Yesterday, on the way home from work, I stopped at the side of the road where a man was selling Arkansas produce. He had tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelons, and peaches. My mood was for the tomatoes, which is why I stopped, but when I got out of my car the heavenly aroma of those cantaloupes was filling the air.

They were all huge, though. I mean, the size of basketballs! Son doesn’t care for cantaloupe and I didn’t want one that would go to waste if I couldn’t eat it all. So, I asked if he had a small one. He looked through what he had and found one that probably still weighed around 8 or 9 pounds, but it was the smallest one he had. He said, “Here’s a ‘baby’ one compared to the others.” I chuckled, and I bought it.

When I got it home, I cut into it. It was so ripe and juicy that the knife nearly just fell through it. I scraped the seeds out of one half, and sliced that into wedges, some of which I ate right away. Yum!

I had the other part of the wedges for breakfast this morning. Again, Yum! Cantaloupe is so delicious when it’s locally grown and fully ripe like this one is. Nothing you get at the supermarket can compare. Mostly, those are picked only partially ripened, but they never achieve this level of juiciness and soft flesh. They are like eating green ones that simply turned an orange color, and they tend to be tough - almost crunchy.

When you’re shopping for cantaloupe, though, you should be looking for a few things. One is that you can smell it through the rind. Another is that if you press your thumb into the stem end, you feel a give - like a sponginess - to that spot. If you don’t get the aroma and the stem end is hard, the melon is not ripe and will likely never ripen before it rots on your counter.

Some things just need to be eaten while they are “in season”, instead of eaten year ’round. Since there are always some kind of seasonal fruits and vegetables to be had, there is no reason why you can’t have a balanced diet with plenty of variety at any time of the year. You just won’t have the same things all year long.

Technorati Tags: produce, cantaloupes

Once I get my digital camera back from Younger Daughter, I’m going to see if I can set up a sort of photography studio in the kitchen. Not for taking pictures of people. For taking pictures of food. Food on plates. Food in pans. Raw food. I really want to learn to take beautiful food pictures and have them on my blog a lot more often. I think pictures whet the appetite when recipes are being discussed, don’t you?

I’ve looked around at small, portable “studios” and they seem like a pretty simple set up. A roomy box with a black or deep, navy blue lining. A nice compact flash that concentrates the light on the subject, or bounces it for a different effect.

Something like this would also work for other pictures I want to take, such as when I’m selling items on eBay. But mainly, I want to have beautiful dishes on my blog.

Technorati Tags: digital camera, photography, food

This morning at work, I decided to get some hotcakes and sausage. I told a crew member that I just wanted something I could eat with a fork. He chuckled, but I do grow tired of having meals that have to be unwrapped or unboxed before I can eat them.

When I got home, I still had that “eat it with a fork” feeling. So, even though I was really tired, son and I cooked up a nice meal for our supper. He had already gotten chuck steaks out of the freezer, and I’d stopped and picked up a few items at the grocery store. We wound up having the chuck steaks, fried corn, green beans, biscuits, home made macaroni and cheese, and sliced locally grown tomatoes. It was delicious and certainly satisfied that “eat it with a fork” feeling!

Though I tried to make just enough for supper, we still wound up with some leftovers. Those will be great for lunch tomorrow and I won’t mind revisiting the meal one bit.

Have you ever had that “eat it with a fork” urge?

Technorati Tags: hotcakes and sausage, eat it with a fork, supper, leftovers

I’m really looking forward to my two days off, Monday and Tuesday. The schedule I’ve worked since becoming the general manager of our store has kept me so busy that I’ve barely had any time at home to prepare meals. It’s better than diet pills for weight loss, too, since I now find myself working even harder than before.

I think I work harder, though, not because the job demands it but because I demand it of myself. I am even more interested in our store doing well because it’s a direct reflection on me if it doesn’t. I am ever more vigilant to make sure things the customer sees are kept really clean and that their orders are perfectly done. I am also more watchful about food waste. That is, the amount of food that winds up being thrown away because it’s been held. That food has an expiration time after it’s prepared, and preparing less means less waste after the alloted time, if it’s not all sold.

I am more watchful about correct procedures, too. These are in place so the customer experience is the same at our store as it is at any store of ours across the nation. As I told one of the crew members, “You don’t have to be original or creative here. All procedures are in place and designed to give the customers exactly what they expect.”

