What Did You Eat?

In Memory of Sherry

Many of the regular visitors to What Did You Eat? have already heard the tragic news that this site's creator, Sherry Cermak, died on July 20, 2008 of a sudden heart attack.  Sherry was part of two wonderful blogging communities. The food bloggers, which was the main topic of What Did You Eat?, and the cat bloggers where she posted updates on the lives of her cats and rescued wildlife (squirrels) on WCB.  Sherry shared parts of her personal life on her blog, most recently her anemia and what she was cooking and eating to improve her blood count.  She had started a new blog "My Battle with Anemia", but died before she could make the initial posting.

The response to Sherry's death has been overwhelming.  So many of her friends and fellow bloggers have left messages of sympathy to her family and expressions of love and gratitude for how much they enjoyed reading her blog. Thank you to everyone who came to visit Sherry's site, whether you left a comment or not. Blogging was an important part of her life.  It allowed her to write about the things she was passionate about -- good food, cooking, pets and wildlife. She enjoyed reading other blogger's sites and corresponding with them.  She established a network of good friends, most whom she never met in person but was able to touch their lifes through her kindness, wisdom and thoughtful postings.  Humor was a big part of Sherry's writings.  She made many readers smile and laugh. We will all miss that very much.

Thanks to the wonderful food and cat blogging communities who gave their support. Bless all of you.

Those who wish to sign a remembrance guestbook online may do so at www.wiscombefuneral.com.

Sherry's husband, Bob

PPN: Angel Hair Pasta With Sweet Red Pepper Pesto

It's been several weeks since I participated in Presto Pasta Night.  My cooking hasn't been interesting lately, to tell the truth.  But, when I saw this recipe, it seemed promising.  It's very quick and the dish can be served at room temperature.  And angel hair pasta cooks so quickly, it doesn't heat up the kitchen.  I wish I could have used red bell peppers from my garden, but they're the size of cherry tomatoes right now.   Instead of roasting some peppers from the store, I used very good bottled roasted peppers that I like to keep on hand for quick meals.

This pesto recipe is full of flavor and would be good on sandwiches and in soup.  It doesn't have a large amount of oil or cheese in it, so the calories aren't nearly as high as some pestos I've made in the past

Iron Rich Food: My Big Fat Bison Burger

First, let's get the important business out of the way.  It was announced today that William Peterson is leaving CSI Crime Scene Investigation this season.  No more Gil Grissom?  Nooo!  Noooooo!

Favorite CSI line ever:  When Gil sincerely asks an exterminator, "Does it ever bother you that you kill insects?"  Loyal CSI viewers know why that was so funny.

OK, on a slightly less important level, my anemia is getting better.  Today, I felt almost energetic.  I went to the ER last week and they ran a blood test, which showed my hemoglobin has risen from 8 to 11.  Thrilling!   I'm still anemic, but it's such a relief to see that this problem will be resolved in the near future. Of course, I have to get rid of the cause of the anemia, my psycho uterus.  The hysterectomy is next month. 

One food that I've discovered is bison, or buffalo meat, which turns out to be a Super Food .  It's much lower in saturated fat, calories, and cholesterol, but higher in protein, iron, and  Vitamin B-12 than beef, pork, or chicken. It even beats salmon in every area, except Vitamin B-12.  And bison are given no antibiotics, and spend few punishing days in feed lots.  Of course, they do give their lives to us, so it's not perfect. 

WHB: Herbed Turkey Meatballs With Cranberry Sauce

Does this picture look odd?   The color of the cranberry sauce looks like nail polish, but trust me, it tasted very good.  I imagine many people have figured out that I'm mad for meatballs, and this recipe also fulfills my quest to eat iron rich foods.  Turkey is high in iron, and the cranberries supply vitamin C, which facilitates absorption of iron into the body. 

These aren't my favorite meatballs, but I liked the taste of the fresh oregano in the recipe, coupled with the tart, sweet cranberry sauce.  Fresh oregano tastes very different to me than when it's dried.  I like them both, but prefer Penzeys excellent dried oregano, which explodes with flavor and aroma.  But, the bitter, pine taste of fresh oregano seemed the perfect herb to complement the cranberry sauce.  And it seems a good recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging, the weekly event created by our marvelous Kalyn, of Kalyn's Kitchen.   This week WHB is being hosted by the lovely Simona at Briciole, where you will find a recap of herby recipes from bloggers around the world.

Southern Baked Beans

This is a family recipe.  I grew up eating these beans, several times a month, so much so they're almost part of my DNA.  My mother always used canned pork and beans, which makes the dish very soft, and to me, comforting.  But, I also like it made with dried white beans, which is what I used here.  My mother never measured the ingredients, just added the "correct" amount by eyeballing it, adjusting the taste until it was just right.  And that's exactly what I do.  The taste of the beans is sweet, spicy, and garlicky, with a slight smokey taste.  We always ate them with hot dogs.  In the winter, the dogs were cooked submerged in the beans, which is my favorite way of preparing them.  But, in the summer they were grilled.  I love eating these beans, because they always remind me of my mother. And, of course, they get better over a period of days, sitting in the fridge.