Friday Food Story

Food makes an impression. It can make an impression in all aspects of life. From your day to day activities, to your work, and even your spouse's work. This last one is often the case for me, since the Army tends to have many social gatherings. And I always like to bring something homemade and delicious. I like to know about events well in advance so I can come up with the perfect dish to take. Is it a picnic or outdoor BBQ? How about a nice refreshing gazpacho salad. Indoors and at the holidays? Mmmm....meatballs in a spicy sweet sauce sauce kept warm in my crock pot. I like to not only associate the food with the event, but also the time of year and weather. But I always make sure it is scrumptious. People will always ask who made it, that it must have taken forever to make (usually this is not the case, which is nice!), and sometimes even ask for the recipe. I like them to remember me for bringing something that wasn't store-bought, that I took the time and effort to make.

This has recently happened to us. About a month ago, some higher ups from my husband's unit were in town for some meetings and such (his brigade is spread out over several posts). So while they were here, his commander hosted a BBQ at their house. I wanted to try out a new dessert recipe since we wouldn't have to eat it all ourselves. So I made some red velvet cake pops dipped in chocolate. First try ever at any cake pops, and they weren't perfectly shaped by any means, but tasted dang yummy! Well needless to say, everyone was talking about them and kept telling others to try them. One of whom was one of these higher ups. A couple weeks later, this same person returned to the area, and rather than remembering my hubby's name, she remembered him as the guy whose wife makes awesome desserts! I certainly appreciate this, and I guess my hubby could be remembered for something worse then dessert. :-)

I find it so interesting how much impact a great dish can have on people's impressions of others. So like I said, I prefer to be the one who brings homemade deliciousness and not store-bought, so the next time I run into someone who was there, they will remember me, even if it is just for the meatballs. :-)

~Melissa