Traditional???? Not the traditional CAlifornia Christmas dinners I knew but yummy looking & sounding. You just made me hungry. This diet of Christmas cookies is just NOT cutting it.

Living alone is pits for cooking..then oral surgery & no teeth now limits the form of food I can eat (cant tolerate dentures in my mouth without gagging) However found that I can purée everything I cook & the tastes blend together well. I get to enjoy the same flavors just NOT the same textures. Only thing I do miss is my good old thick & juice rare hamburger....craving that is a killer.

BTW there is a social group all about food & cooking that sort of died out but we have shared some awesome good recipes & ideas called "Cooks & Bakers Corner"..... Maybe it can be revived?

BTW also, I was born & raised in So Calif (LA county). Lived there 54 years, until 8 years ago when I moved just myself to KY. Talk about food culture shock....but learning some really good NEW recipes. Found out about wild grown persimmons, great las year but trees didn't produce this year. Fell in love with Cushaw squash...best dessert. Slice in baking dish, sprinkle cinnamon, br sugar, & butter over top then pour into the baking dish, heavy cream & half & half & bake an hour at 375F.

Along that same line....I fell in love with a new root veggie called salsify. Same baking only use heavy cream,nsalt & pepper & panko bread crumbs...wow, a friend made that for thanksgiving dinner. I took the left overs home & lived on that for a few days.

I love different tasting food but it's gotta have lots of flavor. I don't enjoy bland cooking & season everything.

I love taking a jar of Gravenstein apple sauce & adding honey, cinnamon & blackberry wine. Wonderful flavor. Foundational recipe comes from charoset but without nuts & raisins since they are more difficult for me to eat unless all ground up which is possible more work.

Ugh...get me started....though my in a hurry food is Mac & cheese but love to add more of my own cheese. Fell in love with a Stilton cheese from Trader Joe's that has mango & ginger in it...adds an interesting flavor to Mac & cheese & eggs sauted with spinach.