This week, we went with Hungarian food, full-immersion style. The recipes for Chicken Paprikash, Hungarian Dumplings, and Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream came right out of Christopher Kimball’s November-December 2022 issue of Milk Street Magazine. https://www.177milkstreet.com/magazine Our chicken paprikash didn’t look quite like the pictures in the magazine, but it was very good, especially with…
Category: Chef Ben Cooks!
Hearty Pennsylvania Dutch Stock
About 15 years ago, we were interested in buying a small sofa that Phil found on Craig’s List. Since the location was close to where I work, I took our mini-van and a fistful of dollars so I could examine it after work and make an offer if I liked the looks of it. I…
Oc-two-ber
We live in unprecedented times. Never before has our country seen such division and polarization. Vicious hatred and lies find an audience in public forums, and when opinions are this intensely divided, can violence be far behind? Still, the debate rages on. Some cling fervently to their view that summer is best, while others work…
Dangling the Bacon
Years ago, when my friend Jen and I were teaching second grade across the hall from each other, we often bounced teaching ideas off of each other. Once in a discussion about classroom management and rewards, she suggested, “Sometimes, you just have to change that bacon you’re dangling,” followed almost instantly by, “Nope. That’s not…
The Hunger Games
Both Ben and Sophia were exceptionally content babies, but on the rare occasions when they fussed, I swear it was because they were too tired to eat and too hungry to sleep. That’s some bad mojo, but it is possible that in my dotage, I have slipped into fussy infant mode myself. When I get…
Fancy a Game of Squash?
My parents visited over Labor Day weekend, bringing great garden bounty. They didn’t grow the peaches, but I think everything else was a product of their garden: squash, bell peppers, chili peppers, pesto, and raspberry jam. My mom makes the best fruit jam ever, and if I were a better person, I wouldn’t hide it…
Go, Steve!
When my school year is underway, and the Little League World Series has come and gone, and a half bushel of bell peppers is $10 at the farmer’s market, you know it is time to think about Lycoming College football games. Ben is a great fan of home games because he knows and loves the…
Safety First
We recently had our annual meeting regarding Ben’s services and goals. Ben seemed to understand, with all the people in the room, that he should be answering questions the best he could. While trying to determine his understanding of safety procedures, the service coordinator asked him, “What does it mean when the fire alarm goes…
Ben: The Brunch Denier and the Maine Thing
This week, the Ben’s Day Wednesday team cited creative differences in their nearly irreconcilable meal plan. Ben wanted shrimp teriyaki tacos. Definitively. Mom thought shrimp teriyaki tacos sounded shrimp teri-yucky. (I love shrimp! Why would I try to jam it in a taco with teriyaki sauce?) Ben’s position: I love shrimp! Tacos and sauces are…
“No! That is my rice!”
Years ago, Phil and I were in an antiques store in town looking for a good bargain. Antiques store pricing is often flexible, so when Phil picked an item, he decided to ask the proprietor for a discount. She was on the phone, and as he approached the counter, we heard her say loudly and…