The best times I have in the kitchen are when the whole family gets involved in the cooking.

I love when my husband barbeques, while I get some veggies ready. Or when we are both in the kitchen helping each other out, because we find time to talk about life while we are doing it. I think cooking together in a marriage, may be a good marriage builder.

I have found a number of ways to get the kids involved too. I’ll sometimes have them run to and fro to get different ingredients (this is best for wearing them down a little). I also like to have them help measure and pour in the ingredients. If the meal being made doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to help I’ll have them help to get sanck baggies packed for the following days. Their favorite meal to help get ready is desert.

I’m not a tomato eater. I’ve never liked raw tomatoes for some reason, but when I was in France I found a basic tomato dish that I really enjoyed. It was cut up tomatoes, and a vinegar type salad dressing. When I returned from France I tried to re-create this dish, but could never find the right dressing. I tried Italian dressing, I tried rice vinegar (this was yummy with cucumbers by the way) and I tried creating my own vinegar dressings. But I gave up on the enjoyment of the tomatoes I had in France and wrote it off to altitude (after all that’s what was wrong with the popcorn I loved in the Colorado Rockies).

Alas, I have to make an announcement now…..I found the best dressing that brings back the same enjoyment of the French tomatoes. So now I can enjoy tomatoes again. The dressing is Paul Newman’s Tuscan Italian. This dressing is awesome, not only because I can reminisce about my time in France, but because you can dump an abundance of dressing on a salad at it never is too much. If you haven’t tried this dressing…put it on your shopping list!

I love watching Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey. Where does he get these chefs? If I applied, I’d probably be accepted. I can be just as inept in the kitchen as they are. I’m sure I’d have the Chef saying the F word (and you can be sure the F word is not Food). But I think Gordon Ramsey’s show in the UK is quite brilliantly titled. Especially being that Chef Ramsey has the mouth of a sailor.

I really want to take the time to point out though that the show “The F Word” is actually quite interesting an very Food related. Instead of being stuck in a rut with typical american meals. This show also goes into some very different (at least for me) types of meals to have.