A Couple of Things Minor

First, my new favorite dried fruit is a date. But not just one date --I said A date because the grammar was easier- what I mean is lots of dates. I know you were just on the edge of your seat waiting for that little piece of news, but stay with me. I was reintroduced to them by a friend who brought them as an app wrapped in bacon. We then gladly recreated the dish several times over the holidays (I think I might have mentioned this already). Then soon after, my tres hip Swiss neighbors brought them as an app, not wrapped in bacon. And I said to myself, huh. So, instead of returning the extra pack of fancy large dates to Trader Joes we ate them, plain, no bacon added, popping them in one after another. And they were great, really and truly. Now "I haven't looked back" as they say. A funny thing to say about dates. I think we all have those certain foods that we've walked right by in the isle for years without even so much as a glance. But, I'm so happy the dates and I are on speaking terms now. Grab a pack next time you're grocery shopping and let's start a trend. Actually, I'm sure there already is a date-trend well on its way. They will be on the cover of Bon Appetit for February no doubt. I always find myself on a food trend without meaning to. It's the same phenomenon with baby names. We all start liking these super-creative names that just come to us, only to find out they are sweeping the nation. But, back to Bon Appetit... I think there is an apple-molasses upside-down cake in my future. The recipe is in January's Bon Appetit magazine. The picture of it looks delicious, brown and crisp --a far cry from the pineapple upside-down cake that we all stay away from. And you bake it in a cast-iron skillet. Done and done. Well, not quite yet.