Dining and Opining

The doldrums* I've been stuck in for the last few weeks were partially abandoned yesterday when I came home to more happy mail in one day than I ever get, except for my birthday!   Opening these exciting packages and discovering the wonderful contents within gave me such a deep sense of joy and gratitude towards the kind friends who had so thoughtfully and appropriately chosen gifts for me and mailed them, without any special occasion needed. The first package I opened was from my dearest family friends, MS and ES, who have been my second-string parents for as long as I can remember. It contained a wonderful screen-printed shirt with a canning jar on it that read "Yes We Can...Eat Local" and a logo for the Root Cafe . I wrote about this terrific cafe in Little Rock, AR, way back in my first week of blogging here at D&O. And I'm happy to report that the cafe has been thriving ever since, and that I now get to advertise it's awesome-ness here in Madison,...

Did you guys read about that new nutrition study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in June? Jane Brody offered a good summary of it in the New York Times. The findings weren't all that surprising, but reinforced many of my thoughts on nutrition: the kinds of foods you eat matter more than the sheer number of calories, not all fats are bad for you, exercise is important but not enough on its own, etc. The study also offered an analysis of specific foods that contribute the most to weight gain: "French fries led the list: Increased consumption of this food alone was linked to an average weight gain of 3.4 pounds in each four-year period."  Whoa. French fries are no good for you. So, can I still admit that fries, and especially sweet potato fries, are one of my very favorite bad-for-me indulgence foods? Mmmm...the crispy fried outside with the soft warm sweet inside gets me every time. And my favorite incarnation of all are the sweet potato fries at Alc...

Though we missed our fathers on Fathers' Day, we managed to make the most of the day with a trip to one of the most beautiful Wisconsin farms I've ever visited, for a fundraiser to help pay the medical bills of one of the farm owners, who has chronic Lyme's Disease. The farm is Snug Haven Farm, in Belleville, Wisconsin, which is reputed for having the most delicious overwintered spinach anyone has ever tasted .  I can attest to this. So many local restaurants and vendors pitched in to help support the event, providing the awesome food and items for the silent auction and live music and entertainment: We ate like queens and kings: Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Arugula Pesto and Homemade Ketchup from Mermaid Cafe , Potato Salad from L'Etoile , Ravioli Salad from Madison Club , Rhubarb Lemonade from Graze , and Apple Strawberry Bars from Honey Bee Bakery : And we even got to spend the morning with old friends, like DocDirD, who was a joy to be with despite bei...

I've managed to go 27 years without ever having had real surgery or having to undergo anesthesia. Tomorrow, that surgery-less stretch comes to an end. I'll be having my one wisdom tooth extracted, lest it continue growing and yield infections or crooked teeth.   from http://www.cedarpearldentist.com/oral_surgery_14.htm l And although we have a fridge full of delicious, crunchy vegetables from our CSA and from the farmers' market in Springfield, Illinois (where I was last week--more on that soon), I don't think I'll be eating any of those with my raw and impaired mouth. So, this leaves me wondering just what exactly I will be eating. What are some favorite soft foods that carried you all through wisdom teeth surgery?  Any general advice? So far, I'm thinking: oatmeal, mashed sweet potatoes, refried beans, applesauce, smoothies, avocado, pureed soups. And I've read that pineapple juice is good for healing? What else, to keep me nourished and fe...