A Lazy Oscar Sunday

I know that my last post was full of great ideas to make Oscar night into an occasion for your family (and friends), but when all was said and done, while we had a great Oscar night spread, we ended up watching Joan and Melissa in our jammies with rain pouring and lightning and thunder. We had gone to Mass on Saturday evening, and so there was no reason to jump out of bed on Sunday morning (other than blog-strolling and blogging!). Our second oldest daughter Katie had left for a two-month rotation in Washington DC (Hi, Katie if you're reading!), and so we were left with what Bridget and my husband call the "Core Four"- just us and the two remaining kids living at home (When Katie is home Bridget calls her Remainder 1). SUnday was overcast and dreary, and so we hunkered down. This kind of day is few and far between- between work, trying to catch up on the weekends with laundry, friends, shopping, church, projects, etc.-there is so little time to just stop and enjoy the people you love.

So what did I do on Oscar Sunday? I made a new breakfast sandwich based on Bridget's messy breakfast sandwich (posted on My Kids Cook- we were out of eggs, so had to use scrambled egg-beaters instead), did five loads of laundry, tried to make a dent in the tens of boxes and bags Katie had brought when she moved in only a short two weeks ago, I played computer games with my girls (I am hopeless unless it is a spelling or word game), posted on my blog and went surfing to find some new blogs, made a lunch of loaded upchili dogs, let Bridget give me a make-over, cooked my Oscar buffet, vacuumed the downstairs and defrosted a goat (yes, goat) shoulder roast for Monday dinner, enjoyed Joan and Melissa's commentary (even my husband watched for a little while before retreating to the testosterone zone/garage) as the stars arrived while eating our own Oscar dishes and gave our own commentary... actually, when you write this down, it doesn't sound that lazy!

But I guess the pace was leisurely, and I enjoyed it so much. The smell of fabric softener and the sound of my Dyson, the girls giggling and rough-housing , the crackle of sweet potato pancakes in the pan, and the taste of cool sour cream and caviar (the economical orange kind) on top of the warm pancakes... these are the sights, sounds and smells making up my Oscar Sunday. There was no rustle of silk, or applause or paparazzi flashes (though I did have to put up with Bridget taking my post-makeover picture with her camera-phone) in my Sunday. No great designer called to ask me to wear his dress and Harry Winston didn't send me jewels to borrow. I didn't rub elbows with Tom Cruise or Helen Mirren or Al Gore, and Joan Rivers didn't flag me down to ask who I was wearing. But I had a great seat on the couch between two beautiful young women, I heard the music of their laughter, and the flash of their smiles. And the winner is... ME!

Easy Oscar (and other occasion) tidbits

If you have been reading my blog from the beginning, you know that a big part of cooking and food in our family(and my food philosphy) is focused on creating memories. And part of that is making an event out of everyday occurances. Enter the Oscars as my kids have gotten older, I am not sure whether it is more fun to watch the Joan and Melissa preshow or the actual event (yes I do, the preshow is much more fun!) With a houseful of girls, we care less about who wins than who is wearing whom! Normally, we plan a buffet-style meal for that evening so we can nosh all evening without getting overfull. While the men roll their eyes in the other room we ooh and ahh over the stars and are alternately entertained and appalled by Joan's commentary (Joan is the epitomy of the embarrassing parent, evidenced by Melissa's long suffering eye-rolling). I usually print a copy of the nominees and let each family member or guest make their predictions and then we give a small prize to the one who comes closest to picking the winners. In our house we even make our predictions on who will make the best and worst dressed list the next day! Other ideas that can keep younger kids occupied during the long evening are movie-based charades, create your own word searches (this is only one site-there are several that allow you to do this!) with nominees, and a box full of dress-up clothes (sequins are very popular) for young future nominees. We have even created our own red carpet for "star arrivals" out of a red plasic or paper tablecloth (plastic is better if weather is wet, but the nice paper ones look more like carpet!)

