27/ Beans!

Over the years my vegetable growing has gradually winnowed down to beans. Pole beans. Our favorite is Kentucky Wonder, but I can't resist trying others. This year I'll add Blauhilde. After I saw a bean arch online my son and I made this one, bending a 16-ft. cattle panel in half to make an 8-ft. arch.

The first bean arch, 2010

The second one, 2015, later moved to my son's garden

26/ Anti-Angiogenic Foods

With antenna TV, I don't usually see ABC News. But the wind shifted my antenna, and the channel appeared in the middle of a feature about anti-angiogenic foods. The young woman interviewed had terminal breast cancer, and then cancer in her brain, kidneys, and liver. She is cancer-free today thanks to an emphasis on these foods.

25/ Nuts (to me)

When I got serious about cutting carbs long-term, nuts became my dessert—and more. Delicious walnuts contain exceptionally healthy fat, and addictive pistachios are heart-healthy too. Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet," said people who eat two or three raw almonds a day need never fear cancer. But my Lyme doctor said no to peanuts.

24/ Carbs in Brief, 2 of 2

. . . 52 by this time. Menopausal. Figured it was my last chance to lose weight. I knew I was insulin-resistant. Cut carbs ruthlessly. No fruit, no nuthin'.  Gave up saturated fats re heart issue. Lost almost 50 lbs. Added fruit, then occasional pasta, etc. Still no sweets or bread. Gained back 10-12 lbs. (No big deal.)

23/ Carbs in Brief, 1 of 2

Dr. Atkins (yes, the Dr. Atkins) diagnosed me as pre-diabetic at 22. Lost weight with his diet. Reinstated carbs. Had babies. Gained weight. Tried Weight Watchers. Lost weight. Gained it back. Repeat. Triglycerides were 547 (4x normal). Cut carbs. Lowered triglycerides. Lost weight. Got lax. Gained even more. Slashed carbs and saturated fats. I was . . .

22/ Lunch With My Daughter-in-Law

These days the high point of my cooking life is the lunch I make every week or so for my daughter-in-law and me. She's a vegetarian, and it's a pleasure to cook for her. She never turns up her nose at tofu! I enjoy the conversation, too, and sharing some food with my 4-year-old grandson.*

*Although once school's out and his 6-year-old brother joins us, squabbling will create a noticeable shift in the ambiance. 

21/ Cabbage Salad II

This started out as a recipe, but now I just wing it: Mix together good cabbage (coarsely shredded), celery (lots), scallions or other onion, a can of vegetarian baked beans (rinsed/drained), and cooked rotini pasta. Add some real mayo, and sprinkle with dry mustard. Salt to taste. Original recipe added ham/cheese/green pepper. Good either way.

20/ Cabbage Salad I

"Bring one of your cabbage salads!" I often hear this if I ask a hostess what I can bring to an event. There are several, including one made with cabbage*, scallions, celery, apple, pineapple, grapes, and coarsely-shredded carrot, dressed with mayonnaise**, honey, apple cider vinegar, pineapple juice, and curry powder. I don't use a recipe.

* If you can find a cabbage like the one in the picture, it'll make all the difference. Early cabbage is softer, juicier, tastier, and more tender. Look for folded green leaves and the distinctive shine—not present in rock-hard, whitish late cabbage.

** Miracle Whip users, please treat yourselves to a jar of real mayonnaise for this recipe. Kraft's is good, and there are others.

19/ Food in the Parenting Years

We hardly ever ate out, which was fine with me. We were all adventurous eaters, and every week I'd try something new. My kids ate everything. My theory was if you present something to children in a positive way, with enthusiasm, they'll try it. Today, observing my 6-year-old grandson, I'm no longer certain of that.

My son at 21 months, picking blueberries.

18/ Sesame Tofu Squares

Mix together 1/2-cup sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, and 3 tablespoons whole wheat or unbleached white flour.

Cut half-inch slices of fresh tofu into quarters. Dredge them in the sesame mixture and pan-fry in oil until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with soy sauce.

Look for tofu with nigari (magnesium chloride) in the ingredients. Calcium makes tofu bitter; we never used it in our product. It's hard to avoid with today's tofu brands, but Nasoya Extra Firm has both calcium and nigari in it, and it's not bad.

17/ Asparagus

One needs patience to grow asparagus--first to properly prepare the soil, and then to wait a couple of years between planting and harvesting. But oh, the extravagant rewards! The skinny, underdeveloped asparagus often sold in stores isn't "gourmet." Gardeners harvest the thick, juicy spears and leave the skinnies to gain strength for next year.

16/ Salad

If I were forced to come up with one favorite food, it would be salad. As a child, I saved my salad to eat after dinner while watching TV. Today, most of my solitary dinners are big salads—lots of greens, a protein source, and varying other ingredients—eaten while I watch Jeopardy. They're pretty!

15/ Dining at Yale

As a widow, I've attended two of my husband's Yale class reunions as a guest. Classmates paid $400, still a bargain for four days of over-the-topnotch meals. The wine was amazing—ditto the lobsters—but the buffet display that elicited my joyous gasp early one morning was an enormous bowl mounded high with perfect raspberries.

14/ Eggs!

My son and daughter-in-law have chickens now. All 24 are named (including a rather flighty one named after me). I have my daughter-in-law an apron covered with little pockets for collecting eggs. Here's a recipe we all love. Many have tried it; many rave. I change only the amount of onion, using a little less.

