Ann T, I keep saying that you and I could eat together. Rare beef, fresh bread, you could have all my olives, and just an occasional bit of cheese. I DO love Michigan, I think it's just a couple of miles south of Heaven, as Renee used to tell me. I like our produce because it's fresh, I think it all suffers from long shipment. No way can a peach that was picked from the tree two hours ago at the peak of ripeness be compared to one picked 5 states away, last week, and slightly green so they can ship it successfully. I've also found that, no matter where I am, I like the local stuff best. I am hugely enamoured of peameal bacon, which I ate at a family reunion in Buckhorn, Canada, but I haven't seen it anywhere else, ever. I thoroughly enjoyed the almond champagne with chocolate port I got at the vineyard in California and no matter how I tried to replicate it, I couldn't do as well here. The tangerines lacksboys3 sent and the honeybells gardengrl sent me were far better than anything I've had here. The fresh seafood I got in Maine was far better than any I've had elsewhere, but I still like our Lake Perch and Walleye better here than anywhere else. I'm definitely one of those "eat locally" people. I'm looking forward to our trip to Texas, someplace in Brownsville sells cabrito, which I think is barbequed goat. Yup, definitely gotta try it and expand my food horizons, like I did in California with the sushi. Oh, and Sangria. Gotta try some sangria. Annie

Oh, I don't know. The sandwich here is peanut butter/nutella and jam/marshmallow fluff/sprinkles. It is a pb and j, essentially. PB is a plant based protein. My 3 kids had or could have had pb and j every day. My 3 kids are great adventurous adult eaters, slender and healthy. We don't eat fake food or junk food, other than pb and j! Marshmallow fluff is no worse than jam,-all carb, no benefits of fruit. We never had marshmallow fluff, but we did have jellies. Dh has pb on apple slices. My nuclear family has absolutely no desserts. Never have candy in the house, no desserts. Treats, per se, were not food oriented. No juices, except for oj, -just milk(cow's) and water. Apple juice, feh. Yes red meats, white meats, lots of fish, veggies, grains, little fat-but yes to cheese and dairy. My only grandchild, 12 yrs., eats every fish/seafood, incl mussels! Lots of animal protein-cell builders. I think it's important to 'raise up children' with attitudes which will keep them slender and fit. Never food rewards. (It's easy to train a kid to be a glutton) I spoil my grandson by paying him exorbitant money for doing household jobs for me. $20 bucks an hour, or more! But I'd spoil with junk food, too. He makes healthy choices on his own, but that's his parents' doing,-I can't take credit for that. Except for me in these senior years, my family and extended family are all slender, not just average, and mostly athletic-marathons, triathlons, runners, tennis, etc. A 'full bar' is foreign to us, wine yes. My kids never ever had to clean their plates. They stop eating when they're no longer hungry or full enough.

The thing I use most often (and in place of salt) is a bit of soup base, generally Better Than Bouillon brand, but the restaurant supply store (Surfas) has Custom Culinary, Gold Label that makes an excellent "Savory Roasted Vegetable Base". It's made in IL, and so you should be able to find it in Iowa easily enough. I buy a different brand of mushroom soup base, and it is also one of my favorites. In addition, I often add lime juice, mainly because I have so many limes these days. I have even more oranges, but I don't find orange flavor to be as versatile. My lemon tree is not producing as much as it used to, and I think it needs some treatment. As it turns out, I also use Sriracha HOT Chili Sauce, with the rooster on the label from Huy Fong Foods in Rosemead, CA. I last bought it as Bay Cities Deli, which is nominally Italian, but they have branched out to other cuisines. I tend to leave out salt in many recipes. If it is a stir fry, I often add tamarind paste. In soups, I often add ginger, as well as garlic, and sometimes sesame oil. I still have sweet basil growing in my yard that I need to use up, as it generally does not last through January. Lars

I'm probably too late, but here are 2 recipes. WARM SPINACH-PARMESAN DIP 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 3/4 cups chopped onion 6 large garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1/2 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth 1/2 cup whipping cream 1 10-ounce package ready-to-use fresh spinach leaves 1 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup sour cream 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Baguette slices, toasted Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock and cream; bring to boil, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, cheese, sour cream and cayenne (spinach will wilt). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer dip to serving bowl. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices. Makes about 3 cups. Bon Appétit SPINACH AND GARLIC DIP WITH PITA TRIANGLES AND VEGETABLES Fresh spinach, sauteéd in oil with garlic, is pureed with sour cream and green onions to create this delicious dip. For a picnic, transport the dip and the vegetables in a cooler, or surround them with cold packs in the picnic basket. 1 1/2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic 8 cups (packed) fresh spinach leaves (about 5 ounces) 1/2 cup chopped green onions 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 2 6-inch-diameter pita breads Assorted raw vegetables Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 10 seconds. Add spinach; sauté until wilted and tender, about 2 minutes. Cool. Puree spinach and green onions in processor. Transfer to medium bowl. Mix in sour cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill. Preheat broiler. Slice each pita bread horizontally in half, forming 2 circles. Cut each circle into 4 triangles. Place triangles in single layer on baking sheet. Lightly brush pita triangles with 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Broil until golden, watching closely to avoid burning and moving triangles on baking sheet to brown evenly, about 2 minutes. Cool. (Dip and pita triangles can be made 1 day ahead. Keep dip chilled. Store pita in airtight container.) Serve dip with pita triangles and assorted raw vegetables. Makes 6 servings. Bon Appétit August 1997