We've been waiting for this....

It can be a challenge to find a food we ALL like. We are five different people with very different tastes. The eldest prefers meat, specifically steak to any other item out there. He would eat steak for breakfast if he had a mother that would get up to grill it that early for him. He's crossing over to the "hot side" as his father is a huge influence in the spice department. That spice isn't referring to romance, we're talking jalapenos and hot peppers. Pecos loves peppers. He's been watching the ones in the garden and has a plan to nab them before I do. I know how this boy thinks.

Then there's Sparky. He is a fruit-aholic. I don't think that is a bad thing except when we splurge on cherries or pineapple and he eats the entire bowl. He would have fruit and fruit only if he could get away with it. He also likes carrots. He once made the rest of us shake our heads in awe when he refused the m n m cookie ice cream bars and asked for the baby carrots we'd just bought instead. Huh?! Stange kid! His father blamed that one on me, saying "He sounds like you!" Really? If only I could turn down ice cream for a vegetable as a natural inclination, and not something forced from guilt. Sigh. He really does set a good example, the rest of us don't follow it often, but its there!

And then we have Blue Sparkle, the child who refuses anything other than sugar! Sugar, in her book, is a necessary part of the food groups. It really should be the ONLY one. She's addicted. If she has veggies  you can bet they will be adequately dipped in a sweet sauce, usually Famous Dave's Sweet and Zesty. If it is something I've made, her nose turns up, she flicks her hair and says, "Humm, I guess I'm not hungry. You can have it though!" Nice. Thanks.

Chad is not the least beat picky. This happens when you are no longer the cook. You are so darn glad to be released from the gathering, preparation and the horrid clean-up that you don't really care what you are served. He'll eat nearly anything, save my favorites lobster, clam, crab and shrimp. If I lived closer to the ocean, I feast on an array of shellfish daily. Yes, I would.

Pecos refuses cheese and dairy, (he will eat pizza so this usually isn't tolerated.) Sparky thinks the devil himself invented soup. He despises anything close to potato soup. He goes on an immediate hunger strike, retreating to his room. He's been made to sit at the table all night. He was even tempted with fabulous dessert. Since he is not a dessert fan, it didn't work. He was hungry the next morning and never once complained about breakfast, but there sat the 'ol potato soup. If BS could have grilled cheese and tomoato soup every day, her world would be so joyful. She on the other hand, LOVES soup. How did we manage to create/grow such diverse children? Who knows? Recessive genes must about in these bodies!

The one food we all LOVe is fresh, sweet corn, plucked right from the garden. We haven't had store bought corn in years. We either try to raise our own or find friends who have a suprlus and pluck theirs. In our books, there's just nothing better! I prefer home cooking to eating out. I strive for healthy, balanced meals and sometimes I get darn frustrated because it is nearly impossible to cook something at every meal that everyone likes..........except in the summer time..........usually around August we all eat in peace. WE ALL LOVE SWEET CORN. From the first crunch we relax into a joyful chorus of crunching, slobbering, and devouring that would make pigs blush. Its must sound terrible. The dogs look at us as if we've all gone mad. We have. We do this when we have something so deliciously good, cheap and FREE. We avoid buying any from other farmer's though this wouldn't be a sin! We just like the anticipation of waiting for our own delicious shucks to pop up and award us with this creamy, sweet goodness. We're all just a little happier in August. We've waited an entire year for this veggie and..........its been so worth the wait!  We picked six precious ears. I could have gone for a few more but hey, there's more where that came from!
I also want to extend a big THANKS to my wonderful friends Shari and Steve for being my "medicine people". I deeply appreciate your help in doctoring and healing my "ballerina wound". What can I say, I'm a "tree" and we trees move faster sometimes than our brains can think! You two rock! Thanks for the love and support!

Here's to abundance of delicious corn and sweet friends~