Worst Tasting Products

I can eat virtually anything. I hate to waste food. Many years ago, Conagra's Banquet came out with frozen chicken nuggets that we decided to try. I bit into one and the taste was so horrible that I had to spit it out. I tried another just to make sure with the same result. I offered one to our one hundred and ten pound Flat-coated Retriever who loved to eat roadkill, and even he would not eat it. Yuck, one of the worst commercially-made products ever. I do not want to pick on Conagra. They probably make many good products, but back decades ago, we also tried their first Fat Free Ranch Dressing. It was like pouring vomit on a salad. No one could finish the lettuce with the nauseating Ranch on it. Worst dressing or condiment ever. These experiences were both thirty-plus years back, so I would guess if these products remain on the market, they would have to have been vastly improved, but I can tell you I will never find out.

When Italy Sneezes

The political turmoil in Italy knocked world markets down yesterday. US markets were hit hard. I never realized that US stocks were dependent in any way on events in Italy.

Not a Bargain

If you think your dollar value menu item is a great deal, you may actually be eating highly-processed, sodium-filled food with little nutritional value that would not have been a good deal for you even if it was free. By eating your "good deal", you are actually harming your body.

Great Value Meal

Your holiday turkey may seem expensive, but when you consider how many portions you have from it, the price does not seem so bad. For a day or two you enjoy it as traditional turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. Next you have it as sandwiches. Then, you probably finish it off as an ingredient in soup or casserole. What initially seemed pretty costly has become a part of a lot of different meals.

A Terrific Side

I happen to like spinach in almost all its incarnations, but my grandmother's spinach casserole was the best of all. She used frozen spinach well-drained, sour cream, Lipton onion soup mix, and bread crumbs. I could literally eat the whole casserole, if the other folks enjoying the meal had given me the chance. It was made with good ingredients- plus the one thing Polly always added- LOVE.

Best Dessert Ever

Forty year or so back, my grandmother made the best dessert that I have ever tasted. Amaretto cheesecake with a cherry topping made us all feel we had gone to heaven. Mom and I have tried to duplicate the deliciousness but never even come close. Sometimes the best things in life turn out to be a one off.

Really Dirty Martini

I was at the grand opening of a luxury car dealership once, when the old bartender dropped the bowl of olives he was going to use in the Martinis he served. He scooped them from the floor back into the bowl thinking no one had observed the event. I stuck with Evian that night.