When Nancy Cooks

Walla Walla sweet onion rings! Mmm mm

Those are Nancy's hands stirring the fresh slices of delicious Walla Walla sweet onions we brought to her at the Clark Cousins reunion in August 2010 at Port Orford, Oregon.

I do love to watch Nancy cook. She talks while she's moving around in the kitchen and just whips up the most amazing things.  One time last summer, we showed up over in Camas where they were parked at her son's place and she had made some chicken salad sandwiches out of some leftovers she had in the fridge. Everything she makes is colorful and interesting. 

Let's face it.  I love it when anyone else cooks.  Last night I came home to a big bowl of Thai rice that our new friend, Denice, had dropped off. She lives right around the corner from us.  We had a date for dinner with her and her family last night but had to cancel due to a committee meeting I had forgotten about. She kindly brought the dish over before I got home from work.   I love that kind of old-fashioned caring that you don't really see much  of anymore. We got home late and it was a wonderful thing to heat it up for a late bite before bed. 

When we lived in Yuma, Arizona, there was a treasure trove of women older than me who loved bringing their favorite dishes to afternoon potlucks. One could always count on a huge variety of old recipes coming alive on the dinner table. In this world of fast food and Costco, it was a welcomed change for me. I love a home-cooked meal and especially when someone else cooks it. I don't believe I've ever turned down an invitation for dinner. Ever.

My work friend, Tara, has recently started a blog, TLS Treats, for her favorite recipes.  I can hardly wait to see her blog grow as she adds her faves. Another casual acquaintance (we played BUNCO together once or twice) from Alaska has an awesome blog,  Sandra's Recipes, that has been an inspiration for me to try new things. Sandra uses food she already has in the fridge to conjure up new dishes. You should check out her blog ~ she can seriously make something out of nothing and she does some really interesting dishes with fish and Alaska wild game. One recent post, Tropical Lime Jello Suprise, inspired me to make an orange sugar-free jello surprise of my own last weekend. I wasn't sure Gene would eat it but it's long gone now. I even put shredded carrots in it!  I don't know what it is, but when I see someone else making something, it seems like a much better idea than what I can ever come up with. 

I wish the whole country would get back to some good old-fashioned cooking ... and start inviting me to dinner more often.

Chickens make colored eggs ~ here's proof!

I'm throwing in this photo of the dozen eggs a friend gave us the other day. They are fresh right out of the chicken! I love the multi-colors. 

Very Martha Stewart, don't you think??

love, susan