1. Pretzels, nuts, seeds, chips - A dish of pretzels varying thin and thick. A bowl of nuts - Cashews, Pistachios (shells on), Macadamia nuts, or salted pumpkin seeds. Chips with avocado or salsa.
2. Childhood Candies - Serves my Pop-Art side. Trick or treat favorites: Milky Way, Tootsie Pops, Reese's Cups, Double Bubble. On occasion, chocolate from Ecuador, chocolate covered cherries.
3. Grapes, cheese on pear - I taste grapes before I buy for sweetness. On the grape plate, I slice cheese - Swiss, brie, aged gouda. If it is a soft Brie, I must have it with a ripe pear or apple.
4. Hot black - Peet's coffee. With milk sometimes. Kakawa sipping chocolate from Santa Fe, NM, the espresso of hot chocolate.
5. Green Peas or Carrots - In spring, I fill a bowl with fresh-picked green peas from the garden or a farmer's market. For a change, cold carrots or even a crisp cold apple.
6. Blow Out Starvation Meals - Sometimes, the body demands food after an extended studio session with more to do. A few quick choices: an avocado sandwich (Sandwiches section, p 24), spaghetti with hot milk and butter, zap a hot dog, microwave a can of soup like Campbell Mushroom, boil cheap ramen, sardines & dijon mustard on crackers, or microwave spicy chicken wings. Also, I will make Ginger Beef (first recipe, p12) because it is fast.