Technorati Tags: schedule, general manager, food

What’s the first thing you do when you get home, whether from work or from an outing? The first thing I do is get a tall glass of ice water. It’s the one thing I really crave after work and after the long drive home. I probably should take bottled water with me all the time in a small cooler, but so far I haven’t.

These hot days require us all to drink more water. Since my car doesn’t have air conditioning, I am especially hot and drained when I arrive home. When you sweat, you get rid of some toxins, but you also lose some electrolytes. You also lose water, which is a vital nutrient for the human body. Drinking water will replace the moisture that has drained from your body and will give you more ability to think straight.

I usually drink plain water, but I’m thinking I should at least buy some bottled water that’s enhanced with vitamins and minerals. The Mayo Clinic offers some excellent guidelines about how much water to drink every day or during strenuous exercise. As you probably already know, the amount of intake each day depends on your gender, your health, and the level of your activity.

Technorati Tags: water, bottled water

I guess I better head to bed soon. The party kind of got me wired, even though there was nothing at the party to cause such an effect. I think I was just excited that I could have such a thing in the home I’ve moved into.

Even though this kind of a party mainly presents things like sun screen and acne treatment, to keep your skin in top condition, I enjoyed it so much that I’m sure I’m going to do it again. I love being able to invite people into my home, regardless of the reason, and I hope to become a better hostess as I go along - the kind of hostess I used to be.

I already know that parties don’t have to be lavishly appointed for everyone to have fun. And I know that the hostess doesn’t have to spend the whole party, stuck in the kitchen while her guests enjoy themselves in another room. I would, however, love to know what kind of things you serve at parties.

Technorati Tags: party, hostess

I wound up with only one guest at my spa party, but that’s just fine because she placed an order and she agreed to host a party herself! She is in high school and has lots of friends that would be interested in going to her party. Of course, I’ll either attend it or will order so that she can have a successful party.

The nutritious snacks were a big hit with her, my daughter, and my son, who graced us with his presence when it was time for snacks. Sliced apples, cubes of cheddar and colby jack cheese, thin sliced deli meats and cheeses, as well as caramel dip, made for a lite but tasty snack after the spa party was at an end.

There are plenty of snacks left, too, for us to have on hand for the next few days. These are exactly the kinds of things we love to grab out of the fridge and eat while watching movies.

Technorati Tags: spa party, nutritious snacks

I had really hoped to finish the glass painting project before today. However, between work and rain, it hasn’t gotten done. See, glass paint won’t dry very well on damp days. I can do the painting on plates and windows just fine, but I can’t handle the projects until they are dry, which just isn’t happening now.

Probably the only solution would be to place them where basement dehumidifiers could dry the air and allow for the paint to dry. I’ve found, too, that when I’m making jelly, the same thing applies. If the air is very damp, as it is today, the jelly won’t set up as nicely as it does on a dry day. Also, bread doesn’t seem to rise as well when it’s a rainy day. I suppose the air, heavily laden with moisture, affects all kinds of processes.

I just hope it doesn’t keep people away tonight!

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I have been busy trying to pull things together for the spa party tonight. Just about all I have left to do now is get snacks and drinks prepared.

The snacks will be simple. Some fruit and cheese, and probably some roll ups made with smoked turkey, salsa, and cream cheese. It will all be finger foods.

The roll ups can be made with just about anything you want, but we like these the best:

Tortilla Roll Ups

Lay out a flour tortilla. Spread it with cream cheese. Spoon on a little mild salsa. Add a layer of deli sliced smoked turkey. Roll it up tightly and chill it for a little while. Slice into one inch pieces and anchor them with either toothpicks or pretzel sticks.

One pack of tortillas will make a lot of roll ups! Don’t fill them too full or the ingredients will squish out when you’re handling them.

I will also get grapes, cubed cheddar cheese, caramel dip, and apple slices for a fruit tray.

Technorati Tags: spa party, snacks, roll ups

The past two and a half years have been spent with me learning who “Ann” really is. I find that I’m a much more complex person than I really thought I was. While my true loves are evidenced in my home, especially my kitchen, I’m becoming more aware of my abilities to direct the tasks of others instead of just doing everything myself. Even so, it might be time to read A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, from Oprah’s Book Club.

I think we can all learn more about ourselves - about our purpose here on this earth, as temporary as our stay here may be. When we learn what our purpose is, then we can function effectively and make a positive impact on those around us. This is food for the soul.

Technorati Tags: kitchen, Oprah’s Book Club