I guess to answer the question "What's your top three dining options?" you'd have to spend a little time thinking. Not me. I'm very clear on my favorite ways to eat and they are all very social, an indication of my fondness for hanging out with peeps - and great, simple food.
I'll start with #3 on my list - Potluck. This can be breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, supper - whatever - as long as it's a fairly unorganized gathering of folks contributing their own personal favorite dish for group consumption. Generally there is a theme involved - holiday, birthday, sports event - but only loosely. And, there may even be a general "grouping" of food to bring - guys the simple, store bought things; gals the homemade, cooked stuff. Or, the host provides the “meat” and everyone brings whatever. It's all based on the Chaos Theory, that the less you plan, the better the selection. It is definitely a strong Southern tradition, and how I was raised. If you have not experienced a church Potluck Supper, you have been seriously deprived in your cultural and culinary experiences. The category of food recipes suitable for a Potluck could be a whole series on the Food Network.
For the simplest, easiest to prepare - which is ultimately the best - hands down dining option #2 on my list is the old-fashioned clambake and/or shrimp boil. I should have gills on my neck due to all the seafood I've eaten in my lifetime. I've enjoyed it all kinds of ways, but you cannot beat with a stick the simple method of cooking everything together and letting those wonderful ocean flavors meld into one pile of deliciousness. The clambake is typically t at the beach and takes a bit of work, but once the hole is dug, the fire built and banked, the layers of seaweed, seafood and veggies added, all that's left to do is enjoy an adult beverage whilst waiting patiently for it all to cook. The shrimp boil is strikingly similar, and an ideal tailgate meal with a huge pot of water heated by a propane burner, and with a slight eye to timing, the intermittent additions of veggies, spices and seafood - shrimp the last 2 minutes only - and, voila! - a feast you don't need utensils other than fingers, or plates other than a paper-covered picnic table to enjoy. To quote Rachael Ray - "Yumm-o."
I know by now you're anxious to hear my #1 dining option. I again go back to my Southern country roots, to the mountains I lived in the first half of my life, and the good times visiting with neighbors and colleagues. This dining option takes the most work and coordination, but the reward is oh, so sweet, and cannot be beat. The Pig Roast. I've hostessed for many, so I know first hand, up-close-and-personal how much work a Pig Roast is. I also know it's the most fun, conversation-generating, good times sharing, mouth-watering pork you can experience. My kids will remember the neighborhood block party pig roasts we had at our house that, within a few years, grew simply too big for the neighborhood so we graduated to holding them at the local community park. When I moved to the gorgeous Catskill mountains of
The Pig Roast is #1 in my book most likely because, in essence, it combines Potluck with pork - an unbeatable combination. What’s your top three?
.JPG)
