Belated/Bereaved Poetry Tuesday: For "Cookie" S.

I'll follow you
Like food follows funerals:
With relief and to forget...

There's more to this poem, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.  Of course, we don't forget, do we?





Chocolate cake with sunflower seeds.  Grandpa was a Kansan through-and-through.




My cousin Angie said, "Remember how we all used to put black olives on the ends of our fingers?"

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Photo Essay: Thanksgiving Flashback

(some photos by Dan)

Did you notice what's missing?  Dessert!!  For the first time in my life, I was too full to eat any Thanksgiving dessert.  I blame the baby.

I had pie for breakfast the next day.


A few of our recipe links:
Bacon-Jalapeno Stuffing
Cranberry Horseradish Dressing
Green Beans with Balsamic-Shallot Butter


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Photo Essay: Peruvian Picnic at the Canoe Club

Outstanding food from:

Chicken Latino, Pittsburgh (PA)


Bonus Shot: Someone spotted this bee snacking on a mayfly and I managed to get a photo.



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How to Greet Your Guests

When we arrived in Pittsburgh, around 9pm, we were in serious need of a late supper before going to bed.  Luckily, we were staying with Dan's parents, who are great hosts under pressure -- especially when it comes to food.  Together, we made a lovely late night meal.



I'd brought a few "CSA leftovers" -- cherries, carrots, and radishes -- with me on the plane, so those were easy to wash and plate.  I didn't even peel the carrots; they were that fresh and good.



To this, Jim and Martha added juicy tomatoes with basil and mozzarella, as well as sliced bread.



Dan had also picked up some mortadella in Brooklyn, which added to the repast.  It turns out cured meat can be a good host/hostess gift if you don't have too far to travel.
 
P.S. Don't overlook my open-faced radish and butter sandwich.  It was simply delicious.

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Birthday Fish-a-ma-jig

My sister's birthday was a few weeks ago, and it was in her honor that I had a McDonalds Filet-O-Fish sandwich for dinner that day.  Above is the photo I sent her to prove it.

You might remember my sister, Cali, from her guest post about her law school food storage habits.  It's worth reading.  Eventually, I wrote its sister post (zing!) about my own fridge-full of food.

Anyway, Cali and I both have a taste for the sandwich above, which she and a friend call the "fish-a-ma-jig."  I eat one as a guilty pleasure every month or two, but only enjoy it if it's JUST out of the fryer.  Even then, if it's not eaten quickly, the last corner bite tastes sort of dreary and cold, so I don't linger. My favorite part?  Oozing tartar sauce.  I know this will gross some of you out, but I strive for honesty in these posts. And I like sauces.

Happy Birthday, Cali!  Here's to another year of occasional fish-a-ma-jigs.  My wish for you is that this next year will also find you living with a fully stocked fridge (she graduated from law school, folks! AND got a job!).  It's good to share this guilty pleasure with you.

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Stackable Easter

We received a cute stack of snack-filled boxes in the mail.  Surprise!  It was an Easter gift from my parents, via Harry & David.

So, just what was inside?



Tiny box: 2 small, completely melted chocolate truffle balls.  I do mean completely melted.  I stuck this, the smallest box, inside the fridge for a day to let things harden back up.  Then we were able to eat the chocolate shells that remained. 




Little box: A bag of honey-roasted cashews and pecans.  I've never had honey-roasted cashews before.  Quite nice.  Lime would have been a good flavor, too.




Smaller-medium box: 2 bags of Debeukelaer piroulines, also called cigarettes Russes, yummy rolled chocolate and cookie straws.  They tasted just the tiniest bit flat, but I think these always look better than they taste.  I still quite like (and happily eat) them!




Larger-medium box: A small bag of individually-wrapped caramels and a large wad of tissue paper.  These were very nice -- soft and buttery and sweet.  You could have fit more in there, H&D!  (I kid, I kid.)




Large box: A good-sized bag of Dark Chocolate Moose Munch, which is a sort of snack mix with caramel popcorn and dark chocolate.  Almonds, cashews, pecans, and honey were also on the ingredient list.  I was excited about trying this.  Yum!  I love popcorn mixes. If the few moose I've seen in my lifetime (most in Rocky Mountain National Park) were actually eating this stuff, I'd be fighting them at the bushes.  Or . . . maybe not.  Have you seen a moose?  They're large.

Thanks, Mom and Dad!  It was my happiest Easter gift since the days of childhood Easter baskets!  And way better than jellybeans.

More from my mother, the world traveler.

(photos by Mom)

Above, a kitchen in Nagaland.


Below, an outdoor fire pit for cooking.




Below, preparing leaf bowls for a festival meal.




Below, more views of food prep for the same festival.


(pork prep)




(leaf bowl assembly-line and supplies)

My mom went to Nepal.

(Photos in this post were taken by my mom)

Here are some pictures of snacks along the way.













Okay, maybe those last two weren't quite ready-to-eat.