On the Food Front in Benson, Arizona

So how did you spend Super Bowl Sunday? We had FOOD! Breakfast was, as usual, my assignment, so I whipped up a batch of blueberry pancakes from a recipe using Fiber One Cereal as a base (we’re big into fiber here in Benson!), and served that alongside smoked sausage, with Smart Beat margarine, sugar-free syrup and a glass of fat-free milk!.

For the game, Suzy chopped tons of fresh veggies (red and green bell peppers, jicama, celery, baby carrots, radishes, green onions, broccoli) and served them with a great guacamole. We got the recipe from a friend (Sharon del Rosario). I, who have studiously avoided anything with avocadoes all my life, really enjoyed it when Sharon served it and we begged for the recipe. Suzy also prepared a “sausage con queso” using hot Italian sausage, Velveeta (2%, not full fat), and canned diced tomatoes with green chilies. Oh yes, we had baked Scoopers as well. That banquet served as both lunch and dinner for the day.

We enjoyed the game and the food, but we really wish the Cardinals had won.

Also on the Food Front, Monday morning I made an inside-out omelet: some of the chopped vegetables from Sunday sautéed in Smart Beat margarine along with some fancy mushrooms from Costco, served over a folded omelet and topped with the leftover sausage con queso, light sour cream, and salsa. Alongside we had a whole-wheat high fiber tortilla. And for fruit, grapefruit. This was the acme, the zenith, the apex, the summit, the pinnacle, the epitome of fine grapefruit: firm yet juicy, rosy pink, sweet and full of flavor!

Still in the food arena, last Thursday Suzy attended “Ladies Night Out” here in the park. This was billed as a treat for ladies only, a fun filled evening of hilarious enjoyment. Was it? She says so! She arrived at the Club House at 5:45, to be directed to her seat based on the random drawing of tickets. Suzy got seat 6 (out of 7) at the Sally Ride table. All the tables were named for well-known women. Dinner was served starting at 6:15, with each of the 20 tables being called by name. The ladies lined up for very prompt service of an Asian-style dinner: ramen noodle coleslaw, teriyaki chicken, fruited rice, spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, and a fresh fruit / yogurt compote topped with a fortune cookie.

After dinner, the Mistress of Ceremonies started the entertainment and, yes, says my lady, it was a hilarious evening. There were skits, one of which featured two gentlemen from the park doing a little standup and a couple of songs. Another skit had two ladies demonstrating optional and offbeat methods of donning a brassiere (they were fully clothed during the entire skit). According to Suzy, the funniest part of the entertainment was the fictional narration of the process of … are you ready for this… bikini waxing! I got a call from Suzy to pick her up at the Club House at 9:30, pretty late for most of us old-timers here at the park! She told me she hasn’t laughed that much for a very long time!

More food? Well, last week we did have what we’ve heard described as “linner” – that is a combination of lunch and dinner – at the Apple Farm with some RVing friends, Gene and Cheri Holcomb. We joined them again for dinner at the Chinese buffet in Sierra Vista (drat! The Chinese buffet here in Benson has closed!) Saturday we went to Reb’s Café, Suzy had all-you-can-eat barbecued pork riblets and I had a green chili cheeseburger.

So, friends and family, what have you lately had to eat that we can drool over? Food is one of the best parts of … Our Life on Wheels!