Snowy April

 Well!  We woke up this morning to see snow!!!  Snow!!! Drifting down.  It continued until about noon, and then turned to a light drizzle.  The temperature barely cracked freezing, but at least the snow didn’t lie.  It’s gone, and only a chilly feeling remains.  Although photos on the news show that some areas had trees frosted with cotton and fluffy verges, but for us, it just looks damp.  Jerry didn’t like the chill, and was curled up on me, shivering — his coat is so short now that he feels every change in temperature.  My hands are also cold (that’s pretty normal) but it’s taking a while for us to warm up.  Apparently it’s supposed to warm up to 20C on the weekend, which would be comfortable, and hopefully I’ll have enough energy for a short walk.  I’m about due another “kidnapping” I’m told, which would be fun.  I got my 4th Covid shot today — second booster.  There’s a letter from the hospital for cancer / immune compromised patients which I received and it made me eligible; in conversation with the pharmacist, though, he said that he knows my condition well enough that he’d have vaccinated me even without the letter, but it’s better to dot all the “i’s”.  So all done.  Don will be eligible at the beginning of June, so we’ll continue our vigilance.  He’s again glued to baseball… I maintain that game is slower than cricket!

So I was going through my cookbook collection today.  Partly for nostalgia, partly for inspiration, partly just because I enjoy my books.  The one that I pulled out was A Century of British Cooking by Marguerite Patten.  She was the author of one of the earliest cookbooks that I remember.  It belongs to my aunt, and was published in the late 1950s.  Extravagantly for the period, it contains many colour plates of the recipes, and it’s the book from which I learnt to make a Victoria sponge and got ideas for “party” dishes that I tried out as lunch dishes for the family when it was my turn to cook when I was growing up.  I can’t find it again, but I did find 2 others for hers, and I really enjoy reading her work.  Anyway, in reading the Century, I’m finding all sorts of lovely tidbits.  She’s reviewing recipes going back to the 1900s, talking about how tastes have changed, and how food preparation and storage have evolved.  Many of her recipes were published during periods of rationing after WWII in the UK, so they make extensive use of substitutes and limited supplies, but her “normal” ones are delicious.  I think that because she worked so much with everyday housewives, even her elegant recipes are not overly complex and are delicious.  I love the smattering of regional and “homey” items that she includes.  That’s also similar to my Sylvia Hunt collection, which has a different, but special meaning.  Mrs.  Hunt was the Trinidadian Julia Child, and I have early memories of her TV programme when I was a small child.  Her books have some very old, very classic recipes that are largely unduplicated, although Wendy Rahamut runs a decent second place to her work making use of traditional ingredients that are otherwise becoming rare, exotic and specialist.  I’ve got all of Wendy’s books also.  I think that part of my fascination is seeing how meals have changed. I have also a compilation of Trinidadian recipes from a housewife from 1909, and (more historical than recipe-based) a collection of indigenous recipes of the Taino people including traditional methods of preparation.  (No.  I will make use of the lovely “labour saving” devices which crowd my tiny kitchen, and I won’t be hand-grinding anything!  Although I do have one friend who does all these things by hand; I admire her, enjoy her cooking, but am not planning to copy her technique 😘)  I need my niece’s permission to add another cookbook, so I’ll just be patient!

My appetite lags behind my enjoyment, unfortunately, but I’m not prevented from fantasizing elaborate meals or imagining making Claridge’s lobster Wellington or pretending to make some more elegant meals.    Or maybe planning an afternoon tea, or a little brunch or any other way of sharing food.  It’s either pathetic and sad, or a hopeful expression of sharing good times with friends.  This is, I think, a harmless way to enjoy myself and give myself a little nudge towards health, so I’ll dream happily and settle in to think of a few extravagant dishes that I can enjoy.  What are your favourite dishes?  Do you have a preferred cookbook?  (The Naparima Cookbook remains my “go to” before I dive into my otherwise extensive collection!) Good night all!