# What food means "love" to you?



## Hollen

This morning, my ten year old sweetly requested that I make chicken noodle soup tomorrow. Now, my soup starts with a chicken, onion, carrots, celery and herbs, and takes all day long. I make bone broth, strain it, shred chicken, sautéed the veggies, etc. Because it is so labor- intensive, it is usually reserved for days when someone is sick (because we believe wholeheartedly in the ancient remedy of chicken soup!). So when I asked if he felt okay, he said he was fine, but that if I only make him soup when he's sick I'm basically forcing him to lick doorknobs, pick his nose, and otherwise engage in disgusting germy behavior in the hopes of getting sick so he can have soup :scare:. Needless to say, a chicken is thawing in our fridge right now.

I think this food represents love for Alex because it is an ordeal to make, and it is used to nurture and heal during times of stress.

What food represents love to you? Is it an old family recipe, or something new that has taken on special meaning? When do you make it (or have it made for you, you lucky bird)? And most importantly... Will you make me some?:lol:


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## RavensGryf

Hollen said:


> So when I asked if he felt okay, he said he was fine, but that if I only make him soup when he's sick I'm basically forcing him to lick doorknobs, pick his nose, and otherwise engage in disgusting germy behavior in the hopes of getting sick so he can have soup :scare:.


Lol :laughing2: I think you better get used to making your delicious sounding chicken soup more often Leslie... Licking doorknobs is not good :laughing:

My mom would buy me Reese's Peanut Butter Cups every year for Christmas. My favorite candy. I don't eat candy often, but it's a nice feeling to know she remembers my favorite .


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## Greyjoy

For St Patrick's day I make a Guinness stew. It's a recipe that I have been tweaking & perfecting over the years. It takes all day so I really only make it for the holiday but it does double duty as we celebrate my Mom's birthday on St Patrick's day as well.


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## FaeryBee

*My goodness, Alex is certainly clever to have come up with that reasoning! :scare:

It sounds as though your Chicken Noodle Soup and mine are made basically the same way 

Do you also make homemade egg noodles to go in it?


At this time in my life, the food that most represents "love" to me would be Indiana Persimmon Pudding. 
This is a dessert I grew up with in Indiana and it was a very special treat at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It takes a lot of persimmons to get the pulp needed for a pudding as each little persimmon has several rather large seeds in it. 
The persimmons have to be washed, stemmed and then run through a colander using a pestle to squish all the pulp down through the little holes. :

Unfortunately, living in Virginia I went many years with no pudding. :hurt: 
I couldn't find any proper persimmon trees here to harvest persimmons which ripen in the fall. 

Indiana Persimmons




About three years ago, my sister was visiting and I decided to see if I could find anywhere (in Indiana) that sells and ships persimmon pulp.
(I don't know WHY that never occurred to me prior to then! :hammer

Success! :jumping: We now are able to order the persimmon pulp needed for making the puddings. 

To make up for all the lost years, in addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas, we also have a pudding on my changeling day and my sister's birthday. 
Of course I ensure there is some extra in the freezer just in case I can't wait for one of those special events!

Exquisitely delicious Persimmon Pudding!


YUM!!*


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## Hollen

Oh drool! The only one of these I've ever even tried are Reese's cups (which are indeed delicious!). Guinness stew sounds divine! I love the warm cozy feeling soups and stews give me

Deb, Alex is allergic to wheat, so I use special spelt noodles. I want to try making pasta, though! I have never tasted a persimmon, much less persimmon pudding! I must know more! It looks kind of like a bread pudding, which I LOVE. Well, you all must send me your addresses so I know where to be on St. Patrick's Day and Thanksgiving:driving:


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## Greyjoy

You all would be more than welcome, Pirate attire is required lol
I'm seriously sitting here eating a hot pocket reading this thread & imagining a talkbudgies potluck.


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## Hollen

Kristina, we usually wear pirate attire, so we'd fit right in :lol:. I want to have a TalkBudgies potluck! I'll bring homemade chicken soup and millet, you bring Guiness stew and greens, Deb will bring persimmon pudding and pellets... Wait, the budgies are invited too, right? Julie, we will need a LOT of Reese's cups:clap:

Who else is in?


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## FaeryBee

*Leslie,

Since you're in GA and Kristina is in MA I think I'm about 1/2 way between you both so you'd better plan on the pot-luck taking place here with me in Virginia.

