Semicolon and colon

Question

I like cooking simple, nutritious food; and, eating out: sushi and miso soup.

1. Is the comma after simple correct there and also correct removed?

2. Is there a more common way, stylistically?

3. Premise: The semicolon is used for separating two independent clauses. However, it looks like the second clause in this example is implying the subject and verb from the first clause (I like) to make its statement about the so-called-second-independent-clause' object (eating out).

   and, [I like] eating out: sushi and miso soup.

Is the second clause still independent, even though it 'borrows' its subject/verb relationship from the first? If not, would this make the semi-colon usage incorrect?

4. Is the colon used properly grammatically because it is describing the previous object (eating out) in more detail.

5. One more thing, does or doesn't the fact that it is starting a 2-item-list make it any more appropriate?

Answer 1

You only have one clause, and it has a compound predicate: "cooking..." and "eating..."

1. The comma after simple is correct, and it should not be removed. However, you can say "and" instead: "I like cooking simple and nutritious food."
2. This is acceptable grammatically and stylistically. (Specifically, the variation with the comma. Not the sentence as a whole.)
3. You only have one clause, and it has two gerunds: "cooking..." and "eating...". Because you have one clause, you cannot use a semicolon to separate the parts. As a gerund these "ing" words are grammatically nouns. The "subject" of both "cooking" and "eating" is implied to be you. The second so-called clause is not independent.
4. The colon is used correctly.
5. This is no more or less appropriate with a two item list.
6. The comma after the "and" is incorrect punctuation.

I would punctuate as:

I like cooking simple, nutritious food and eating out: sushi and miso soup.