13/ Egg Creams

Egg creams contain neither eggs nor cream, so I don't know how they got their name. But this NYC deli and luncheonette beverage figured prominently in my growing-up years. Loved them! I don't imagine They're well-known outside the city. Egg creams come in vanilla, but almost everyone orders chocolate. Here's a recipe. Try it!

The blogger recommends Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup for authenticity. Good idea! She links Amazon, but it's much cheaper on Walmart's website, delivered for free to your store. I ordered a bottle and look forward to making egg creams for my grandchildren.

12/ Juicing

I don't take antibiotics for chronic Lyme these days; instead, I do what I can to strengthen my immune system. My #1 practice is to juice vegetables. I've had several juicers over the years, but my latest—a masticating Omega J8004—is the best. I juice faithfully. It makes an enormous difference in how I feel.

11/ Spices

My spice shelf got an exciting upgrade last year when I discovered Penzeys. I resisted at first, thinking they were too expensive, but when I did the math and factored in the terrific sales, I was converted. I love their unique spice blends and charming boxes—several of which I gave as gifts last Christmas.

10/ Cheese II

I haven't eaten cheese in 15 years or more. My dad had to give up cheese and other saturated fats in his forties after developing dangerously clogged arteries. It worked, but if he was served a dish made with butter in a restaurant, for example, he would get chest pains. Now I'm the same way.

9/ Cheese I

When Dona wrote about Wisconsin cheese, I thought back 47 years to when I quit smoking by accompanying my husband on a business trip to Wisconsin without cigarettes. Craving, raving, I kept myself busy by touring cheese factories. Amazingly, my marriage survived. By the end of the wretched week I knew I'd never smoke again.*

* Because I never wanted to go through a week like that again. Cravings lingered for a long time, though. And for 17 years I occasionally dreamed I could have a cigarette any time I wanted. The power of nicotine . . . 

8/ Weeds

I was 32 and pregnant with my second child. Up the road, Vera was 46, had seven children and some grandchildren. Watching me pull weeds, she'd say, "Susan, you should eat those." But I couldn't imagine it. At age 89, she told me she had zero aches and pains. I should have eaten those weeds.

7/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part VII

Seventies (so far): My kids gave me a wonderful, elegant surprise cocktail party for my 70th. Not long after, I identified a family predisposition to liver damage. A DNA test confirmed mine was vulnerable. And not long after that, my Lyme doctor told me alcohol sends Lyme spirochetes into a feeding frenzy. He cut me off.

So with rare exceptions (a glass of wine last Christmas Eve is the only one I can recall) I haven't had any alcohol in the past  three years or so. I realized immediately that I didn't miss it, and that was a bit of a surprise. I still go to the BYOB dinners, but my friends consume the B's. I can still get in the spirit of things without the wine. But unlike my teen years, these days I drink water, not Coke. I felt a sense of relief when I realized I could drive home any time unimpaired. I sort of miss the festive cocktails I used to serve my family at Christmas. I had a whole tradition of looking up recipes, making small versions to taste-test, etc. That was fun, and the drinks looked so pretty in the stemware. But given how few complaints I've heard from family members the past two Christmases (like none), I'm guessing they don't feel deprived. They're free to raid my 28-bottle wine rack and my liquor cabinet, but no raids have happened yet. 

6/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part VI

Sixties: A generous friend threw me a jazz party for my 60th. Rivers of wine flowed that night, and I may have had a little too much of it when I sang "My Funny Valentine." Many delicious BYOB dinners in that decade. Lots of gauging when I should switch to water for my sober drive home.

With my friend Tierney at the Colonnades in Scranton, 2013

5/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part V

Fifties: Friends gave me a surprise party for my 50th birthday, and I remember the singing more than the drinking. But in my late 50's a member of my poetry group and his brothers shared their knowledge of good wines with me—and the wines themselves. Cabernets, zins, pinot-noirs, petite syrahs, carmeneres, malbecs . . . I was a willing student.

Reading at the Everhart Museum, 2002

4/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part IV

Forties: I gave myself a party for my 40th birthday. I sent suggestions for what people should say as they arrived. A favorite was, "My god, I thought you were 22!" Lots of singing at the piano, lots of fun. I forget the name of the wine I served, but it came in a jug.

with Caroline, our collie-shepherd

3/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part III

Thirties: I gave birth to my first child at age 30, and alcohol lost all its appeal. It wasn't a physical thing; drinking just didn't fit into my life as a mother. The cocktail hours were retired and forgotten. My husband tried making wine a couple of times, but that result had no appeal whatsoever.

With my daughters

And my son

2/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part II

Twenties: A New Yorker knows what to do. The cocktail hour should be observed. Scotch or martinis de rigueur at lunch . . . Pimm's Cup in Bermuda . . . Lillet at Lincoln Center. Stocking up on liqueurs at duty-free airport shops. Bloody Marys at brunch and on airplanes. In my twenties I also discovered how easily I got sick hangovers.

Even at our weekend house, the cocktail hour was observed.

1/ My Life in Alcohol Consumption, Part I

Early-to-mid teens: "Susan can get drunk on Coke (Coca-Cola)." That is, I didn't need alcohol to sing, dance, and all the rest. But on my 18th birthday I felt compelled to drink for real. Called my boyfriend and said I needed help. He found me on a bar stool, looking okay. But I wasn't.

Me at 18 (not drunk)