Decorating also is a big part of making the evening memorable- you can make a centerpiece out of old movie reels that you can find at thrift stores spray painted gold or silver. Use gold or silver metallic cupcake cups to hold white votives. Gold, silver, white and black are great sophisticated colors to use as a basis and usually the Dollar Tree or Everything's a Dollar will have streamers or curly ribbon in these metallics that you can use to decorate, and plastic champagne glasses for younger "stars" to have their sparkling cider or punch in. Sound cheesy? It is, but I guarantee that your kids and your guests will remember the evening (even if they've never seen any of the nominees! I know from experience). You could even do little gift bags just like they have in Hollywood (sans the real diamonds, tech toys, and high price tag!)

So what to eat? Finger foods are best. Quiche or fondue is really fun (just watch the kids with fondue forks!) For younger kids you might include coconut-crusted chicken nuggets (cooked in the oven) or the ever-popular pigs-in a blanket, or mini - sweet and sour meatballs. For dessert try mini-cupcakes or mini-cheesecakes with decorated with silver and gold dragees. Or if you are really inspired (and have the time) you could make Oscar-shaped frosted cookies for your guests. Just use your favorite sugar or gingerbread cookie recipe and make a template by getting a profile of Oscar from the internet and transfer to cardboard or parchment. Here are some simple ideas that are good for noshing on Oscar night (or any other time). And if you have someideas to share that your family enjoys, please send me your ideas and recipes as well - I am always looking for something good to share with readers(and to try for next year!).

Easy Shrimp "Cheesecake"

1 8-oz block neufchatel cheese (you can use regular cream cheese if you like)

1/2-3/4 cup ketchup

1 4-0z can of cocktail shrimp

1-2 Tbsp of horseradish (more if you like it hot)

Cut the neufchatel cheese into two layers lengthwise just like cutting a layer into to layers for a cake. Put bottom layer of cheese on serving plate. Mix ketchup, drained salad shrimp and horseradish together spread half of this mixture over cheese, top with second layer of cheese, then cover top with rest of shrimp mixture. Serve with crackers (this is good with hearty crackers like rycrisp or triscuit)

Smoked salmon and capers

This is a great dish for people who are watching carbs and fat. The longer this sits(within reason of course), the better the flavors.Mix 1/4 lb smoked salmon coarsely chopped with two-three tablespoons of capers, drained and juice of 1/2 lemon, and 1/4 tsp. dill. Mix well. Serve with water crackers or belgian endive.

Sparkling Punch

This punch is very good and both kids and adults like it- no alcohol- but you could add spirits(rum or vodka) to give it a kick.

2 cups cranberry juice cocktail chilled

1 cup apple cider (you could use sparkling for extra bubbles)

1 package frozen strawberries, partially thawed

1 liter lemon lime or grapefruit soda

Mix cranberry juice and apple cider together, stir in strawberries, and then slowly pour in soda. Mix gently together to avoid breaking all the bubbles, and serve.

Rye-Onion Crisps

1 loaf cocktail rye bread

1/2 cup-3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1 medium sweet or red onion chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Spread bread slices out on a cookie sheet sprayed with PAM. Spead each slice with mayo. Put about 1 tablespoon of chopped onion on the top of each bread slice, and sprinke top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and starts turning brown. Serve warm.

Jumping on my soapbox

Normally my inspiration for a post comes from my family, my friends, something I've tried or tasted, but I guess it was only a matter of time before I was inspired to post as the result (or in response) to another blogger's post. I came upon this post in my usual morning rounds of some of my favorite food blogs. I was browsing posts at An Obsession with Food when I came upon a link to a vitriolic post regarding kid-food and picky eaters. I will not provide a direct link to the post because after checking out the site and the post, it was not a site I would frequent and I don't want to do anything to increase the traffic to this particular site (a shock-jock of bloggers), but it has made me want to climb on my soapbox. And so, humor me.

