Tell Simmer: The Country Doctor’s Wife
May 5th, 2008 by Marilyn
Every week Tell Simmer grills a different blogger about their eating habits. This week brings us Rechelle, famous at The Country Doctor’s Wife for stories of her modern farmhouse, her four boys and her curious thing for ceiling fans. She’s even got a fancy new house blog, Once Upon a Farmhouse, but right here today on Simmer she’s talking Tex-Mex, Paris and nightcrawlers.
How often do you think about eating?
When I’m hungry, when I’m reading, when I’m driving, when I’m watching a screen (computer, TV or movie).
Coffee craving?
I love a nice bold coffee with a generous dollop of half and half.
Favorite hometown food?
I grew up eating truly excellent Tex Mex cuisine. It is the food I long for when I am famished, and rarely am I able to find food that measures up – although Lawrence’s La Tropicana comes within millimeters of hitting it right on the spot.
Ever been served breakfast in bed?
Nope!
Your totally reliable, go-to dish for entertaining?
Kabobs – beef, chicken and vegetarian – we cut up hunks of our favorite veggies, beef and chicken and marinate them (separately) in store-bought Italian and Caesar dressing, and then spear them with our guests and grill. It is a fun way to cook and entertain at the same time.
Food that makes you gag?
Anything off of a restaurant buffet. The whole idea makes me sick to my stomach. Something about an all you can eat buffet is just so wrong!
Worst kitchen disaster:
Foaming Clam Chowder. My first son was six weeks old and for some reason I will never understand my husband decided to invite thousands of people over to our house for a party. I wide eyed and stupidly went along with this idea and decided to make a huge pot of soup for the throngs of people.
In the middle of the mixing and the making – my baby started running a very high fever (103). I took the soup off the stove and ran him to the doctor. When I got back home hours later the soup was foaming. I put it back on the stove went to fret over my baby some more, and managed to then scorch the soup.
For some reason I still can’t understand even with a sick newborn and awful soup, my husband insisted that WE COULD NOT CANCEL THAT PARTY! So we served rancid burnt soup to our guests and I hope they all got sick and died. But mostly I hope my husband got sick and died but guess what – HE IS STIILL ALIVE!!!
Three things in your refrigerator right now:
Do I really have to get up and look? Oh good grief!
1. a plastic tub of night crawlers.
2. Three jars of Senor Stans Hombre Salsa – it is great!
3. A big carton of half and half.
Your idea of a romantic meal is:
Sidewalk cafe, Paris. Um are we talking reality here?
Okay – quite honestly I find a simple meal at home in a not so typical setting to be romantic. Like eating sandwiches and coffee in the garage after spending a morning working outside – or having steak salads on the couch with the plates in our laps while our boys are outside playing. Of course I will also take a nice dinner out in a cozy cafe just about anytime.
Secret snack of shame?
I am a junk food junkie. But the problem is I keep trying to hide my stash from my kids and THEY ALWAYS FIND IT!!!
Dessert at your last meal would be:
Pie – probably cherry pie, but if someone screwed up and gave me coconut cream, I wouldn’t complain too loudly.
Pricey restaurant if you’re not paying:
Sidewalk cafe – Paris. This generous stranger will also have to provide the plane tickets… and the hotel accommodations… and the wardrobe to go with it… and some cash for a few souvenir trinkets…
If you were a cocktail, what would you be?
On a hot summer day I would be a Wheat State beer with a slice of lemon, on a hot summer night I would be a margarita on the rocks with salt, on a crisp fall evening I would be a nice dry white wine. The rest of the time give me a buttery red wine with some toast and cheese.
My family would second the Senor Stan’s – they love it. Thanks Rechelle – Free State beer and scones on me!
Honestly, Rechelle is a nut. A funny nut, but altogether a nut. And that is probably why I continue to read her blog.
I’ve just started to acquire a taste for wheat beers…yum!
Re: breakfast in bed, maybe you can start delivering the kids’ allowance when breakfast is “served”. LOL
Oh yeah Marilyn – I think this is your best post ever! What a fascinating person!
When my kids were little, and all the time they were growing up, we celebrated birthdays with breakfast in bed. The rest of the family would get up early and fix eggs and toast and fruit, pull a bloom from the patio and take the tray in early enough to pounce on the bed and wake the birthday boy/girl up. Breakfast and opening all the gifts was the tradition. We have lots of birthday pics with sleepy eyed celebrations in pajamas. As the kids got older, they began bringing my husband and I breakfast in bed for our birthdays, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. I had my last breakfast in bed before my youngest left for college. By then, he had mastered a fantastic coffee cake, eggs over-easy and a decent cup of coffee. He’ll be home for Mother’s Day this year. Hmmmmm.
Note to self, never eat soup at Rechelle’s house!
And I once made Rechelle’s clam chowdah recipe. My family was, um, polite in their less than excited response. They do not allow me to deviate from the dinners that they know and love. Canned sea creatures definitely are NOT on their pre-approved dinner list.
I liked it though.
Great questions and hilarious answers.
Senor Stan can not be found in Wisconsin.
Boo.
I look forward to future editions of Tell Simmer!!!