Ken's Favorites

I remember grocery shopping as a little girl - it was quite a family affair. My mom loaded her full size blue station wagon with her 2 daughters, 2 sisters and mother and off to the only grocery store I knew for most of my childhood. We could pretty much plan on spending the morning as my grandmother would wander up and down every aisle and we would find her in the half of the store that sold toys and clothes. It was the 1970's version of a Super Wal-Mart, but locally owned and operated with locally grown produce because it was practical, not fashionable. The best part? The next day when you opened the pantry and refrigerator and could have almost anything you could imagine to eat. By week's end, our small family of four would of course need to repeat the entire process.

Today, I am surprised by how happy my family is when I bring home their favorites from the grocery store. This week seemed to be centered around Ken and at 22, you might think he wouldn't be that happy to see some fresh fruits and vegetables, but I sometimes wonder if his childhood dreams were filled with luscious produce...

A centerpiece of Clementines - and he grabs one almost every time he walks by...




If melons are whole in the fridge, he will push them out of the way to get other things, but if I take a few moments to cut up watermelon and use the melon baller on the cantelope, he could eat it in one sitting!

Today, he is meeting his new girlfriend to go apple picking and I guess it's a good thing since his favorite apples are Red Delicious, but Mom went for Gala.




So, while the cutting board and knife are out from cutting up fruit, it takes just a moment to put a tossed salad together. He comes in from an early morning at work and we talk for a minute. He samples the melons, tells me he has already had a Clementine and a banana then reaches for a slice of cucumber. Salad with dinner for him is almost a requirement. Ken heads to the couch for an episode of Top Gear on BBC.

A chicken salad sandwich for lunch is a top 3 choice and while I poached the chicken, I was cutting up those veggies for the salad and thought, "It would be pretty easy to simmer a pot of soup at the same time..."

Had a few extra chicken breasts I sliced into cutlets, breaded and sauteed that are now in the freezer. Ziti has been boiled and waits in an oven dish with sauce, ricotta and mozzerella so it may later bake into a delicious main course he loves and his new vegetarian friend may also enjoy.

One Saturday morning puttering in the kitchen...