Watermelon is one of those things that just doesn't keep well.  Even though it's relatively inexpensive, I feel guilty pitching what we don't eat.  But I will never do that again.  Last week my sister-in-law made a drink that I just have to share with you.

She pureed chunks of watermelon (messy, yes, but I can handle mess), removing seeds as the melon went into the blender.  Some of the puree was put into bowls to make big ice cubes.  The rest of the watermelon puree went into the fridge to chill.  At serving time, the puree was poured into a punch bowl with about the same volume of Squirt (but I'm guessing any similar soda would do) and the frozen watermelon were added.  Cool and delicious.  The texture was slushy like.  And after a few glasses with the addition of watermelon vodka, so was I...

Next time you buy a healthy watermelon save some for the freezer!

The meals I put on the table, the ones that are the most satisfying to me, are the ones that mess up the kitchen the most. I like to decorate plates and make garnishes, and I'll add an extra side dish to round out the colors on the table.  Am I crazy?  Maybe (ok, probably).  Am I happy?  Well, neuroscientist and psychologist Kelly Lambert suggests that all this work adds to my sense of well-being.

Depressingly Easy, an article in the August/September Scientific America Mind (by the aforementioned Dr. Lambert) discusses how manual tasks benefit mental health.  The brain, apparently, is programmed to be pleasured by the results of manual labor.  Our predecessors suffered less depression than people today because they couldn't just zap dinner in the microwave, pop dirty clothes in the washer, etc., etc. Today?  Many of us feel happier about giving gifts that we have hand-made rather than the ones plucked off the shelf and wrapped by the customer service clerk.  And honestly, what kid isn't thrilled to tote in homemade cupcakes to share with the class?   Granted, I might not be happier if I had to beat clothes against a rock...

Planning meals to cook is simply planning for your good mental health.  But don't be selfish.  Allow your family to clean up, after all, that manual labor is good for them!

Today I'm thinking about olives.  I once had an incredibly expensive appetizer of Stilton Stuffed Green Olives at a restaurant, and the next day took myself to Whole Foods to recreate the experience at a fraction of the cost.  Most grocery stores around here now have olive bars with a moderate selection of olives.  In my opinion these are much better than the bottled pimiento stuffed olives. 

Last week, while ordering up a cupful of the green goodness (to make tagine, which requires chopped olives), the clerk apologized to me for the pits.  "It's no problem" I told her, it just takes a few seconds.  "It's so messy" she said to me.  I had to ask, I just had to.  It turned out that she  peels them.  So I talked to my friend who is not food addicted.  She, too, peels olives. 

In the off chance that any of you are peelers...lay an olive on your cutting board.  Take your chef's knife and press the blade down on the olive until it gives (as if you were crushing a garlic clove).  Press forward slightly to roll the olive.  Separate olive from pit.  Repeat.  Any pits that hold onto a lot of flesh are yours to nibble on while you work.  Of course, this does not work if you want to stuff olives.  This is when it's time to buy the mechanically pitted ones so you have that nice cavity to stuff.

Olives have fiber, healthy fat, and look classier on an appetizer tray than a pile of smoky links (but if that's what you have cut them in half and stack them with a cheese cube and jab a toothpick through).  They're great chopped into salads, sandwich spreads, pasta, and eggs.