I’m a Jan Karon fan, and in the spirit of the many conversations Father Tim and Cynthia bat back and forth about their likes and dislikes, I figured I’d post a few of my own. Mainly because I’m hungry and would love to write about food.

We are a family of pasta-holics, and I am infinitely grateful to Barilla for coming up with Barilla Plus. I no longer feel completely guilty about consuming straight semolina, because you really seem to get your bang for your buck with this good stuff! Protein in pasta? I’m game! Actually, I almost gag when I go back to the regular noodles anymore.

Another fave has to be Smart Balance’s Natural Peanut Butter. I’m definitely a convert from the fake stuff, and can do just about any Natural PB…however, my hubby won’t settle for many brands of natural except for Smart Balance. I love the chunky type. I was reading in one of his Men’s Health mags lately, and it mentioned that the regular PB we’ve all been used to for so long actually has the same sugar paste in it that icing does. No Thanks!

One more foodie item-if you’ve never had ABC’s Phenomenal Pumpkin Spice Cookie, you are sooooo missing out. They are a vegan company, and although I’m not a vegan, I could convert if all food tasted this good. They are at every health food store in our area. YUM!

Well, this could last forever-I have too many likes! No time for dislikes today. I just might make this a regular post. Go curl up with a Jan Karon, and be inspired yourself. You won’t regret it!

I LOVE pomegranates, and although I might be the only one that doesn’t know this, I thought I’d pass it along just in case.

My only argument with the delightful pom is the incredible mess it makes. Seeds flying here, juice squirting there…it’s such a hassle. I (and everything around me) tends to end up speckled red. However, I caught a tip on the Early Show before Christmas, and it just made a world of difference!

Immerse your pomegranate in a decent sized bowl of water and score it with a knife, then rip right into her. You can pluck the seeds right out with your fingers-they end up at the bottom of the bowl, and the white stuff (I’m not food savvy enough to know what it is called) floats to the top. Voila! Scoop and toss the floaties, drain the water and seeds in a colander, and you are good to go! Took me a tenth of the time this afternoon, and absolutely no mess.

If you have youngin’s, call them red candies and (if you are lucky) they’ll help gobble them up. My youngest is crazy about them; my oldest won’t touch them with a ten foot pole. *Sigh* 50% success isn’t too bad, though.