GORP -- Good Old Raisins and Peanuts

I saw a small baggie laying on our front wall and wondered what it was. My view was partially covered by a large pot.

"Looks like gorp," my husband said.

*Light bulbs go off!*

Sure. I remember sitting in the Michigan sunshine two days before, and eating from the bag ... Wait! Two days? In an oak-neighborhood filled with birds, squirrels and raccoons? I checked the bag. Not even a nibble-hole in it. I opened the bag and ate a handful. Yep, I may not have remembered leaving the gorp bag there, but I did remember how stale the nuts were. I nibbled on a few more, along with the raisins and M&Ms and thought how picky our neighborhood wildlife was.

It reminded me of one of our honeymoon experiences where our backpacking meal tasted so bad, we couldn't eat it. Thinking to not waste the food, but let the raccoons whom we knew abounded there have a treat in the night, we left it on the picnic table, and crawled happily into our tent. In the morning we found raccoon prints on the picnic table, but the awful-tasting meal was left untouched by the gourmet critters.

One positive thing I've learned from this experience is: chocolate doesn't get stale! So... off to finish up my M's without the GOR&P.

Trying New Foods

I like familiar-comfortable in foods, but, unlike my husband, I also like to try new things.

When our sons and DIL came for a recent visit, I discovered there wasn't enough frozen mixed veggies for five adults. Solution: I grabbed another bag of veggies from the freezer -- something green and colorful; something I'd never tried before -- and added a handful to the pot.

At supper, both my boys asked at almost the same time: "Are these edamane?"

My eyes lit up in surprise. My well-cuisined sons were familiar with this new-to-me veggie. "YES!" I answered. At which time, they both confessed to have eaten the husks. I was still in eye-blinking-delight mood when I noticed they both looked a little green themselves. I was then educationed by them, neither for the first nor the last time, about the proper way to eat edamane.

Oh, well. The discussion at the table then went to eating fiber and trees.

Mystery Solved: Which Came First?

We had egg salad sandwiches for lunch.
We're having crock-pot chicken for supper.