"The Good Things in Life"

“The Good Things in Life”

Darrel L. Hammon

Lately, I have been thinking about the good things in life, at least the eating things. For some reason this evening, I just began making a small list of the food things I like very much. So, I would like to share some of my “good things in life” to eat:

Lemon cake—Joanne makes this delicious lemon cake. For the frosting, she mixes powered sugar and lemon juice. Once the cake is out of the oven, you take a fork and poke a zillion holes in it. Then, you drizzle the lemon frosting all over the cake, which, in turn, oozes into all of the holes you have made. You let it set for a while and then eat it. Yummy beyond belief! And moist—nothing better.

Pork chops—I love pork chops. I could eat pork chops every day. Joanne cooks them in a lot of ways, including just grilling them on the BBQ grill. I think my favorite, though, is browning them in a skillet, smothering them with cream of mushroom soup, and then letting slow cook for a bit. I have to admit I still like to gnaw on the bones. There is something about the gnawing that gives pork chops that ultimate taste.

Cabbage salad—I don’t know why Joanne’s cabbage salad tastes so much better than any other cabbage salad I have eaten. Perhaps, it is just the love she inserts into everything. She mixes chopped cabbage, pineapple, apples, and onions topped with a dressing comprised of mayonnaise, sugar, and red wine vinegar. I think the longer it sits, the better it becomes.

Poppy seed dressing—We picked up this recipe from Ricks College (a.k.a. “BYU-Idaho”). After you mix in the sugar, mustard, onions, and vinegar, you slowly drip in the oil as you use a blender. Before too long, the mixture becomes a delicious goo, when spread on a salad, makes any lettuce taste good.

Meatloaf—Joanne mixes 90% ground beef and oatmeal with several condiments and then bakes it. Her meatloaf really doesn’t need catsup or any other topping. It is just delicious straight from the pan.

Rolls—Again, Joanne makes the most delicious Lion House rolls. If you have eaten at the Lion House in Salt Lake City, you know what I mean. They are just plain yummy. Then, when you spread luscious homemade raspberry, strawberry, or any kind of homemade jam, you have a meal.

Arroz con pollo (chicken with rice)—The Hacienda or the Guadalajara restaurants—owned by the same family-in Cheyenne, Wyoming, makes the best arroz con pollo I have ever eaten. With mounds of chicken, rice, and special sauce, trimmed with avocados, their arroz con pollo is just divine. I scoop mounds of it inside flour tortillas and then just chomp away. I have to get their recipe.

Chicken enchiladas—Joanne makes the best chicken enchiladas. She combines shredded chicken, cream cheese, onions, cheese, and chilies and stuffs the combination into flour tortillas and bakes them. Then, we top them with green chili sauce or homemade salsa. You cannot go wrong with this dish.

And these are just a few of the things that I crave and love to eat. Joanne makes most of the dishes and has become quite adept at it. I think it is the practice that makes it better.

Perhaps, I am just thinking about all of this, not quite knowing what our diet will entail when we are in the Dominican Republic. I suspect, though, we can take the recipes and make all of this. But then again, we might find different dishes there that will become part of our favorite list.

Provecho!