Let's plan it for September 22nd, to celebrate the equinox/first day of Autumn!*


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## Hollen

Perfect! We will be there! Instead of a kid's table, we'll need a tiny little bird's table. Also, I think pirate dress should be optional for the birds. Eyepatches will have a very different impact on creatures without binocular vision, you know...

I can't think of a better way to celebrate:cheers:


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## mexicoandice

Ha ha! I was actually imagining something similar just the other day; I was wondering what it would be like if every single currently active member attended a HUGE gathering somewhere! Lol. 

Back to the original subject, I think the food that represents love to me is... Hmm... this is hard. Probably warm cinnamon buns. My mom used to make these every Sunday morning before church. We were never aloud to change into our sunday clothes before breakfast for fear of getting icing all over ourselves!:laughing: Yummmm... now I want cinnamon buns.


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## RavensGryf

Sure thing Leslie... Reese's coming :driving: I'm driving from California so I might be a bit late .


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## aluz

There was this pastry cake we used to buy on occasion at the local bakery and it was one of my favourites. 
The person who used to bake them retired and they stopped making that cake.
Almost 20 years later, they decide to bring it back and the moment my father sees it he gets one for me. 
I was very pleasantly surprised and touched by his thoughtful gesture.

This is the "flying saucer" cake, it has a few layers of puff pastry, sweet egg filling cream and tiny bits of sprinkled coconut, the thing on the top is some kind of hardened sugar:


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## Jo Ann

*What*

My favorite was when we celebrated my birthday and my fathers in February.
My Mon Made from scratch an angel food cake with cream cheese cherry icing.
It was all pink with tiny pieces of red cherries in the icing. This is my best memory. We also had chicken soup and dressing made from scratch during the Holidays , Blessings,:Love birds: Jo Ann :Love birds:


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## immorgan

My mom hates cooking, and my dad has always been the chef of the family. But whenever I'm sad she always makes me peanut butter marshmallow toast  
It's really easy to make, but its more special when she makes it because she never cooks. Toast a piece of bread (or a few ) put peanut butter on it, stack it up with mini marshmallows and set it in the oven for a couple minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown.  my comfort food!


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## Hollen

Oh man. We just ate my chicken soup, and now I want dessert! Cinnamon rolls, pastries with sugar and coconut, angel food cake with frosting, marshmallow toast... Yum yum yum.

It's funny- Alex's love food is chicken soup, but like you, Morgan, my mom didn't really cook. My favorite food memories are from my dad. We didn't have much growing up, but we were a close family. I remember when I was 8 or so, my dad took me on a long road trip to visit family. One morning we had to eat breakfast from a gas station where we stopped to fill the car. He told me to pick the healthiest thing. I was mystified. What on earth could I get from a gas station for breakfast that is healthy? He took my little hand and led me to the answer... Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies! :laughing: It made perfect sense to my 8 year old brain- they have oatmeal! Oatmeal is a healthy breakfast option! To this day, I love them, and I justify the rare occasion that I eat one by reminding myself that they are the healthiest thing in many gas stations:lol:

I love reading these memories- I can picture that homemade angel food cake, sticky little cinnamon bun hands on Sunday's, the sweet efforts to bring a favorite cake or make toast. I can just feel the love!

Julie, I think you should get our pot luck Reese's on the East Coast. They might melt in the car otherwise!


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## RavensGryf

That makes sense Leslie . Since I have to buy the Reese's at a store anyway, I'll drive out there, and pick them up at a grocery store in Virginia . 

I wonder how long it would take me to drive literally across the entire country? I really hate driving for long periods, so count in the the fact that I will only be driving max 3 hours per day... and that's with frequent breaks :laughing2: I'll be there by desert time .

I love this thread Leslie !


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## StarlingWings

This thread is just great :2thumbs: 

I would have to say that mine is potato soup. I've loved it ever since I was a little girl and my mum always makes it for my birthday. 

It is made with potatoes, and almost two full bags of cheese, so it's very rich, hence the rarity of it. There's little melty bits of butter in it, and little curly broccoli pieces, and on top, a bit of bacon and some more cheese  

I love this soup because of the taste, of course, but also because of how much it represents my whole life as a general event 

Perhaps I'll bring some to the potluck  

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about everyone's comfort foods--it's truly fascinating!