First of all, part of the reason I started this blog was to fill what I see as a void in our society (big job, huh?) that has been left by our not having the benefit of extended family and strong neighborhoods that provided "food mentors" for our parents and grandparents. I strongly believe that many of our food-related issues such as anorexia, obesity, allergies, etc. are contributed to by our reliance on convenience foodnot because we are lazy or stupid but because many of us have not been raised or taught to be comfortable with food, its preparation and enjoyment. That is why I wanted to create a cyber kitchen table that could help replacein small measure that resource to encourage a new generation to play with food.

That said, this post blasted parents for "giving in" to children regarding food and how parents who could not hold the line had no business having children. It is a post that shows an elitist, judgmental, and non-productive attitude that is exactly what I hope to fight. You can read my response to the post on Obsession with Food. I am posting here because I think there is a lot to be said for being part of the solution rather than part of the problem. I hope that you will not be intimidated by food, but will learn and experiment and enjoy. Encourage your children to have fun with food- that's what McDonald's does. You can make ethnic finger foods, teach your family to eat with chopsticks, serve dinner in front of the fire on cushions, making meals a fun occasion.
I want all readers to stop being intimidated by food and model that behavior for their children, family members, neighbors and co-workers. I don't believe that ridiculing parents who are struggling already with the many pressures of modern life and not enough support systems is helping. Are you a bad parent if you once in awhile serve your children chicken nuggets or a Twinkie? I don't think so, as long as it is an occasional part of a varied and healthy diet, not a daily occurance.

Let me know what you think.

Food memories we'd rather forget

Part of making memories with food is that, like in life, there are sure to be some that are not so good, and since making memories with food was one of the drivers for starting this blog, I decided that sharing a few of those... and encouraging you to share yours would make for a fun post (and a run-on sentence).

I have already shared my own cooking disasters, but I am not talking about our own culinary mis-steps, but things from our past that were part of our diet, that we couldn't wait to grow up and get rid of. For many of us it will be things like Spaghetti-Os or Minute Rice, that were food trends of the past. It may be family traditional favorites that you did not want to incorporate into your reperatoire. I want to share a couple of mine with you and then encourage you to share as well. Somehow I know I will hear some interesting (and humorous) tales.

My first story is about my sister-in-law and a country ham. Ginger was having a holiday reception and had a whole menu planned including country ham biscuits (a staple here in the South!) - sounds good so far, right? For those of you who are not from the South, country ham is a salt-cured ham that is soaked and cooked to remove some of the salt and then sliced very thin as you would prosciutto and served. Well when the night of the event came, the table was beautifully set, with the ham biscuits as a centerpiece. Sure that these would disappear very quickly (it is the South, you know!), I grabbed a few of the delicious-looking biscuits, and began to make my rounds. As I took the first bite, I knew why there was such a pile of biscuits left untouched... My sister-in-law had simply cooked the ham without soaking or boiling so that the taste was something like eating a handful of kosher salt (actually, saltier!). She was mystified that time after time she had to refill the punchbowl(she later commented that people were drinking so much it affected their appetites!), and the drinkables ran out far before the ham did. And you know what? No one had the courage to tell her! Well-meaning guests continued to take biscuits and then deposit them in the trash or some were even hidden in potted plants (found the next day!)Note: In her defense, Ginger was generally a good cook and the rest of her food that night was very good. We just all had to be reconstituted the next day.

I thought I had heard about every misguided attempt at saving money on food until I had a conversation with my former boss about his mother's cooking when he was growing up in Basel, Switzerland (I'm thinking linzer torte and chocolate!). He regaled us with the story of how his mother would take leftover salad and make it into a lettuce soup, a tasteless, greenish broth with lots of unidentified "floaties" in it. I have actually thought of threatening my kids with this if they don't eat their salad, but given that this bad food memory still stays with my 76-year-old friend, I thought the better of it. Note: Food can also be used as an instrument of torture- In all the years we worked together any time we had an office pot luck Hermann would threaten to bring in beef tongue, another dish he remembered fondly from his youth! Needless to say, we told him to bring the paper goods!

