This week Ben suggested we make taco salad for supper. I readily agreed because its preparation includes little more than washing and chopping vegetables and browning some ground beef. I thought I had gotten off easy. When I came home from work, there was a pan of apple dumplings on the back porch. When Laura…
Category: Chef Ben Cooks!
The Fall
Much as I want to stretch out summer as long as I can, even I have to face the fact that we are nearing the end of weekend rides in the convertible, sleeping on the sleeping porch, and all the incredible fresh fruits and vegetables we can handle. This is the seasonal transition time that…
More School Bell
We’re in it, Baby! The school year has begun, and both Phil and I (for the first time in 14 years!) are enjoying getting to know our new classes. I do this every year, but Phil is reacquainting himself with August start-up as a professor. So far, so good. Ben has not been in school…
Speaking of Which…
If you have spent much time around Ben lately, you will likely have noticed that his new favorite phrase is, “Speaking of which…” He uses it correctly and it makes him sound very sophisticated. He has a pretty well-developed vocabulary, though it seems to have some holes. How can the same guy request a charcuterie…
‘Union
If summers had themes, and we really think they should, ours would be family. A new family began when Sophia and Jake got married, existing families came together for the big event, and we also attended both a Sprunger reunion and a Yoder reunion this summer! Ben dispenses with the first syllable of reunion and…
Eat the Rainbow
Thank goodness you chose the rainbow challenge for this week’s cooking adventure! (I couldn’t face those frozen bananas for a second week in a row, especially when paired with pretzels, shrimp and a surprise ingredient!) Besides, summer’s produce is filled with colorful choices for a rainbow meal! We all know that eating a variety of…
Pork Wellington and a Cooking Challenge Hoax!
As you know, last week we came to you, the readers, to help us pick items for our cooking challenge that would help reduce our freezer and pantry contents. Phil and I each put 10 “slow moving” items on a list and you voted for the ones you wanted us to use. I carefully tallied…
Something Old, Something New, Plus a Vote Needed from You
With the wedding behind us and Phil returning to teaching in the fall, Ben and I are excited to start up our Ben’s Day Wednesday activities again. I had in mind starting with something new, but when I asked Ben what we should cook this week, he suggested chicken parm, the dish we have been…
You say you want a resolution…
You know, we’d all love to change the world, but Ben and I think small when it comes to self-improvement. I think small because personal experience has taught me that saying I’m going to do something on January 1st usually results in my doing exactly the opposite that year. I guess it’s reverse psychology that…
Cuckoo for Coq au Vin
Some time ago, I was relaying a story to Phil and I ended with the disclaimer, “But, you know, he’s cuckoo for cocoa…” Before I had the chance to finish, Ben supplied the word I had obviously intended, … “vin.” Those of you in my general age range who lived for Saturday mornings when you…