taste of home

My grandmother's back in town! This means home-cooked Puerto-Rican meals and frequent trips to the Latin grocery store, i.e. Goya in every aisle, ha! I was seduced by the varieties of guava pastes, cola champagnes (it's not what it sounds like) and coconut sodas. It took all my might not to clean out the shelves and bring back a Costco-sized load of everything.

She's staying with my parents so they will be the ones to enjoy her fried plantains, rice with milk and rice & beans on the daily. I'll have to make a point to get myself out there more often with plastic containers in tow, like the classy lady that I am.

My favorite are her arepas which is basically a variation of fried dough. Not only are they so good, but it's a taste of my childhood (chocolate milk is also a contender). I have yet to try another that rivals hers. It's just the right amount of crispness on the outside, pillow-soft on the inside.

I'm curious to know, is there any food or meal that brings you back to your childhood that you still enjoy now? Something that can't be replicated as your mother/grandmother/whoever makes (or made) it.