Comfort Food

Last weekend we went out to my aunt's house for a visit and came home with a bounty of fresh vegetables: eggplant, yellow squash, cucumbers, green peppers, banana peppers, jalepenos, tomatoes and white squash. YUMMY! I was so excited to bring home my bounty to share and, of course, eat!

My kids eyed the white squash, unsure what to think of it, and watched as I sliced it, peppered it, coated it in cornmeal and drop it in the fryer! The sound made my mouth water - simply thinking of it this morning makes me hungry. (That and the fact that I haven't eaten breakfast! :) ) My dad came in the kitchen to check out the delicious aromas and asked if I had sliced enough, so out came one more squash!

When they were nice and golden, I took them out of the oil and the moment I felt I could handle the heat, I took a bite! WOW! Not only was it delicious, but it instantly took me back to the days when I was a little girl and my cousins and I would visit grandma's in the summer and we would eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and fried squash! Can't forget the buttermilk cornbread, you know the kind that is baked in a cast iron skillet that has been preheated with some oil, so that when you pour the batter in, it sizzles!! Man, I love that sound!!!

My kids ( well, Cameron and Chloe!) tried the squash and didn't have the same glorious smile cross their face. Theirs was more of a frown; an "Are you kidding me?" look of disgust. Jackson surmised that when they are older, perhaps they would enjoy eating squash and other varieties of vegetables, but today they would stick with the cucumbers - drenched in ranch dressing! - and good ol mac and cheese!

I think that perhaps not. Perhaps it is because my wonderful grandma introduced me to the delights of fried squash at her kitchen table with my sister and cousins around. I believe that comfort in the memory of being part of a happy, strong family makes me love fried squash so much. Even the ones I made last night, which were short on salt, were still perfect to me.