With 32 years of marriage, you can be sure there is lots of compromise involved and some of that involves food. To come up with your own family's food style you have to take the best of both your food histories. In our case, I incorporated my mother-in-law's stuffing (I have posted this incredible recipe), and her coconut cream Easter Eggs (this one will be coming) into our food traditions. From my mom, her macaroni and cheese,"mess of beans" and cole slaw recipes are ones my family always asks for. However, there are some things that become so ingrained in you that you need to break free of. My mom used to make Navy beans quite often (my dad loved them with mustard!) and it has been only recently that I can incorporate bean dishes back into our diet. And my mother-in-law used to make a ground beef dish... all the time... that I can no longer bring myself to make. It was not a bad dish (patties of ground beef with american cheese in the center covered with tomato sauce),it just suffered from over-exposure, a lot like Paris Hilton. Maybe one of these days I will make these "grenades"(my husband's term, not mine) for my kids to let them make up their own minds as to whether they want them to be part of their own developing food traditions.

So just like you remember the time your mom lost you in the department store, or how your Uncle Al drank too much at Christmas dinner, we collect bad food memories as well. Which is why you should play with your food- to make sure that you have created enough good memories to outweigh the bad! Let me know your darkest food memories... you will realize you are not alone, and can move on to develop your own fabulous food style!

Meatless Fridays

Because my husband is a Catholic and he grew up at a time when having meat on Fridays was verboten, we somehow began this as a family tradition, even though the rest of the Catholic world can now eat meat on Fridays except during Lent. Sometimes this is annoying to my kids, but they have gotten used to it and if there is something like a party or special dinner going on, we just give ourselves dispensation (except during Lent) and have a different meatless day.

During the summer, this has led to "Cheese Pizza Friday", where my family orders lunch from the local pizzeria, Anna's #2. It is something they really look forward to. But what do we do for dinner on Meatless Friday? Well, an entire generation of Catholics remember a dinner of Mrs. Paul's fish sticks, frozen french fries every Friday, but my kids aren't buying this. They really have to be in the mood for fish sticks. We have developed a repertoire of dinners that don't require meat - sometimes it is as simple as a grilled cheese served with tomato-cheese soup (just combine a can of cream of tomato soup with a can of southwestern cheese soup and their respective cans of skim milk and -voila! Kids love it) or homemade macaroni and cheese with a salad (particularly Dowd Salad). Another favorite of mine is creamed asparagus on toast. A crab or vegetable (spinach or broccoli) quiche is a great and easy option and leftovers are great for lunch. Seafood gumbo is a great option and takes small amounts of seafood combined to make the most of a small budget. I also developed a great 3-bean dish that is meatless that my kids love (though generally they don't like beans) and has become a staple when we go camping.

Some of the very best dishes for meatless Friday involve pasta - like stuffed shells and cheese tortellini, a no-no for those watching carbs (my husband, a pre-diabetic, is one of them), so over the years I have had to become more creative in finding new ways to make old stand-bys. One of my greatest triumphs is my low-carb version of tuna casserole - it is made with zucchini ribbons instead of noodles and store-bought (horrors!) alfredo sauce makes it easy.






Can-opener 3-bean dish



3 cans of beans (a variety is best-black beans, cannellini beans, kidney, pinto... whatever you have is fine), rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes (mexican-style is best) or 1 cup salsa
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Guacamole or avocado cut in chunks and tossed with lime juice
Tortilla chips



Open all cans, drain and rinse beans and combine with tomatoes or salsa (or a combination, depending on what you like). Stir together until heated. If you like yours spicy add tabasco or other hot sauce until the heat is right. Serve in a bowl with grated cheese, sour cream and guacamole and top or scoop with chips as desired. This is also great with corn bread.


Tuna Casserole with Zucchini Noodles

4-5 medium zucchini
1/2 jar good quality alfredo sauce
2 cans chunk white tuna (don't use light, it is not as good for a casserole), drained
1/2-1 can french fried onions
1 - 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Using a vegetable/potato peeler, peel the zucchini into long thin strips down to the seeded core (discard those) and sit in a colander salt lightly, let stand for 10 minutes and then rinse. Saute zucchini ribbons in 1 tbsp olive oil, until just tender. Stir in alfredo sauce and tuna chunks. Put in greased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Top with french fried onions and cheese. Bake until bubbly and top is browned. The surprise in this tuna surprise is that is light and delicious, and you won't even miss the noodles!

