Campfood

It was a great weekend camping. The hilarity of my friend Laura and I sitting among pillows and propane tanks the whole ride there put us in stitches. Then yesterday, we sat by the river, only managing to put our feet to sleep in the icy water. But it was perfect; right down to the cheap beer (Hamm's!) and bad-for-you food....

The highlight of the junkfest was rediscovering Smartfood. It's a superfood, indeed, soft popcorn covered with a white cheddar powder that melts on your tongue. I first tasted it as a sample handout at my sister's college "Little Siblings" weekend in 1987. Then, we had the requisite hotdogs, donuts, Ritz (whole wheat) and Tillamook cheese, and yes, even cheesy poofs -- I nearly cried with joy when I saw some nectarines, bananas, corn, and bell peppers by day two.

The pinnacle of any campfire experience need be the s'mores (and Ben says it with that Boston-accentdrawl, sum'mooahs): and this time we went Special Dark. Dark chocolate puts milk to shame any day and this treat is no exception.

We came home buried in blankets (we surely hadn't lost any dead weight, maybe gained some) sun-weary, and ready to return to normal, more healthful food. The first thing I ate after the adventure was a salad after. Thanks, L&M.

The first bite

I have long wanted to create a food-lovin' blog; well, I've always wanted to be a paid food critic (or a psychologist) but this works. I have been procrastinating and waiting for "just the right moment," but am learning that in life, the right moment doesn't come along if you don't make it happen. Which is why I'm here. Since I spend a lot of my free time reading other writer's words about food + drink, I thought I should try my hand at writing. My family is full of talented writers--my dad is a retired lawyer skilled at using language to debate, my mom is a poet and essayist who can call on you to think and feel deeply in the first few sentences, my eldest brother holds a wealth of family knowledge and is a great storyteller and humorist, my other brother is a professional persuader who writes to thousands of peope each week through his brilliantly simple email newsletter, and my sister specializes in charming rhymes to mark special occasions.

My goal for this "publication" is to share my food and drink finds, experiences, and stories of my culinary adventures at home.

Here goes...