Foodie for Dummies

Who better than I could write Foodie for Dummies? It would be a guidebook on becoming a foodie for the uninitiated reader. Nothing groundbreaking here, and perhaps no particularly good ideas either, but when did that stop me or anyone else from writing? My favorite reads are the ones that tell me what I already know. I feel empowered at sharing an opinion with a published writer. Blogs count. "Don't buy cheap shoes. Don't spend money you don't have," they tout. "Ooh, you're so right," I say. So here's the first idea I'm sharing. More will follow. Discussion and/or dissension is encouraged.

When you eat at a restaurant, order one of the house specials, the especialidades de la casa, the 'chef recommends,' whatever it's called. There is no point in going to a steakhouse to order chicken, a seafood restaurant for a hamburger, or anywhere to get chicken strips (if you're over ten years old).



Tonight for dinner: Italian chicken breasts, wheat spaghetti with tomato sauce, garlic bread, and a couple of new recipes: Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette and Lemon Chiffon Cake. I liked the spinach salad, but I love spinach. Scott said bacon was the only ingredient in the salad he liked, so that left more for me! Today I made my first attempt at chiffon cake. I was terrified of underbeating the egg whites, which turned out fine. However, as I feared, my tube pan was smaller than the one called for in the recipe. (Who can find a 16-cup tube pan?) The cake didn't spill over the edge, but it did puff up quite a bit during cooking, creating a two-inch wide burned ring around the bottom of the cake. A serrated knife and a lemon glaze helped its appearance somewhat, though it's just going to have to settle for being pretty in its own little way. The cake and I both try to get by on our sparkling personalities instead.

I forgot to plug the Lubbock Arts Festival to my wide reading audience in Lubbock. Now it's too late, but if you didn't make it, you can still hit the First Friday Art Trail on May 4.