To Thine Own Self, Be Food

Remember a few days ago when I confessed that I'd eaten a whole sleeve of whole-wheat Ritz crackers?  Not my finest fifteen minutes (yeah, that quick ).  I realize now that it was induced by hormones.  That monthly inundation of hormones.  You know. I feel as if I've redeemed myself, though, today.  Two days ago, this Tupperware relish tray thingy was full of cucumbers, carrots, cherry tomatoes, and green bell peppers.  This morning, the carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers were the only things left. And as of three minutes ago, there is nothing left.  Except a smudge and swipe of dip there at the bottom of the container. I feel much much better after this chowfest. Hummus is one of my favorite things (cue Julie Andrews music).  It's hard for me to remember that hummus was not as ubiquitous as it is now.  I'd never heard of it until I was probably in my 20s or even 30s...or at least, it wasn't mainstream around here where I live. ...

Way back around the first of April, I informed you that I was reviving my reading and writing habits.  Writing, yes, I have been doing more of that.  Reading, though, has been a little more slow-going. Last night, I finally finished this book.  That I started over two months ago. Here were my thoughts a few pages in... The book is written by Luke Barr, M.F.K. Fisher's great-nephew.  So, through his narrative, his notes, his interviews (maybe?), and his memories, he is charged with the description and discussion of a pivotal year in a pivotal place...in which "American Taste is Reinvented".  Okay. While I'm excited about the topic of this book, I'm less excited about the narrative voice...and I hope it doesn't spoil the book.  But... The Prologue is 20 pages.  It begins with "On a cool August morning in 2009, I drove up a sloping, narrow driveway in Glen Ellen, California, on my way to visit the past."  And it ends with "As I...

Pulled pork. Sloppy Joes. Leftover brisket. Cold fried chicken. Fried eggs. Refried beans. Sausages. Seeing a trend here?  PROTEIN. Goes well with...? Cabbage. Cabbage, I think, is one of the most underestimated vegetables on Planet Earth.  I know I certainly forget about it a lot of the time.  Cabbage is most often the underdog...in fact, Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" could have really been about cabbage, and not Barbara Hershey.  Cabbage is relegated to supporting roles in coleslaw and sauerkraut and huge pots of weight-loss soup. And that's too bad, because the potential for Broadway star is there. Whenever I come into possession of a nice head of cabbage, I think, Ooh! I'm going to do cabbage rolls! And then when the time comes to do said cabbage rolls, I've lost the ambition.  Or, I've lost the cabbage.  Anyway. Recently, we happened to have some leftover sloppy joe and bean mix in our house.  I was not that excited a...

In reality, I am pretty fussy when it comes to my salads, not just chicken salad.  I've also got a tendency to go on and on.  But, today, I've got to stay short and focused. So, in culinary school, I learned that there are categories of salads. Who knew? I sure didn't. There are: 1. Tossed: You know, where everything's just chucked together, dropped onto a plate or into a bowl right before service.  Sometimes the dressing is on the side, sometimes it's been tossed with the salad components.  This is probably the easiest salad to do and the one we see the most at potlucks and restaurants...because, yeah. 2. Composed: Components of the salad are arranged on a plate in a certain way.  Examples include the Cobb or a Nicoise.  These take more time to prepare, obviously, and aren't optimal for large-group gatherings. 3. Bound: Components (usually non-leafy ones) are tossed together before being mixed with some kind of binding mixture.  Usually this ...

Zero: A pretty leisurely Tuesday morning.  A little of this, a little of that.  A moment where I actually can lounge on my couch and read. 20: A friend of mine and my daughter drive about four hours to Kansas City to see Florence + The Machine in concert.  Amazing performer, amazing time. 40: Drive home early the next day so that Kirby can get to drivers' ed and I can get WanderLunch ready for a catering event. 50: Complete the catering event (despite electrical snafu) and rise early the next day (today) to get WanderLunch ready for another big day: a new, more centralized location that's more accessible to our town's professionals. 60: Rock out a Thursday-record-breaking 78 sandwiches despite another electrical issue and you know, running out of things called Food. I feel freaking good right now, readers.  I have no real tangible way to explain it...just that it feels like that grimy kind of visceral satisfaction that comes with working your ass off . ...

I have been out of education for nearly five years now...but I still get that anticipatory tingle of excitement when school lets out for the summer.  Probably because I still have kiddos in the system, and probably because I feel like FINALLY the craziness of spring will abate somewhat... But, deep down, I think it's because summer represents endless possibilities.  With a bit of blue sky and sunshine...anything is possible.  EVERYTHING is possible.  I felt that way when I was a kid...and I still feel that way now.  I hope I feel that way in thirty years. We're still dealing with spring activities here, and so two kids will still attend soccer practices.  The golf season is over, so now Child #1 can help shuttle sister and brother around.  But, ultimately, there will be more Five-Face time around the dinner table.  Menu-wise?  Still sorting that out.  Definitely more grill action and lighter fare.  More vegetables and fruits....

So this is what having free time is like.  A leisurely Friday night.  A Georgia Mule.  And some time and creative energy to blog. Sincerely, folks, I think about you all every day.  I think about why I'm not blogging...and it all really boils down to two things. 1. I don't want to.  I have a life...and boy howdy, is it full right now.  Three kids, three different sports activities.  Boy Scouts, Student Council, part-time jobs.  Not to mention, a six-day workweek.  When I'm not bartending, I'm thinking about, planning for, prepping for, or operating my food truck.  Some nights I barely have enough energy to sit down and play Level 500 of my Cupcake Mania iPhone game. 2. I have nothing to blog about.  I'm not about to waste bandwidth on the Jimmy John's tuna sandwich I ate whilst shuttling Child #3 to soccer.  Nor do I feel like going on about the random kitchen-sink chili I threw in the crockpot that morning. I'm not try...