’ll cook up some Mushrooms, flavor them with Mint and serve it up with a glass of Milk.
Need a sweet?
Make Mine Miniature Marshmallows!
Some of these added their unique texture and color to a fruit salad.
I walked into Grandmother’s pantry, paused and returned to the fridge. Inside I found the ingredients for a suitable meal.
Starting with a Kale and Lettuce salad, I put a Lamb chop on the grill. Planning was complete when I put the finishing touches on a Key Lime pie.
Are you expecting any of the above K and L foods in the photo? Sorry —
Kiwi and Lemon got plucked from the drawer for the photo opportunity.
Fresh fruit — sliced lemon flavored my water, making getting the daily allotment more pleasant.
Neighbors in the alphabet contain at least one pair with goes together.
Shall we work on a menu with these two under-used letters in cookbook indexes?
Ice — and all the words that follow come to mind for I. If you want to go ethnic you can put Italian, or Irish, or Indian in front of some main dishes. Or skip to the neighbor and fix Jambalaya. Yes, make mine spicy and I’ll sip Juice over Ice to cool off the tongue.
Quick dessert?
Ice cream and Jelly — a sweet finish to any lunch or dinner.
Hello, Grandma! What’s on your shelf today. Can we make a meal with the letter H?
Shall we start with Ham? Or does Haddock or Halibut suit your mood better? Can we add some Horseradish for tang? Shall we fix Hush puppies? We can wash it down with Hot chocolate.
Too much? Okay, I think I understand.
How about we fix breakfast — one fit for any time of day.
Hotcakes and Honey! Breakfast, lunch, or supper — a filling meal.
Opening the pantry door, I wondered what Grandmother waiting for me today.
Eat foods beginning with G, I muttered. Oh, look — ginger and garlic and everything “ground”.
We could roast a Goose and Glaze it with a Grape sauce. Shall we make Gumbo?
Or on the lighter side:
Guacamole and Garlic — go togethers. Add something crunchy and you have a great snack for a stay-at-home evening.
Today I opened Grandmother’s panty and found fine, fabulous items beginning with “F”.
Can I make a meal? Let’s see: Flour is a very basic ingredient for all sorts of baking or thickening sauces. A small jar of fennel seed will add a shot of flavor to many main dishes. We could add an adjective and make French toast or French bread. We can think broad category such as “Fruit” and drink “fruit juice” with our menu.
These humble looking models will soon find themselves in some muffins. Yum. Yum.
