I can never resist taking a pic of these Christopher Elbow chocolates. Got these for Valentine’s Day, and they taste as good as they look! Yum!

At our house, we usually have soup on hand. With cheese and crackers and cold cuts or leftovers or even frozen pizza baked with extra toppings, it makes a quick and yummy lunch.

I recently learned that January is National Oatmeal Month. We eat a lot of hot cereal in our family. What about you? What’s your family’s philosophy on oatmeal?

I’m enjoying the last of my Christmas Christopher Elbow chocolates today. Almost too pretty to eat, but, yeah, I’m eating them! Which do you prefer: white, milk or dark chocolate?

On cold evenings, I think about soup, one of my favorite meals. Add bread and salad, and you’re ready to eat. I make most of my soups in a crock pot, so it’s a quick and easy dinner (though does require some thought around lunch time about what’s for supper). A crock pot full of soup makes enough for several lunches and dinners later in the week. Or to freeze. And all afternoon, you get to smell it cooking. Lentil soup is one of my favorites. It’s tasty, full of protein (particularly when I add meat, which I usually do),

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Enjoyed a birthday brunch at The Farmhouse in the River Market area of Kansas City. After a Pomegranate Mimosa, I devoured a plate of Eggs Benedict — my new favorite! High in calories and fat, I can only eat this occasionally, but the delicious Hollandaise sauce over perfect poached eggs, thin-sliced ham, and Challah bread can’t be beat in my book. (Watch where you park. Only the street is free parking.)

Here’s my first holiday meal for this year — my mother’s spaghetti sauce. Find the recipe in my book “Family Recipe.”

What do you do with your Halloween pumpkin? Make pumpkin bread, of course! Cut the pumpkin in half. Remove the seeds and stringy pulp with a large spoon. Place the pumpkin halves on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake it until a fork plunges in easily (about an hour at 350 degrees.) Let the pumpkin cool and the skin will peel off easily. Run the pumpkin meat through a blender or food processor until it’s smooth. You can freeze the leftover pumpkin for pies or more yummy bread. You can make this recipe with pumpkin, zucchini, applesauce or

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Fast fajitas: Slice an onion, some mini peppers, and a pound of chicken breasts. Sauté the onion till soft and place on heated platter. Ditto the peppers. Sauté the chicken strips with allspice, chili powder, cinnamon, and cumin to taste. Serve with tortillas. Other additions include salsa, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and guacamole. 3 to 4 servings.

I grew up under the shadow of The Grape Juice Incident, then in adulthood encountered The Lemon Juice Incident and The Orange Juice Incident. I survived them all. When has your family been influenced by an incident involving food?