For today’s WordPress blogging challenge, I took a trip down one of my favorite local country roads. This family sells fresh eggs and raises miniature horses. See the colt and its mother? The farm scene isn’t fully captured here and, sad to say, my photo doesn’t do it justice. But in my mind, for a rather busy country road, the scene is idyllic. I could live here.
What do some famous chefs and food writers have to say about cooking and food? See for yourself.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” – James Beard
“You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.” – Paul Prudhomme
“People who love to eat are always the best people.” – Julia Child
“Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment and creativity.” – Guy Fieri
“A home cook who relies too much on a recipe is sort of like a pilot who reads the plane’s instruction manual while flying.” – Alton Brown (This is a personal favorite since I’m a “by guess and by golly” cook. Pg)
“Most seafoods…should be simply threatened with heat and then celebrated with joy.” – Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet
“Nouvelle Cuisine, roughly translated, means: I can’t believe I paid ninety-six dollars and I’m still hungry.” – Mike Kalin
“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.” Alice May Brocke
”This is my advice to people: Learn how to cook, try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun” – Julia Child
“The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift.” – Laurie Colwin
Let’s allow words of wisdom from other reliable sources as well.
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” – Charles Dickens
“How can I govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” – Charles De Gaulle (Frankly, I never met a cheese I didn’t like. Pg)
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
“Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands and then eat just one of those pieces” – Judith Viorst
“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” – Oscar Wilde
I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.” — Erma Bombeck
Have you heard a quote about food and cooking from a chef or other notable person? Maybe someone not so notable, but wise. Or funny. Let’s hear it.
Your comments are like cream cheese frosting on my carrot cake.
Dad decided to have an estate sale and clean out the old house I grew up in. Mom had died several years before and he had plenty of good reasons to clear out the contents.
The house was full of antiques he and mom had collected. He also had numerous guns and clocks to sell. There were even collector cards I didn’t know he had. Those eBay freaks went wild bidding on that stuff.
Before he let everything go, however, he told us eight children we could select one thing to keep. He also picked out something for us that he wanted us to have.
What did I pick? Mom’s writing. Anything we could find that was complete. Stuff she didn’t finish. Her two-and-a-half-inch three-ring binder full of poems. A short journal she started as she made decisions regarding cancer treatment. The package even included letters exchanged between her and Dad. And an autograph book from her high school days. It wasn’t exactly “one thing,” but Dad gave a little leeway. I guess he figured no one would bid on something like that. One of us ought to have it.
Mom’s graduation pic from nursing school
Today you get to read something she wrote on a 3×5 card. She probably wrote it some time in the 70s. I keep the card at my desk and look at it every now and then for inspiration. The words she wrote remind me so much of her, I can almost hear her speaking them.
Mom was a committed Christian. What she wrote here seems to me like “notes to self.” Maybe she kept the card handy to read as a prompt. Sort of like I do.
Here’s what she wrote on one side of that little unlined card in her utterly neat penmanship.
Now we are coming to the traits that show. The foundation of wisdom, virtue, and faith no one can see, but needs be in (sic) place first, then the character of godliness, love and kindness show through. Character seeks talent necessary to fulfill a task.
On the flip side of the card:
Thinking back on how Mom lived her life, I know the listed items on the “flip side” were evident in her daily practices. She always treated my friends well. I brought home some misfits like myself and we always had a good time with Mom. She treated them with dignity and they would comment on how she was a pretty good hostess. Even if she was trying occasionally to save their souls. Cookies usually accompanied the visits.
Years after the estate sale and now that my dad is deceased as well, I’m glad I asked for the writing. I knew about some of the stuff which was hidden away. But some of it came as a surprise.
As a writer, I know that what people put down using pen and paper reveals much about who they are. These days, it’s more often done on a computer. Staring at the blank page, we may be blogging about our lives. We might be sharing our thoughts on social media or journaling in private and storing our thoughts in a folder marked “Notes to Self.”
Someday, my kids will find out a little bit more about me when they discover my journals, the margin notes in a few of my Bibles and the stuff I keep in computer folders that have strange names.
Kids, if you’re reading this, look for “Miscellaneous Creations.”
Today all cat lovers and anyone interested in justice–even on a small animal scale–will be happy to hear that Browser the Library Cat will stay on the job. Browser has been at the White Settlement Library for six years. He’s a fixture there and his story has become big news.
So here’s the good news for the day. I’m sure there are more great stories out there, but I’m a cat lover and am happy for the library, its visitors and especially for Browser.
Here’s an excerpt from NPR’s story:
“Why the city council of White Settlement, Texas, decided to fire Browser, mascot and rodent hunter of the public library is not clear, but the vote two weeks ago was 2-1 to banish Browser. Friday, under an avalanche of complaints, the council members decided unanimously that Browser could stay.
Browser got his job six years ago when the library had a problem with rodents. By all accounts, he was a big success and nestled into library-goers hearts.”
Foods that often turn up at a get-together are dips accompanying a chip of some kind. Right? But what if you’re tired of store-bought dips and want to bring along one that’s as easy to prepare as it tasty?
Just in time for my country’s Fourth of July celebrations, Foodie Friday helps out with a handful (not literally) of recipes featuring ease of prep and variety to boot. Not to say men can’t be great cooks, but even the average guy who wants to show off a little can whip up a simple dip. In fact, the first recipe on the list comes from a man I used to work with. People raved over this dip and I was smart enough to ask for his recipe. (Thanks, Jerry!)
Seafood Dip
Mix dry onions and water together and let sit while mixing remaining ingredients. Blend onions into tuna mixture. Chill before serving.
Seafood dip made with salmon and plain yogurt
You can also use the same amount of red salmon in place of tuna. For either kind of seafood, be sure to drain it completely (“smash” it with a fork if you have to in order to get all the moisture out) and flake it so that it stirs in evenly.
Creamy Hot Artichoke Dip
Combine all ingredients and bake uncovered at 350 degrees or until heated through. Serve warm. This dip can be prepared in one of those mini crock pots too. A great idea in summer when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
Veggie Dip
Whisk all ingredients together. Chill before serving. This dip is also good on baked potatoes.
Serving suggestions: Naturally, dips are great with chips of some kind. Depending on the dip, select pita chips, corn chips, veggie chips, or Fritos. Some work well when spread on crackers. You might even find a dip works as a condiment in a wrap or pita pocket.
Try substituting plain nonfat Greek yogurt for the mayo or cream cheese if you like. The consistency will be different, but you get less fat and more protein.
And here are a couple bonus selections from the Iowa Girl. A fruit dip and Southwestern Black Bean Dip.
Eat hardy!
The Fruitful Life 