Things we eat: July 2009 Archives

Faithful reader Joe tipped me off to this coming event, in which you can get yummy food and help a local organization, too.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 1, at the corner of Parkway Boulevard and Pacific Avenue in York - RAIN OR SHINE - the Bring On Play group is having a chicken barbecue to raise funds for the recently renovated Lincoln Park. (Read a guest column here by Mayor John Brenner on the group's efforts; that's his wife, Adrienne, and son Sam, then 4, at the park in 2008, before renovations in the picture at top.)

For $7, you get half a chicken, a baked potato, applesauce, a roll and butter. Joe says there's also plenty of room to run and play at the pickup site, if you want to either work up an appetite or work off the chicken!!

You don't have to pre-purchase your tickets, though Joe does recommend it. You can do so by calling him at 495-3878.

Sounds YUMMY. I know this is "barbecue season" and there are many such events to support; if you have one, feel free to let me know, because I'd love to publicize it.

Winner of my grilled cheese vs. toasted cheese name-game poll was...

Sorry, those who voted for "toasted" cheese. I can see the argument either way. I would even say you could use them both, depending on if you toasted the bread and then added the cheese, or if you grilled the whole thing.

We like putting ours under the broiler, which makes them much closer to "toasted," but I guess I'd have to call them "broiled cheese" to be exact, and that's just silly.

Here are some my mommy made me for lunch earlier this week:

Can you spot one of my favorite foods tucked into it? Comment and let me know! (C'mon, this is an easy one.)

Did you see today's Living cover about National Hot Dog Month this month?

We celebrated that month in BIG style last night. We're having a family reunion this weekend, with all my dad's brothers descending on our house. It's been crazy! To feed them all (30+ people) on Friday evening, we have been buying hot dogs as they've been on buy-one-get-one-free sales at Giant and Weis for a couple of months, and we grilled them all up.

Here's the "prep" for all those dogs:

And here they are after Hubby worked his grilling magic:

Amazingly, we still have dogs left over. I'll be eating them (and some other leftovers) for weeks to come, and I don't mind a bit!

This morning, over breakfast, we started talking about hot dog toppings; apparently, I'm VERY unpopular for putting ketchup on mine. You guys don't mind ketchup on dogs, do you??

This one is easy and fun, brought to you by my friend and former coworker Megan. Bonus points: Comment and tell me either (a) why you voted the way you did or (b) if you think the are both valid but describe two different things - and if so, why?

Well, as of this writing, my vote for your veggie name poll is tied with 15 votes for "green beans" and 15 votes for "string beans."

Now, here's the funny part. If I voted, I would NOT have a tie-breaking vote! Want to know why?

Well, my friend Phil has the same reasoning, so I'll let him tell you:

"I really should vote twice and pick both. It depends on the dish. If served alone, 'green beans.' But in certain dishes, it changes. For example, 'string beans and ham.' "

That's exactly how I say it. I call them green beans, but a family favorite dish is "ham and string beans."

There you have it. 30 votes and two weeks later, still no definitive York County voice on the great bean debate of aught-nine. Ha!

(That said, thanks to all of you who weighed in on this one. I love hearing everyone's stories, including Jo, who had to tell me TWICE because she couldn't get her comment to post, and Joe, who makes a good case for "green" beans - all beans start in a "string," so you gotta tell them apart somehow!)