MY KITCHEN GUARDIAN

I found a 40-ish year old picture of my Grandma cooking that has been framed and is hanging on the wall overlooking my kitchen - she's my kitchen guardian!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

FAVORITE PRO-CARNIVORE QUOTES

I was watching The Cleveland Show tonight and in one scene, Cleveland's step-daughter, who was incensed at the treatment of a reindeer, offered this gem:

"Cruelty to animals is wrong - except when it results in a bacon double cheeseburger."

So I started thinking of all the great pro-meat quotes I'd heard and I decided to post a few of them ... enjoy!

"Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistant irritant to any chef worth a damn. To me, life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living. Vegeterians are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit, an affront to all I stand for, the pure enjoyment of food." — Anthony Bourdain

"There's room for all of God's creatures - right next to the mashed potatoes." - Unknown

"Vegetarian: old Indian word for 'Lousy Hunter'." - Bumper Sticker

"Behold the Venus flytrap, the complete answer to the philosophy of vegetarianism" - Tom Edwards

"Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man with wind and self righteousness." - Robert Hutchinson

"If God did not intend for us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?" - John Cleese

"Red meat is not bad for you. Now, blue-green meat--that's bad for you!" - Tom Smothers

"Vegetarian = more meat for me!" - Bumper Sticker

"Eating a plate of food that contains no animal product of any kind marks you down as a squirrel." - Jeremy Clarkson

COLD AND RAINY MORNING? MAKE BACON!

I used to rail against the "bake vs. fry" bacon debate. I was a vicious advocate for frying - would argue anyone to my point.

Then I got older and my keep-a-clean-kitchen neurosis got worse and I learned, much to my surprise, that even though SOME of the crispy-ness is lost, baking bacon provides all of the taste, with virtually NO cleanup except throwing out greasy aluminum foil!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

FANCIE WAS THEIR NAME

Another great Trader Joe's find ... was shopping with a friend the other night and in the "NEW ITEMS" section I ran up on this box. Naturally, anything with chocolate is going to catch my eye but when I noticed these were called "fancies" I did a double take.

Basically, it's a Whitman's Sampler for the jet set. A selection of "fancies", all chocolate cups with a ganache and fruit filling ... raspberry, orange, pomegranate, cherry and cranberry.

I couldn't have been more delighted when I opened the package to find, well, you see it don't you? It's just pretty! Lots of little baubles of tasty confection.

And at only $4.99 a box, they're an affordable treat for yourself OR these would make a perfect gift for that person that (barring diabetes or a criminal distaste for chocolate) you just can't ever buy for!

When you're sick ...

... you want comfort food. And, on tonight's trip to Trader Joe's comfort food = parmagianno reggiano cheese, crusty bread and a red wine with a pig on the label!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry