Chiquita Banana Parties with Friends

Between correcting finals for one of my online classes and getting ready for the trip that begins tomorrow (oops, I guess that's later today), I haven't really had time to think, let alone blog.  And as if we weren't busy enough, I had not one but two Saturday parties to attend - one at 1:00 and one in the evening - and the time between the two was spent putting together the fruit salad I took to the second party.  At the end of the evening just a few lonely cubes of papaya were left in the bottom of my largest salad bowl, so apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it turned out well.  Here's what I put in it:

Tropical Fresh Fruit Salad

1 pineapple
1 papaya
1 mango
1 orange
2 bananas
2 kiwi fruit
1/2 cup roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
2 Tbl finely chopped candied ginger
2 Tbl Triple Sec

Thinly slice the bananas and kiwis and cube the rest of the fruit.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

(I made a big batch because it was a fairly large party.  When I make this for just Barry and me, I cut the amounts in half, leave out the orange and kiwi, and sometimes substitute coconut and/or pecans for the macadamia nuts.  You can also use canned pineapple if you don't feel like tackling a fresh one.)


"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?" ~Albert Einstein 

Snacking All the Way

Barry and I rarely go anywhere without a stash of emergency food, so we can't possibly drive all the way to Omaha next week without stocking the car with provisions.  What if we're driving across trackless, restaurant-less wastes when lunchtime rolls around?  What if we decide to do a little hiking in scenic areas and need some extra energy?  What if we end up being snowbound on some Colorado back road on the return trip?  We'll need survival rations, right?  Although we usually pack a few commercial granola bars, I'm also mixing a big bag of our own trail mix recipe for snacking along the way.

Fruit and Cereal Trail Mix

1 cup Multi-Grain Cheerios
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries

Seal ingredients in a plastic container and shake until thoroughly mixed.

Of course, thinking about that potential Colorado blizzard - maybe we need two bags....

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  ~Fran Lebowitz

On the Road Again

When I was in grade school, my parents and another couple with small children bought a travel trailer together, and for several years we rattled around the country in it during summer vacations.  It was nothing like the gigantic, comfortable motorhomes that people buy now.  The propane stove was a tiny, two-burner hotplate and the "refrigerator" was just an ice box.  The miniature sink had a pump rather than faucets, and the trailer had no electrical outlets or bathroom facilities.  In addition, one child always had to sleep on a stretcher-like hammock hanging over our parents' bunk - talk about a romance killer for them!  Still, we had great time eating strange food, touring museums, and exploring exotic new scenery.  We never stayed in a big city because Dad hated driving in metropolitan areas with the trailer bobbing and weaving behind the station wagon, but we visited so many of the nation's national parks that between those trips and my later travels I've seen every state except Alaska.  I've had itchy feet and a love of travel since our first trip in that beat-up little tin can on wheels.

Since Barry and I have been together we've never taken a road trip longer than one day's drive.  This is partly because he doesn't care for driving and partly because his older daughter works for an airline, so he can fly practically anywhere for free as long as he's willing to go standby.  On Sunday, however, we're loading up the car and heading for Omaha to visit (and start spoiling) his new granddaughter.  The drive should take 3-4 days in each direction and I'm pretty excited about it.  We're staying over one day in Oklahoma City, which I've never seen, and if the weather stays good we'll be coming home by way of the beautiful Rockies.

Despite his usual dislike for planning ahead, Barry went to AAA for the maps and guide books we used to plot the route, and he researched and made reservations at the hotels where we're going to stay.  Together we planned the sights we're going to see along the way and the stuff we're going to pack to keep the ride from being too boring.  We also agreed, for everyone's sake, to stay in a comfortable hotel once we reach our destination rather than camping out in Barry's daughter's basement.  This doesn't mean we won't at some point be tired and touchy, but on the whole, this should be a fun trip.

I'm actually thinking this could be better than my childhood vacations; after all, we'll be staying in places with private bathrooms, and no children will be suspended over our bed!

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."  ~St. Augustine

Better than Pizza

I've mentioned before that my mother had to learn to cook on her own, so she didn't really know how to teach my sister and me what she knew.  She went back to work when we were in junior high, leaving us responsible for making lunch for ourselves and our father.  We took turns following the instructions on whatever recipe card she left us for the day; some of the results were successful, and some of them were not.  We learned the hard way what happens when the heat is too high under the cream of mushroom soup, or too low under the hash brown potatoes.  Poor Dad ate what we put before him and suffered in silence while we came to grips with the culinary arts.  Eventually, though, we could successfully interpret practically any recipe set before us.

A friend of mine grew up under much worse conditions.  Her parents could barely cook and didn't teach her much more than how to order delivery pizza and reheat leftovers in the microwave.  After she married her husband was the family chef; unfortunately, the couple is now separating and my friend and her daughter may be doomed to eat bad takeout until the end of time.  At the risk of possibly insulting her, I bought her an apartment-warming gift this weekend: Better Homes and Gardens New Junior Cook Book.

This book is designed to teach children how to cook.  It starts with the basics - how to measure ingredients,  the names of cooking utensils, the meaning of culinary terms, and safety tips.  The recipes seem to have been chosen for ease of preparation and child appeal; they include pancakes, smoothies, sandwiches, tacos, salads and brownies.  The instructions are clearly written and include utensil lists and estimated preparation times.  The pages are also illustrated with clever cartoons and appetizing food photos.

This great little book makes learning to cook look like fun.  It's the book I wish I'd had when I was in junior high.  I hope it will help my friend and her daughter pick up some kitchen survival skills as painlessly as possible.

"Bad cooks - and the utter lack of reason in the kitchen - have delayed human development longest and impaired it most." ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Mirror, Mirror, on the Ball

This week the 200th episode of "Dancing with the Stars" will air, and we will definitely be watching it.

We started following the show at the beginning of Season 5 because we're amateur ballroom dancers.  We weren't particularly interested in the celebrities; as one comedian said, in some seasons the title of the show could well be "Dancing with the Vaguely Familiar."  We initially admired the choreography and the exhibitions by the pros.  Over time, though, we've been sucked in by the characteristic that makes "Dancing with the Stars" different from the vast majority of competition shows: the "nice" factor.

If you haven't ever seen the program, it superficially resembles many other reality contest shows.  Each week another contestant and his or her partner are eliminated until the finale, when one couple is selected as the winners of the "coveted mirror ball trophy."  The twist is that the dancers are scored partly by a panel of professional judges and partly by votes from the television audience.  The judges evaluate the celebrities' performance quality and dancing technique; the audience seems to vote for the dancers they find most likable.

Early on we noticed that whiners and stars who heaped abuse on their professional partners didn't have much longevity, regardless of how well they danced.  As time has gone by and the fans have become more fond and (presumably) more protective of the most personable pros, one week of surly or insulting behavior by a celebrity can spell abrupt elimination.  The professional judges are also generally supportive rather than vitriolic a la Simon Cowell.  This is one show where nice guys definitely don't finish last.

Of course, someone is choosing and editing all the rehearsal clips we see, so some of the "nice" stars may very well be just as unpleasant in real life as the ones whose misbehavior the audience gets to view, but we enjoy watching a program that at least seems to be rewarding hard work and positive attitude rather than naked greed and unbridled aggression.  On the dance floor, good sportsmanship is apparently still alive and well.

"One man practicing good sportsmanship is far better than 50 others preaching it."  ~Knute Rockne