Go-Foods

Nevermind what you were taught as a child, there is no rule that says every food belongs in a dish, and no rule that says napkins have to be cloth... or even folded (in my house, cheapskate that I am, you are just as likely to get a paper towel as you are to get a napkin!)

As much as I dislike doing dishes, you can be sure I find ways of avoiding it whenever I can. Most of my ideas probably aren't original, but if they are new to you, give yourself permission to break the rules you were taught.

Container Foods

1. We've all seen those fancy buffets where a watermelon has been carved into a basket of melon balls. For a smaller crowd, a half-cantaloupe (scoop out the seeds first) makes an excellent container for a serving of:

• oatmeal
• ice cream
• cottage cheese
• yogurt

and when you are done with the filling, scoop out and eat the cantaloupe! No need for a bowl or plate here, either!

P.S. An avocado serves the same function for holding a scoop of tuna salad or chicken salad, but be sure to brush the cut avocado lightly with lemon juice if you aren't serving right away.

2. At my sister's wedding reception, she served a wonderful spinach dip that was served inside a scooped out loaf of sourdough bread, using torn-out chunks of the bread for dipping! Try this with any thick dip or topping. Your local bakery can provide a round loaf of unsliced bread. Carefully slice off the top crust, about a half-inch slice, and tear it into mouthful chunks. Then carefully tear out similar sized chunks from the inside of the loaf, but be sure to leave an outer shell about an inch thick, thus forming a bowl. It doesn't have to be perfectly neat inside, but the bread should be heavy enough that there aren't large air pockets that would cause unfortunate leakage.

(you may even want to toss the bread chunks lightly with oil, shake in a bag of Italian seasonings, and bake single-layer at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, making chunk-sized croutons!)

3. Long before 'wraps' and pita pockets became all the rage, I was making go-foods of my own with regular flour tortillas. My all time favorite 'Go-Food' is the peanut-butter-jelly-and-raisin 'burrito'. On a 12-inch flour tortilla, spread lightly with your favorite peanut butter, top that with a thin coating of your favorite jam, preserve, or fruit spread. Sprinkle with raisins (or try chopped nuts, dried fruits, or just leave plain), then just roll it up and you're good to go! Basically if you can spread it or lay it for a sandwich, you can wrap it up in a tortilla. Kids really enjoy this unique way of eating a basic meal -- but you might want to fold it in half and then roll it up, so they eat off the 'open' ends and the peanut butter and jelly doesn't drip out the opposite end of the roll! and a rolled-up treat is easier for small hands to control sometimes!