Put it on a cracker with some sharp cheddar cheese!

OK then! I will do it!

But I do want to know if you are mostly supposed to put something on it like mustard.. only because meats I have eaten that are vaguely similar (balogna, ham, hot dogs), usually get mustard.

I know I could put mustard if I wanted to, but I want to try it the way you alls do first.

I have organic woven wheat (exactly like Triscuits) and some garlic water crackers. I have cheddar, mozzarella, and Spanish maranga (sp).

Whatddya think?

OOOOh and I have some marcona almonds (a virtue of living in L.A. is that much exotic stuff is easily available and not really any more exoensive than more mainstream stuff in a place like Trader Joe's (obviously much more expensive than a Costo or Sam's club type place, but living alone small portions are much more economical for me).

Use the cracker that's like a triscuit. Try it with all the cheeses (separately), see which one you like the best with it. I would think the cheddar, because I'm not familiar with the Spanish cheese. I've never thought of using Mozarella though. Is there anything that doesn't taste good with Mozarella?

OK then. I won't start it tonight, but tomorrow afternoon..I will begin my first adventure in this lifetime with small dry italian-style Chianti salami, woven crackers, and a slice of cheddar, mozzarella and the spanish thing at the ready.

The salami adventure:

I set myself up with crackers, cheese (cheddar and the spanish cheese), a glass of Rex Goliath (cheap) Pinot Noir, and both stiscuit style and garlic wateer crackers.

I sliced the salami thin. I ate it, alone, with a cracker, and with cracker and cheese.

ANd I didn't really like it much.

SO I fried the salami.

MM MMMM good! Like bacon with some sweet wine flavor.

I doubt I will try iot again, but I am delighted I gave it a go.

My food squeamishness has always been something I wished to break out of.

No way would I survive in a place like China, from what Billy Bush showed on TV from Beijiing...fried bugs and crustaceons and spiders...stuff like that.

But I do admire people who are adventurous that way.

I am somewhat of an adventurer with food, well, not with bugs and creepy stuff though.

I've never had any 'gourmet' salami, so I can't say if I'd like it or not. Maybe try some regular from the grocery store. I think the kind I like is the Oberto Light Dry Italian Salami.

I actually do not know of it counts as Gourmet Salami just that it was very small and had really cool packaging and cost about 4 bucks and has no nitrates.

I got it at Trader Joe's...do you have one nearby?

Here is a mention of it:
http://cookinginkc.blogspot.com/2007/12/volpi-chianti-red-wine-salami.html

I am a sucker for cool packaging. And no nitrates.

I looked online for the Oberto Light Dry version and didn't find it..just the regular, but I think it is basically tha same type of thing as what I got, just without the cool packaging, and maybe with nitrates, but i can't find that, plus light probably has fewer calories. I know Oberto has some jerky with no nitrates.

What are some of the adventurous food you have tried and liked, or would like to try?

Ooops, I was wrong the salami I eat is Gallo Light Dry Italian Salami, not Oberto. It comes already sliced in the package.

I don't have a Trader Joe's close by.

I like trying foods from different cultures, as long as I know what it is, and it has no red meat. I can't think of any particular food that I want to try.

I want to be a cook. I like cooking. I like great tasting food.
I want to make homemade sourdough english muffins.

Good luck with the English muffins.

I like to cook but I absolutely hate the clean up.

Ahh the clean up. That is why I have not done it.

I need more money. That is exactly the problem, and there is no extra in sight.

I love to do lots of things, cooking, artwork, many more things..that require a partner to complete (that means clean-up).

Hiring a partner is way easier than convincing somebody to be one.

Hi. Both of my kids were diagnosed with Celiac disease last month, so cooking around here has completely changed. They cannot eat gluten which is in wheat, rye, and barley. Life is very different now.

It has basically consumed my life for the past month with doctor's appointments, learning about the condition, and learning how to deal with it. I have to say that my kids have had a terrific attitude about it. They can't just go into the school cafeteria and order lunch anymore. I have been in both cafeterias' storerooms, walk-ins and freezers, checking out ingredients. It has been interesting. The elementary "cafeteria lady" has been wonderful.

But I am actually going downstairs now to make some banana muffins! We have gluten free mixes and believe it or not, they taste good. Not exactly like wheat, but with its own taste and texture.

Hi Austin,

I am very interested, always, in how different things make us feel...so how is the no-gluten making you and your kids feel? Much better? Or a little better? And in what ways?

I went off gluten for a few months some years ago, and found it didn't make much difference for me, but I do know some people that found it to be night and day.