Holidays & Seasons

ZACK GRADY writes from Southern California. He reads cookbooks, but mostly, he just adds garlic and hot sauce.

I served this meal last week out in the sunroom with all the windows up and the ceiling fans creating a mild tempest. Judy went nuts with her crayons and markers and made Mexican placemats and napkins. She wanted me to buy a pinata, but I drew the line at that. After all, we're moving in a few weeks and the one thing I don't need is anything more to pack!

Ah, Memorial Day! It's not just a day off work. It's time to take the opportunity to remember those military personnel who have given their lives so that we can remain a free nation. Take a moment to remember our fallen men and women. Fly your American flag, and be thankful.

I'm ready for spring. No, I'm actually ready for summer. I want to grill out and have delightful meals on the patio, punctuated by the cries of the birds and cooled by soft breezes. Unfortunately, when I got up this morning, the outside temperature was 22 degrees, and it wasn't much warmer inside since I'd forgotten to turn the furnace back on. (Boy, did I catch what for from my family for that!)

St. Patrick's Day customs came to America, to Boston, in 1737. Before that, all the celebrating had been going on in Ireland, since somewhere around AD 461. That's a lot of years, so it was certainly about time that we got invited to the party, even without corned beef and cabbage on the menu! And in honor of all that, I herewith present you with a dish guaranteed to knock your low carb socks off. Low-Carb Filet Of Hare In Savoy Cabbage Recipe.

Since it was just Thanksgiving the other day, I don't know how it can already be February, but such is the speed of 'time travel.' And speaking of how fast things travel, I want to tell you this piece of trivia which may or may not be true, but which ought to be true if it isn't. They say that the speed of a computer mouse, that is, the distance the cursor moves across the screen, in relation to the distance the mouse actually moves across the mouse pad, is measured in units called mickeys. Don't you just love it!

Jennifer Eloff, author of "Splendid Low Carbing" has created a wonderful 14 page guide and menu of wonderful recipes for you to share on that special day. This free document is available in Adobe Acrobat format and can be downloaded here. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download it here.

Hey, here we are in the New Year once again. In our household, we had nothing but fun from Thanksgiving until this red-hot moment. Great holiday goings-on! "Yes," I hear you sigh, "we had fun in December, but the dark, cold days of January are upon us, and with them, no hope for a good time until at least Ground Hog Day, next month."

OK, here we go. In the last article I wrote entitled "The Twelve Days of Christmas," I detailed my plan to avoid gaining those dreaded "10 holiday pounds" that everyone gains. Well, needless to say, IT DIDN'T WORK! You know when those low carb "gurus" warned us about the one bite being the "kiss of death" on this way of life? Well, they were right! It is so hard to control the cravings and binge eating that the "one bite" produces.

What should I buy for [fill in the blank yourself] for Christmas? That's a phrase guaranteed to send fear and panic in all directions. But, as usual, I'm here, to the rescue.