Dowd Salad

( This is our house salad". At my daughter's college graduation party, we did a buffet and this salad was labeled "Dowd Salad- Made with real Dowds")

4 cups salad greens (baby greens, romaine lettuce, baby spinach- whatever you like)

1 cup feta or blue cheese broken into chunks

Any or all of the following: Sliced red onions in rings, cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes, bacon bits (real, if its not Friday), toasted pine nuts

Dressing made of 1/3 olive oil, 2/3 good balsamic vinegar (Costco's Kirkland brand is very good for everyday use) Toss with salad just before serving. My pet peeve: pink, non-ripe tomatoes. When tomatoes are not in season, I would rather have no tomato in my salad than one of those tasteless grainy pink things!

Of course the logical and most common meatless Friday dish is fish, but I will be covering that in a different post. I have shared with you a couple of my Friday recipes, and if you have other suggestions or favorites of your own, believe me, my children will be eternally grateful!!

5 Things about me

Okay, I am not a nationally known blogger, but in my morning rounds of my favorite blogs, I saw that Amy responded to a meme that asked her to share 5 things about herself that people didn't know. She was tagged by Pim of Chez Pim. Even though no one tagged me, I was intrigued by the meme and am going to post my five things in order to allow my readers to know me and hopefully they will share some fun and unusual things about themselves as well. If I am inviting you to my cyber-kitchen table, we really should know each other better. And I will be tagging some of you to share your five things as well.

1) I was the choreographer and captain of my drill team in high school. At that time we saw ourselves as the "anti-cheerleaders" and it was a lot of fun and gave me the opportunity to travel to away games and competitions in a school bus, march in parades, and practice in the dark of morning and dark of night.

2) I got an autograph from Lucille Ball. She was the Grand Marshall at the Apple Blossom Parade in my hometown of Winchester, and when I went up to her car with my program, since I too was a redhead, she signed my program.

3) I kissed Richard Dawson on Family Feud (showing my age!) My family went to local tryouts in Norfolk and were selected, and were flown to Hollywood. We saw Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Hills, and were on four consecutive shows, winning about $13,000 in the big money round.

4) My grandfather never knew my first name. My mother's father started calling me "Slickhead" when I was born as bald as a billiard ball. He and my grandmother were separated so we didn't see each other very often. After he had a stroke in his 60s (and I was about 16), I went to visit him in the hospital and was very upset when he didn't know who I was... until I introduced myself as "Slickhead" Then he knew who I was!

5) Since this is a food blog, I guess one of these revelations should be food-related. Okay, I'm going to say it... I like liver. I liked it as a kid and still do. Calves liver, chicken liver, I have only had foie gras as pate, even liverwurst. Liver has to be cooked exactly right, long enough to not be bloody and Rosemary's Baby-ish but not so much that it is gray shoe leather. I know love of liver is not politically correct these days, but cooked right.. it is fabulous!

So there you are- laugh or cry or stop reading altogether, or even better, write me with some revelations of your own.

And I would like to tag :

Teddy of Help! I Have a Fire in My Kitchen!

Shelly of S'Kat and the Food

Deb of Smitten Kitchen

Kathy of Startcooking.com

Returning to the not-so-supermarket

While I frequent my local Harris Teeter and Kroger, brave the crowds at Trader Joe's and hit the Whole Foods every time we go through Charlottesville, our friend "good David" (see my post about "good" David and his PAM warning) has introduced us to free range and local meats. Because David, for health reasons can only eat very lean (and I mean very lean) meats we were introduced to these new, more exotic meats. As a result of having David as a friend we have learned that buffalo is a very lean subsitute for beef and goat is a sweeter (and leaner) version of lamb, and despite a childhood trauma involving a bunny, I have found that rabbit is excellent, cooked with a little dijon and herbs. I can make a mahogany bison stew that even the most ardent beef-lover will wolf down and my kids love homemade buffalo jerky when we go camping. I have not yet mastered the cooking of venison strap, but our friend "evil David" won me over to "eating Bambi" when he cooked a venison strap with a black cherry sauce that was absolutely incredible!

