When I was young, a favorite meal of mine was something you’d likely never find in a cookbook. We called these sandwiches bologna and cheeses, and they were a kind of disgusting mixture of (you guessed it) ground bologna and ground cheese, with ketchup, onions, and probably some other stuff mixed in. My mom would grind the bologna and cheese in a meat grinder, nothing electric like you’d find today, all done by hand.
To make the sandwiches, you first broiled one side of the bread, just enough to toast it, then spread the gloppy mix on the other side and broiled that until it was blackened just a little. They were yummy. Today’s prompt asks me which food when I eat it instantly transports me to childhood, and I haven’t eaten any of these in years. But the thought of them brings back happy memories.
One of the happiest was from a fourth-grade project. Our student teacher was getting married, and we were all given a 4×6 recipe card and told to write instructions for our favorite meal on it. We were asked to remember that Miss Stone, the student teacher, was a novice cook and to bring simple, easy-to-make recipes.
Somehow, that last bit of instruction got lost in the homes of most of the students, and they brought in complex recipes that would intimidate the most experienced chefs. However, I dutifully wrote out instructions for Bologna and Cheeses and presented that recipe to Miss Stone, now Mrs. Lisle.
It was her husband’s favorite. In fact, she made it for his friends when they were over watching football, and ended up sending the recipe home with all of them, as well.
It’s nice when a gift is appreciated, and especially nice when you’re nine years old and your teacher compli ments you in front of the whole class.
I doubt I’ll ever eat Bologna and Cheeses again, but the memory is a strong one.
Image Credits: Cats Cooking © TopMedia; Meat Grinder © ~Bitter~; Recipe Cards © Noel; All-stock.adobe.come
My World With Words 
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