Dairy Daze...and Now Beyond

If there is one thing I love to do in the kitchen it's to try new things. After all, who wants to keep eating the same boring stuff all the time, right? Yes, well. There is this place south of town that sells discount groceries once or twice a month. I like to go there and see what they have; different produce, bags of flour, pasta...etc. You just never know. One day I found purple cauliflower: It makes a very colorful dish of vegetables, doesn't it? I loved it. Hubby was a bit dubious. He said it had an odd flavor. I will concede; it DID taste different, but not really so I could put my finger on it. Maybe a bit sweeter. Ellen liked it. She ate it right up. She loves vegetables. At .50 cents a head, if it ever shows up again, hubby had better be prepared to eat purple cauliflower again. That's all I can say.

Reflecting back upon my mother's kitchen, I vaguely remember that she had a little wooden spice rack mounted on the wall. It had maybe 3-4 shelves, 2 or 3 of which were filled with odds and ends; maybe some food coloring, a bottle of vanilla extract, and maybe 3 or 4 other flavorings, a salt and pepper shaker set or two, and then a few spices; salt, pepper, and honestly I cannot remember what else. She seasoned most every dish with garlic salt. My father thought black pepper was a heinous evil, on par with white bread, baking soda and baking powder. (Hence she hid those last 2 items in the cupboard-white bread was not allowed into the house at all-along with any other white flour products, like soda/soup crackers...etc.) I had not had my own kitchen long (starting only a little over 6-7 years ago, a bit before I married) that I realized I was NOT like my mother. I love exotic spices. I am not into hot spices, but just exotic spices. It probably began back in Portland with my first ...

For want of anything trenchant to write today; not that I EVER have anything trenchant to write, here is one of the latest Ellen photos. What joy a child has in being totally oblivious to appearances...just enjoy your food, make the most of it and what doesn't make it into your mouth...wear it with pride! (Actually, it isn't a cookie she was eating, it was one of those teether biscuits.)