Venison we get from friends of our son who hunt, and we have visited and bought meats from several local Virginia farms. A list of farms here in Virginia can be found at Eat Wild (www.eatwild.com/products/virginia.html). They grow free range poultry and eggs, pork, bison, goat and turkeys. These meats are grown in humane circumstances, usually without hormones or antibiotics, on diets closely approximating what they would consume in nature. The result: meats that are good and good for you. We have used two farms - Cibola Farms (see the buffalo at left) in Culpeper Virginia and Polyface near Staunton, Virginia. Normally my husband and "good David" take their coolers and drive up to the farms with a list of what we want (usually they have a list online that you can print out, just like a grocery list). They must have a good time, though in my mind I fantasize that they spend the entire 3 hours switching back and forth between Rush Limbaugh and NPR on the radio! While these meats are more expensive than their commercial counterparts, it makes me feel good to support small family farmers who believe in the principles of farming that make good food and good sense.

I know I was surprised (and you might be too) when I found how many of these farms there were within a 2-3 hour drive of our home, and how in demand their products are. Many people with dietary fat restrictions, allergies and sensitivities to the additives that are in commercially raised meats, and just people who care about how their food animals are raised are all looking for alternatives that don't involve tofu or texturized vegetable protein.

This same principle applies to other local food products. It takes some time and energy, but seek out local food providers. We have a man we call "Tractor Joe" who we met when he did some grading of our property. He mentioned that he had a small farm, and since then we are at his farm from May to November to get the best of his vegetables (my daughters love him because he is the sweetest older man!). He knows that we like beets and eggplant, so he holds those for us. And his corn...there is just nothing like it. Now when he has produce, he will load up his old pick-up and come to our driveway and we and our friends and neighbors can clean him out! Another unexpected source for food products for us was our "wood man" who supplies us with firewood. One day he mentioned that he raised hogs and sold pork and sausage and would we like some sausage. His sausage is the leanest we have ever had - you actually have to oil the pan to fry it! I am usually not a fan of bulk sausage becauase of the bits of gristle and other unidentifiable things that are in it, but his is like pure ground pork. "Wood man sausage" is now the standard in our house. When we go camping at Crabtree Falls, it is a highlight to go by Saunders Brothers orchard where they sell the best of seasonal apples, peaches, and one of our favorites, Asian Pears. They also have the best peach slushie that is heaven on a hot summer day after hiking!

So check your local paper, search the web and take a Sunday drive into the country to shop for your food. You will support your local economy and small farmers, get closer to the food you eat and avoid a lot of the vagaries of commercial farming, and you'll have a lot of fun, too. Go to your local farmer's market. We have a great one, the Williamsburg Farmers Market, nearby that is as much a social and cultural experience as it is a food experience (check out the archived recipes of their guest chefs). Frequent small local bakeries, and even breweries that utilize the products of local farmers. Pick your own berries, or apples, go to the local pumpkin patch to get your Halloween jack-o-lantern. And please, share your sources and recommendations with others and of course Play-with-food readers (especially if you know of good local cheese sources in the Virginia area!)

