My grandmother is so responsible for this Cornmeal Pudding with Sunflower Seeds and Blueberry Sauce. She 90 years young, still going strong and I swear, Ms. Dulcie literally lives in me. I am her and she is me. She is love. She is compassion. She is my everything. Listen, I speak of my grandma a lot; on this website, on my social media platforms and in real life, because she is the best grandmother anyone could ever have AND to top it off, she can cook! I have yet to meet anyone that can top her cooking. Yes, you probably heard it already and I’m gonna say it again: I inherited my grandma’s culinary trait. Don’t believe me? Ask the rest of my family about Ms. Dulcie’s food.
My grandma prepared and served her food with so much love, you would have to be numb not to taste it in every bite. When I was a child, she would bake all kind of pastries; cornmeal puddings, sweet potato puddings, (just now, as I mentioned sweet potato pudding, a little voice just told me to go bake some today). Yep I hear voices. I ain’t crazy though. She also baked a lot of “toto” which everyone in the neighborhood love and she would sell them too. If you’re Jamaican, you know bout that toto. They were sold out like “hot cakes.”
Mama, as I call her, had a huge baking pan. I don’t think I’ve ever seen those baking pans in America. Matter of fact, I haven’t. If you are familiar with paella pans, it’s pretty much the feed the village size of that. You could bathe maybe two or three babies in it. We had an oven but she never used it. I guess she was more comfortable with the coal stove, where she placed charcoal underneath, as well as on top of a galvanized sheet that was used to cover the baking pan. Oh let me tell you, you gotta have skills to do that! You should see my grandma finessing the heck outta those charcoal, adding and removing them as she needed. Then, when it was almost done she used a mixture of sugar and milk to create a decadent caramelized crust on the top. Pretty much everyone, including myself loves the caramelization on the top and the corner cuts, which has that little crunch in every bite.
Because my grandma lives in me (yes my DNA is strong), I tend to recreate my childhood culinary favorites. I honestly have no clue where my creativity sneaks in, but it does; usually while I’m in the moment. It’s kinda like someone else takes over. Like the other day, I was talking to a friend and was discussing a few herbs/ spices, the benefits and how you could incorporate them into your food. For minute, I was in friend mode but then she busted out a big laugh and said, “Honey you just went into work mode.” I’m passionate about my gift, so I guess that sorta kinda happen sometimes, (especially when discussing food and how it relates to health). Maybe my tone and mannerism changed. I don’t know. But that’s kinda what happens when I’m in my culinary zone and my higher self says, “Add sunflower seeds and create a blueberry sauce. It will compliment each other.” Just like I listen to my body. I listen to my higher self/God and trust the process. I’m so glad I did cause this cornmeal pudding was a straight hit!
What have you experienced when you listen to your higher self?