Facing Reality, with Recipes

I've finally come to the conclusion that pending parenthood this third and unexpected time around is taking more out of me than I was admitting to, and some things are going to have to go. So SlowishFood is going on a sabbatical of indeterminate length. I'm hoping to get back to all things food, as my concerns about our food choices remain as passionate as when I began this blog, but I find right now I'm cooking and experimenting less, and just have a lot less to say -- even if I had the energy to sit down and write, which I'm finding I don't.

So I leave you with two recipes, one a new one and one that's been my favorite for years.

First, the new one. And pardon my being apparently the only person on the planet who didn't know this party trick. We recently went to our friends Bill and Toni's house for the weekend. They live in a small town outside Indianapolis. Their house is huge -- originally a very generous house on two lots that had been generously added to over the years. They have two kids, one slightly older and another slightly younger than M, and their home is a kid paradise: Goldfish pond out back, motorized cars, Thomas table with full setup, room for little boys to strip off their shoes and shirts and run around like English schoolboys in Lord of the Flies.

Toni made some wonderful meatballs when we were there, and I asked if she would have a chance to give me the recipe. She looked at me like I was making fun of her, which I wasn't. I was being sincere. They were delicious. Here's the recipe, which apparently everyone in the Western world but me knew:

• Mix 1 large jar grape jelly and 1 equal-sized jar salsa in a slow cooker. Add however many frozen meatballs, bought in bulk, that you want. Cook on low for several hours until the meatballs are hot and ooey. These would be great on egg noodles, although we ate them just as they were.

And the second recipe, requiring slightly more effort and resources, comes from Zelda Fitzgerald from Zelda Fitzgerald: The Collected Writings, and is for "Breakfast":

• See if there is any bacon, and if there is, ask the cook which pan to fry it in. Then ask if there are any eggs, and if so try and persuade the cook to poach two of them. It is better not to attempt toast, as it burns very easily. Also in the case of bacon, do not turn the fire too high, or you will have to get out of the house for a week. Serve preferably on china plates, though gold or wood will do if handy.

Peace.