Kitchen mysteries

We had guests last night for our usual Wednesday night tapas (and I use that term loosely) night and I was reminded of an essay I wrote in Jay Paul's non-fiction writing class at Christopher Newport University (it was actually a college then) x years ago (I use x here not because I can't remember but I choose not to !). I was a "non-traditional" student (that means in my 30's not my 20's) in a class of fresh-faced 18-20 year olds, and our assignment was to write a short essay about a physical place that was special to us. Dr. Paul thought that it was a good idea for us to read our compositions to be critiqued by the class. You can only imagine my anxiety- I am a woman with two kids and a mortgage who had not written for years! Finally the day came and one by one my fellow students read their essays about walking on the beach, or sitting under a special tree, or gazing at nature from a mountain top. I read my essay last and it was a description of the kitchen in my tiny Hilton Village home (anyone who has lived in one of these 20's era duplexes knows what I am talking about!). It described the furnace in one corner and the hot water heater in another. I told how you had to open the oven door just right in order to keep your baked goods from falling on the floor, and its ugly linoleum floor. My essay was met with silence... then applause. I had taken my entire class into my tiny kitchen with the written word. My point? The point of my essay (and this post) was that no matter how ugly my kitchen, anytime we had people over, they congregated in the kitchen, because there is some kind of mysterious attraction that draws people to a working kitchen.

Back in my Hilton days, I didn't have much room, so I chalked some of this mystery to mere square footage, but that is not the case. Our new home has a good sized kitchen, an eat-in area and a fabulous (by my standards, not Martha's) dining room. My dining room is painted an inviting red, it is full of furniture pieces lovingly selected from Phoebus Auction Gallery and local antique shops, and my pride and joy - my Waterford crystal. So wouldn't you think that people would love to eat there? So would I, but instead they will balance their plates on their laps, and pull chairs from my beautiful dining room into the cramped eat-in adjacent to the kitchen. I really don't understand this, but I surrender to it. I thought about submitting this to Unsolved Mysteries but I decided to ask my readers instead if they could shed light on this (and ask if there is any hope that my guests will ever eat in my dining room!)

Here are some other food/kitchen mysteries that I would like solved:

1) Why does it always take me two tries to get the meringue right on my pie (the first one or two set the smoke alarm off!)

2) Why can my husband always tell me what he doesn't want for dinner and never what he does want?

3) Why do I always crave oysters, ...or grapefruit ...or asparagus when it is not in season?

4) Why can you never buy a ripe pear anymore?

There's a start. Solve my food/kitchen mysteries or add your own. I'll cue the scary music!

Food ideas from the strangest places...

Where do you get your food ideas? Most of us pore over cookbooks, cooking magazines like Gourmet, Bon Appetit (both accessible via Epicurious), or Cooks Illustrated (three of my favorites), or hit the Food Network. You might find a great recipe from the back of a package or bottle or can. These days you might hit the Web and check your favorite food sites or blogs (hopefully, you might check this one). When I am looking for something ethnic or unusual, I often just do a search for the dish and then look at the sites that come up until I see a recipe I think I can replicate. You might call a friend or relative to ask for a recipe or idea or food advice.

But what are the most unusual places you have found food inspiration? I can tell you two of mine. First, let me tell you where I got the recipe for my famous pimento cheese. Or I should say where my husband got the recipe for my famous pimento cheese (the artwork at the left should give you a hint). I was in labor with my second child, Katie. While I was in the throes of labor, my husband kept sneaking out to the nurse's station. Finally, I put my foot down and asked what was at the nurse's station that was more important than the impending birth of his child (and my intense pain!). He said, "They have pimento cheese out there. You should taste it, it's really great!" Given the fact that my diet at the time consisted of ice chips, I was not amused. However, we left the hospital with a fabulous daughter (9lb., 11 oz.)... and the pimento cheese recipe!

If you have read my previous posts about my husband's cooking ability and his stint as a pasta bar chef at my daughter's graduation party, you will remember that I mentioned the idea came from an unexpected place... again, the artwork to the right is a hint. After my mother -in-law's funeral service, a wake was held at a nearby officer's club, and there they had a personalized pasta bar. Even though we didn't have much of an appetite that day, it was an idea we held onto until the occasion called for it. Face it, a graduation is a much better occasion for eating than a funeral.

I am including my cheese recipe for you to play with, but let me know where some unusual places you have found culinary inspiration.

