The Friday Five: Homage to the Top Chef!

This week I have the privilege of writing the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five. I thought about doing something cosmically theological but went with silly instead. Here it is...

This Fall my family has been energetically watching Top Chef on the Bravo channel. My teenage daughter watches with the dream of some day being a chef. My husband watches because he loves reality shows and I mean, really loves them. Plus the whole competition thing really works for him. Me, I love cooking and good food. Every so often I get an idea from this group of talented young chefs who are competing for big money and honors galore.

The winner for this season was Hung. Not the fan favorite, but he won fair and square. In his bio, he says if he were a food "I would be spicy chili - it takes a while to get used to, but once you eat it you always come back for more!" With that in mind, here is this week’s Friday Five.

1. If you were a food, what would you be? Mashed potatoes with a little horseradish and sour cream stirred in. Pretty ordinary stuff but every so often, a little surprise.
2. What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where? My parents and I were on holiday in Paris. (They paid. Thanks, Mom and Dad!) We went to a Basque restaurant and had the most wonderful meal. My first course was a small canteloupe filled with port. The entree was fabulous veal with a sauce. And dessert- chocolate. Nobody shared tastes with anyone, it was all so good! However, Mom and I think the reason the owner kept hovering was because Dad ordered calf brains. He insists it was not, but the word for rice and the word for brains only differ by one letter. And Dad did NOT get any rice.....
3. What is your favorite comfort food from childhood? Corn chowder or creamed tuna on toast. (I know it sounds strange.)
4. When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit? My mother's recipe for fudgy brownies
5. What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate? Chocolate covered grasshoppers.

Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal? If it's Italian: campari and soda with a lime. If it's steak, a martini with 4 olives.

The Stages of Life

Pseudo Grandbaby is going through a new phase. At almost five months he is totally into oral stimulation. (Freud would be so proud!) He drools, he sticks out his tongue and he can almost blow a good raspberry! Everything goes in his mouth. His thumb, my thumb, your thumb. The postcard from Tanzania that Auntie Amanda sent. The FedEx envelope that looked so good with all that red ink! The antlers on his toy giraffe. It all gets covered with drool. And if the chewing comes too soon after having his "elevensies" then sometimes there's more than drool covering things! It's been a long time since the Chick went through this whole process. I'd forgotten that there's a reason that desperate parents let their kids chew on the car keys when they're standing in the grocery line. Recently we found that clerical shirt tabs are not a bad chew toy. PG can hold it himself and it has a pleasant bendiness to it. Do you suppose there's a market out there for such things? Hmmm.....

Those Ugly Shoes You Had to Have!

For two years Soda Chicky has been asking for a pair of Uggs. She's been dramatic, subtle and earnest in her requests depending on her mood. The Bug Man and I finally agreed, with certain stipulations, to buy her a pair. We headed off to an outlet place where we had seen them before, but no luck! The only Uggs to be had were either too big, too small or some goofy metallic color like the ones pictured here. With much sighing, we got back in the car. As luck would have it, we found ourselves in front of The Walking Shoe Company. They carry Uggs for men, women, children and even babies. They have Ugg boots, Ugg slippers and even Ugg flip flops. But only one pair that the Chick liked in her size. We bought them.

After we got home, I wondered why she wanted these, by definition, Ugg-ly shoes? Why are all these teenage girls wearing shearling lined boots with shorts or leggings or whatever else strikes their mood? I just didn't get it.

The next day, I was looking at The Walking Shoe Company catalog and it all made sense. This company sells Earth Shoes. Yes, Earth Shoes! The ugly shoe I HAD to have when I was the same age as the Chick. Mine were uglier than these. Tan suede with laces. They were goofy looking but very comfortable and I HAD to have them. After months and months, my parents got them for me. At the time, we lived in Southern California and Earth Shoes were all the rage. Before my pair wore out, we moved to Colorado where nobody had ever seen such funky shoes. But I still liked them.

Nowadays I'm looking for comfort first and fashion second when it comes to shoes. The Chick thinks I have this backward. But fortunately for her, her new shoes, while trendy, are also incredibly comfortable. (They should be! They cost enough!) I did buy a pair of shoes for myself this weekend. Dansko heels. They are very comfortable but still cute. Stylish even. Now the only problem is the Bug Man says that when you buy a new pair you have to toss an old pair. Poor man! He just doesn't get this shoe thing, at all!

Now the Feast and CELEBRATION!

This has has been one of my favorite settings of Holy Communion for years and I am amazed that the Hymn of Praise still brings me such clear joy. In searching out Marty Haugen's name on YouTube I found this wonderful presentation of the hymn of praise on Lutheran Husker's blog site. What a joy!