Getting divorced late in life generally means that custody isn’t a problem. The kids are grown. And I ‘got’ the dogs and the house (questionable at times about whether that was good or not).
But who gets custody of the age-old recipes?
Last night we went to my older daughter’s for Hanukkah. Mr. Ex brought spinach cheese pie.
This would not seem to be a crisis, or even fodder for a blog post.
But this spinach cheese pie is THE spinach cheese pie that I found some 30 years ago, when I needed to find a dish to bring to potlucks to guarantee that Mr. Ex, a vegetarian, would have something to eat. I’ve been making it so long that I don’t even need to refer to a recipe; so long that I know what ingredients I can play with and what ingredients are sacrosanct. So long that, when Mr. Ex asked me for the recipe before Thanksgiving, I was able to type it into an email and send it to him without even looking for it.
Normally I would have been bringing it, but I decided to make bourbon hot dogs instead. I no longer feel an obligation to make sure that Mr. Ex has something to eat. And since latkes (potato pancakes) were being served, he would have those to eat as well, if I was worrying about whether or not he would go hungry.
Anyway, I got a phone call from the oldest earlier in the day, warning me that he was bringing spinach cheese pie for dinner that night. Whew, I said, I was afraid you were calling to tell me that he was bringing a girlfriend.
Chuckle.
Later on, though, at the house, one of my son-in-law’s cousins complimented me on the dish, thinking that I had made it. Of course he would think I had made it – I make it all the time.
I started thinking about this recipe.
It’s mine.
I’m famous for it.
It’s my signature dish, in fact.
And now I can’t assume that I can bring it – maybe Mr. Ex will. We certainly wouldn’t want a spinach cheese pie throwdown.
Harumph.
Of course, in the great scheme of things, losing one’s spinach cheese pie rights is not worth a second thought. I read about 10 food magazines a month, not to mention countless food blogs and I probably watch at least 10 hours a month of the Food channel (oy). I can find another dish to bring.
Not a big deal, I guess.
It’s kind of the thought, though. And it’s the complication now that, if I know Mr. Ex is attending an event, I need to check to make sure that he’s not bringing MY dish.
And maybe it’s good – like everything else this year – I’ll tuck the spinach cheese pie away, along with the photos, the notes, the wedding rings – and move on.
To asparagus, perhaps.
Yes, your honor. It’s fine if she gets the house, the Rolls, and the condo in Aspen. I just want the family recipes cookbook…
And, if you’re wondering – the famous spinach cheese pie recipe:
2 packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and with as much liquid squeezed out as possible
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup cottage cheese (I usually go with a small curd 2%)
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (seriously – I’ve used, chedder, swiss, mixed, whatever’s-in-the-fridge)
1/4 cup flour or matzah meal (thus making this kosher for Passover, if you so desire)
1 stick margarine or butter, melted or 1/2 cup oil
1 tablespoon seasoning. I like Trader Joe’s Seasoning Salute, but I’ve also used garlic powder, Season-All, whatever. Or nothing if you don’t want to use anything
Grease a casserole dish. Mix everything up and bake it at 350 for an hour. Or hotter for less. This is a very forgiving and flexible recipe.
Enjoy.
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