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## Hollen

Mmmmmm- bacon and cheese potato soup. Yes, Starling, you must bring that to the potluck!

Ok, TB... Word problem! If Julie leaves California, traveling an average of 55 mph for three hours a day, and stopping at a grocery store in Virginia for Reese's Cups, when must she leave in order to arrive at the autumn equinox budgie potluck by dessert? My calculations indicate she should leave...... 3 weeks ago:001_huh:?


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## RavensGryf

Hollen said:


> Mmmmmm- bacon and cheese potato soup. Yes, Starling, you must bring that to the potluck!
> 
> Ok, TB... Word problem! If Julie leaves California, traveling an average of 55 mph for three hours a day, and stopping at a grocery store in Virginia for Reese's Cups, when must she leave in order to arrive at the autumn equinox budgie potluck by dessert? My calculations indicate she should leave...... 3 weeks ago:001_huh:?


:laughing::laughing2::laughing1: 3 weeks ago haha, yeah something like that !

Oohh that potato cheese soup sounds like pure heaven!


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## mexicoandice

Hollen said:


> Mmmmmm- bacon and cheese potato soup. Yes, Starling, you must bring that to the potluck!
> 
> Ok, TB... Word problem! If Julie leaves California, traveling an average of 55 mph for three hours a day, and stopping at a grocery store in Virginia for Reese's Cups, when must she leave in order to arrive at the autumn equinox budgie potluck by dessert? My calculations indicate she should leave...... 3 weeks ago:001_huh:?


You just made my day! :laughing: That last line made me laugh!

By the way, thanks for starting this thread, it's really a fun one to follow.


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## FaeryBee

*


Hollen said:



Word problem! If Julie leaves California, traveling an average of 55 mph for three hours a day, and stopping at a grocery store in Virginia for Reese's Cups, when must she leave in order to arrive at the autumn equinox budgie potluck by dessert? My calculations indicate she should leave...... 3 weeks ago:001_huh:?

Click to expand...

Hmmmm, let's do a quick calculation
2658 miles
55 miles per hour
Driving 3 hours per day

It would take a little over 18 days to drive from LA to Reston VA.

Julie --

I suggest you fly instead.
Considering the cost of hotel rooms, gas, wear and tear on your car and you, the cost of an airline ticket would be well worth it!

Dulles International Airport is only 8 miles from where I live so I can pick you up there.*


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## Kate C

I have been racking my brain to try to remember one food that means love to me and I can't as I have many. My mother was a good cook and I started cooking when I was 5, had to wait until I was big enough to reach the stove with a stool.

Two of mine are soups and are still my favourites. They are Ox-tail Soup and Pea and Ham Soup. Neither one can really be eaten the day they are started cooking as they are better if cooled overnight and then eaten the next day.

With the ox-tail it is basically a clear minestrone style with cubed vegetables and the whole ox-tail pieces. After the initial cooking when cool in the morning you skim off any fat that has risen to the top and gone hard. Then heat it through slowly all day for dinner that night. When all the liquid is eaten and the meat off the bones you can then suck on the bones and get all the flavour from the marrow inside. Just lovely on a cold night.

Pea and ham is also a two day cook. I use a ham hock rather than bacon bones for my soup as did my mother. So much more meat on the hock. After simmering all day let it cool and remove the hock and remove the skin and any fat and cut up into nice chunks. Then with a stick blender puree all the vegetables and the split peas. Then put the ham chunks back into the puree and heat through slowly. Usually eat that with homemade croutons. Another soup that is all you need for a meal and really warming on a cold winter night.

Didn't make any this winter as I have not had time with packing up to move. But next year in my new home with my lovely new stove I will have lots of soup ready for eating. Will probably make up a big batch of them and then freeze them in individual servings to just defrost and reheat when needed.


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## Hollen

Thanks, Deb! You are a master word problem solver:yes:. Maybe I forgot to carry the one? 

I nominate Kate C for official Talk Budgies food writer (that position exists, right?). Holy cow, I could just picture making and eating both of those dishes from your description! They sound perfectly delicious


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## RavensGryf

18 days driving :laughing: That would end up being way more expensive than plane tickets, considering all the hotels and meals and gas ! Okay Deborah, I'll meet you at the airport .


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