Last night Lisa, Bo and I went to Mom and Dad’s house. Mom made a delicious Sunday dinner! Halushki, pierogies, kielbasa and salad. I haven’t had halushki since Lenka was here and it tasted incredible.

The day before, my parents went to a Conair Outlet store. My father bought a portable back massager and a neck massager. After dinner we retired to his office and he connected the back massager to his chair and had me sit down. Then he put the neck massager on me. It looked like a life preserver. He turned them on and everything started vibrating.

“How does that feel?”
“Uhhhh, it feels good, kinda like a Magic Fingers bed at a motel.”
“Not bad!”

Sitting there in what kind of looked like a homemade electric chair with my dad at the controls reminded me of my youth. My dad was always trying one crazy new age device or another. While I was studying for the PSAT/SAT my dad would attach electrodes to my earlobes that delivered a low level electrical current. It was supposed to help me remember, I think. The first time he hooked me up to the electrodes he had the current set too high and I started to twitch. To this day I can hear my mother screaming, “Jimmie, you are electrocuting my baby!” He also had these goggles that had embedded lighbulbs in the lenses. They would rhythmically flash to music delivered in attached headphones. He would have me lay in bed and don the goggles and headphones. The flashing lights and music would send me into a meditative stupor. It felt like I had slept for 3 days even though it was a 45-minute session. Gosh, those were the days!

Coincidentally, you can see a pair of Stress Shield goggles on my SpyCam modeled by the inimitable John Beck.

Halushki – updated
3 large potatoes, (4 medium)
1 large egg
2 cups flour, more or less, depending on wetness of potatoes.
2 teaspoon salt
Thin with milk

Boil the water in a large pot. Grate the potato and mix with the flour, well beaten eggs, salt and a little milk. Combine all ingredients, mixing well. (Mixture should have the consistency of oatmeal)

Drop small dumpling portions from tip of teaspoon and drop into a large pot of boiling water. Let them swirl in the water; they will soon rise to the surface then lower the heat to medium and cook 7 to 10 minutes. After cooked, remove and mix with some onions fried in butter or fried then crumbled bacon or cabbage slowly fried with onions and butter until tender.

My mom serves it with fried cabbage and onion.