IowaDee

I think the food channel is also partly to blame. So many of the shows make all the jobs in the restaurant business sound like they are just a step away from stardom. Even the busboy can dream about a Guy, Rachael or Alton stopping in and being amazed by his sheer talent as he clears tables and sweep up crumbs. Oh my, just who we have been looking for to be our next star in Busboys of the World. The nltty gritty side of working in a restaurant, front end or back is glossed over Why settle for a mundane job, when fame and fortune await around the next table? I notice a trend to have shows staring second or third rate country music stars. Each show features a "cast" or their friends and we are supposed to grovel in envy while watching them eat grits and jowls So kids,while waiting for Alton to show up, you might want to learn a few basic cords on the guitar and buy some boots...ya just never know....In the meantime, keep that day job.

Fibber McGee could take closet packing lessons from the two of you! Thanks for letting us tag along, it is always a great ride.

Smart indeed, you might call them "egg heads"!

Travelblogs like yours are my favorite reading here. Now if I could only find a way to taste your amazing food photos it would be perfect. Thanks for letting us tag along with you. it was a great trip.

The canned stuff is inky black and not at all as good as the fresh picked version. When my kids were little, they liked to poke the fresh stuff and make it puff out what they called "devil dust." And that is basically why they never got to take an ear to show and tell.

I agree, chipmunks are pure evil. Around here they are known as rats in sport coats. Several years ago we watched one scale the stucco wall of our garage and empty out a nest of baby barn swallows. And, this year, they are eating our cherry tomatoes as fast as they start to ripen. And, when not eating, I am convinced they are breeding up a storm I am wondering if birth control pills could be implanted into the tomatoes?

Am I the only one who remember Jell-O 123? Or maybe it was later than the 60's?

Maybe you can string them together and call them New Mexico leis? Maybe you could disguise them as Kachina dolls? Or the native version of Ken and Barbie? Hey, I've been on flights with babies that smelled lot worse then green chilies. And I have yet to hear a chili cry for a solid hour.

Those look very cool. Maybe you could make little ones and call them Trilo-Bites?

Oh yes, dessert for dinner rings a bell with me. This is the time of year that we often make a meal of nothing but strawberry shortcake. Took more than once for our SIL to discover the joys of it but he now considers it one of the things that makes his in-laws the best in the world. I made that last part up

No sweets in the morning for me either. The very thought of pancakes dripping with syrup is just repulsive . Now, at night, it tastes just delightful. Like Shelby, I not only eat leftover dinner for breakfast, I make sure there are leftovers. Family knows better than to snack on what will become MY breakfast.

I enjoyed that a lot. It also made me want to kick myself in the ass yet again for getting rid of all the Descoware I once had. What a fool I was and what was I thinking?

What beautiful photos! I could frame them and hang them on my kitchen wall!

Probably not the answer you're looking for me but marrying a man who was more at home in a kitchen than I was has proven to be the best investment I have every made. He gave me the confidence to spread my wings and gain the confidence to cook. Many years, and many failures later, I am a good cook who loves everything about the job. Best of all, my former teacher now asks my advice when it comes to recipes. Cooking together has become a joy and we have the extra weight to prove how much we practice it The best appliances, knives etc. can't compete with having a partner who shares the joy of producing a shared meal. Invest wisely and it will last a lifetime.

Shelby, if you head east and turn north at St. Louis, you will almost be at my door after you arrive in Iowa. Pick me up and I can hold the ball of yarn while you knit.

Beautiful, Had I been able, I would have grabbed them out form under you! My everyday Corelle Wear dishes has a band of chilies running around the edge. I am always looking for cool things to go with them Recently I did find four pretty neat soup mugs featuring a Tabasco Sauce label on them Your neat find would fit right in. Congrats on a great score.

Sitting on the front porch and drinking in an Iowan's defense against the constant stream of politicians and pundits going by. Even more effective is wearing patched bib overalls while swilling that PBR. And a shotgun propped against the step makes a fine accessory as well. As an Iowan, ya gotta do what you gotta do to keep your sanity at election time. One of our favorite pass times is convincing wan-a-bes how important it is to have their picture taken while eating a corndog at the fair! They always fall for it too!

We were at a general store run by our local Mennonites yesterday They had locally grown tomatoes and apparently way too many of them! They were selling bags of 10 for 25 cents! That's per bag, not per tomato. They were ripe and should be used fresh within a very few days. I'm sure there were a lot of people firing up their canning kettles and washing those jars! We had monster blts for lunch and made fresh salsa. Still four tomatoes left but a big salad is on the menu. They also were selling limes, 10 for a buck. And beautiful shallots for $2.45 a pound. That's a lot of shallots. Always an adventure to shop there especially since we only went to buy 100 pounds of sunflower seeds to feed the birds. The store is called Dutchman's and they do have a website. Fun place to shop.

You are a true artist and so deserving of the awards! Thanks for sharing your many talents.

Polly wants a magnum

Sounds like what we call a Bloody Beer,made with dos Equis lager.

This is exactly the type of place we delight in when we find one. We have a dinky little Mexican place that is amazing. Family run and with love and pride. I love the fact that each table has a small potted plant no matter the season. The bright red pots and greenery some how capture the spirit of the place. There are some really bad murals on the walls showing life in rural Mexico. I suspect a family member did them and because of that, they are unique and beautiful. It is always an adventure ordering. Sometimes you get salsa and chips and sometimes not. Every so often they bring a bowl of extra queso fresco to the table but not always. No matter, we always leave with full tummies and full hearts, happy that places like that can survive and thrive in today's fast food culture. And, come to think of it, they never bring water to the table. They have a big cooler and customers just walk up and help themselves to whatever they want to drink as long as it is Mexican pop.

I too have many old pieces of it, all in the cornflower design. Most are marked on the bottom as how to use them. For example, my 8 in. square pan says it is for oven, range or microwave use. I could find no pieces that mentioned using them in the broiler, but I would feel comfortable doing just that. The new stuff, maybe not Best coffee I ever had was made in a Corning Ware electric pot. It was a sad day in our kitchen when the pot was recalled. In return for sending in the lid, I got credit or coupons for all types of their products. Don't tell anyone but I found another lid at a yard sale,a couple of years later and sent it in as well. If you were lucky enough to be on my Christmas list that year, there was a piece of Corning Ware with your name on it!

A trip like this has been a dream of mine for a long, long time. I am so happy that you will get to experience it and, hopefully share your visit. The cooking lessons sound amazing and I am envious but again, looking forward to your memories of them I so hope that the family troubles were a mere bump in the road for you..

And that makes it perfect for a "sit down" dinner. I think it looks pretty cool!