Food on Friday: Dishin’ out answers to the mailbag

By Julia Westhoff

I’ve had several people ask me questions since I started this column. Now that I’m resting at home with our new little pvposter, I thought I’d take a minute to answer them:

What food do you cook most often?:
Without question, quesadillas are the most widely-consumed item in our household. My husband eats one almost every day, and it’s not unusual for me to pack one in my own lunch. We eat them with hot sauce, black beans, pico de gallo, or whatever we might have sitting around the house. Other than that, it tends to vary with the seasons – but pasta is always huge. Spaghetti and meatballs is a staple in the winter, and checca sauce is our summer go-to.

How often do you cook?:
I usually cook what you might call “a meal” three times a week. Twice a week we go to the YMCA over the dinner hour, so we usually just forage for leftovers (Jay likes to eat brown rice and beans, Olivia and I usually just eat what we can find). And on Friday and Saturday nights we like to grab something out. I love to cook, but I don’t stress out about it if there’s no time.

What’s your favorite place to eat in PV?:
I feel like we are so lucky to have some amazing places to eat within walking distance. We love to bring the whole family to BRGR or Tavern. Cafe Provence is wonderful for special occasions, and we’ll often wind up a date night with a cocktail at Story (where we also love the brunch). We go to Johnny’s to watch games. Really, we hit most of the PV restaurants on a pretty regular basis.

What’s your guilty pleasure?:
Wow, where to begin? A baked good from Dolce. Donuts from John’s Space Age. Mac and cheese from a box. One of those really cheap frozen chicken pot pies mixed with cottage cheese (I got that one from my mom). English muffins with butter and peanut butter. And sugary cereal – I always say the best part about being an adult is that you get to eat whatever cereal you want.

How did Olivia get to be such a good eater?:
We got lucky. She’s just as content with leftover brown rice as she is with a cheeseburger. We don’t really force any food on her. Fingers crossed that this open-mindedness continues and that this new little niblet has the same habits!