"Labor of love" pimento cheese

1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4-1/2 cup mayonnaise (light mayonnaise is fine)

1/4-1/2 cup salsa (adjust the mayo and salsa according to your taste)

1 4 oz. jar chopped pimentos

Put all ingredients except pimentos into bowl of food processor and mix until smooth. Stir in pimentos. Chill and serve.

Note: This spread keeps very well. I usually make a double batch and store in plastic containers in the fridge.

Football Sundays

I have seen scores of sites, TV shows, etc. preparing for Super Sunday. I decided that the last thing anyone needed was to read another post about refried bean dip, or chicken wings, or nachos. I wanted to share with you how I became a football fan and why you should be too (or at least act like one). It's an excuse to play with food!

I grew up in a house with three younger brothers and so sports was a part of life. Little League, bowl games, and NFL football (particularly the Redskins) were part of our family life. This was particularly evident on Sundays and on Thanksgiving and New Year's when football was the order of the day. I learned early that there were two groups of people at these times - those in the family room enjoying the game(or pretneding to) and those in the kitchen doing the dishes. To me, this choice was a no-brainer. I learned very quickly the difference between a touchdown and a touchback.

Once I had my own family, in our house we often turned Sunday games into an occasion, making finger foods or chili, wearing team colors and yelling at the referees together. Food is an essential part of the football experience (along with beer, of course). The NFL's decision not to allow tailgating at the Super Bowl this year for security reasons may end up stirring up domestic unrest while deterring terrorists! Food and football are a great combination (unless you were a Redskin fan this year, in which case you probably lost your appetite!) So surf the Food Network and Epicurious and the many other sited that have great ideas for football food and start your own family tradition. And if you don't like sports... there's always the commercials... or the wardrobe malfunctions, to look forward to!

Soup, glorious soup!

Today we are enduring "winter blast 2" according to our local weather man, and while the forecast held the promise of a snow shower, it was only a tease. All we have, after about 10-15 minutes of beautiful white flakes is hours of gray, overcast skies and liquid precipitation. What is called for on such a day is soup, and I don't mean the soup you open with a can opener (although that can sometimes provide the base of a nice meal). Tonight I came home and made one of my family's favorite soups. Honestly, I think this originally came from a recipe I saw, but I have played with it so much I claim it as my own. It is the perfect soup for a cold rainy night, and almost everyone likes it. There is also lots of room to take my recipe your own. So go ahead and play with food and make your own chicken chipotle soup!

Make-Your-Own Chipotle Chicken Soup

(if you want a smaller amount for about 4 people use the smaller amounts, but believe me, you will want a lot!)

2-3 quarts of chicken or turkey stock (I use my frozen stock I made from my Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys, but boxed or canned is fine, too )

1 chopped chipotle chili in adobo sauce (more if you like it spicy)

5-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you could use breasts (chicken, that is) if you prefer)

1 small bunch chopped scallions

1 small bunch baby spinach cut in shreds (or you can use watercress or cilantro, instead)

1-2 avocados cut into chunks

2 cups cooked bean thread noodles (or whatever light noodles you prefer)

2 cups monterey jack cheese cut into chunks (or any other type of mild white cheese)

lime wedges

Bring stock to a boil, adding chipotle chili, and salt to taste as necessary and add chicken thighs and cook until meat is done (about 15 minutes). Remove thighs from broth, turn broth down to simmer and add noodles until cooked. Remove noodles from broth and toss with a splash of sesame oil. Set aside. Cut chicken into chunks and set aside in a bowl. Place scallions, avocado, cheese, limes, spinach into bowls.

To serve: Have each person put what they want in the bowl, then pour hot broth over top and enjoy. Squeeze lime juice over. Guaranteed to warm you to the core !

Note: Be flexible with this soup. If you like broth spicier, add more chipotle chili. I have used monterey jack, queso blanco, mozzarella... whatever cheese you have. Once in a pinch I used cut up string cheese, and it was still good. Spinach, watercress or cilantro will work for the greens, and I have used several types of bean or rice thread noodles, and while it changes the look, the soup will be great.