I sent He-Who-Must-Be-Fed shopping with of list of needed items; including my preferred packages of celery. My market offers celery in three ways: in bunches, the inner stalks and leaves (celery hearts), and my favorite -- several stalks combined with a whole lot of inner leaves (what I suppose to be cut from day-old bunches whose leaves are still perfect).

Today's recipe is from Marie Mahaney of Grayling. "I was in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps stationed in Japan during the Korean War. On a day off we would go to Tokyo to "Irene's Hungarian Restaurant" and enjoyed this meal."

With Joe being off on Friday and it being too wet to plant more in the garden, we decided to take the day off and visit school. The local public school encourages parents to come visit and see how the children are doing in their studies. Joe and I along with Elizabeth, and our two youngest, Lovina and Kevin, all went to the school to visit.

This spring marks 30 years of growing asparagus for Harry Norconk of Empire. If you buy local asparagus in Grand Traverse, Leelanau or Benzie counties, Norconk and his wife Barbara are likely the faces behind it.

Yesterday while shopping I bought a little cornbread mix on sale, and I'm wondering if you might like to try my meatloaf recipe with the cornbread crust. This would be great with a crispy green salad and a baked potato. You might like to double it. I do.

Whitney Ballantine of Traverse City sent in today's recipe for sauerbraten, obtained from the Ox Yoke Inn in Amana, Iowa. "On their menu, they said, 'If you like what you had, ask us for the recipe.' I did and here it is."

We have enjoyed our first few meals of dandelion greens this season. Along with cooked potatoes and bacon, dandelions make for a good meal. Verena, 10, Joseph, 5, and Lovina, 3, have all discovered that they like them too. So far five out of our eight children will eat them.

Whether you are gearing up for bathing suit season or just want to eat healthier, there are ways to lower the fat and calories in a recipe without losing flavor.

If you put Republicans and Democrats at the same dinner table, you might be apt to say that oil and water don't mix, as the old adage predicts. But then, there is also the saying, "Politics makes strange bedfellows." The handy thing about the old saws is that there seems to be one for every point of view.

Today's recipe comes from Cheryl Wegener of Williamsburg. She said she acquired her recipe for Ham/Broccoli Biscuits To Go years ago, starting with a "Chicken To Go" recipe on an ad for Pillsbury Grands.

One day of their spring break I took all eight children into town with the horse and buggy to get groceries, go to the dentist and then to get their eyeglasses adjusted. Six of our children have eyeglasses, so it took quite awhile for them to get all the glasses adjusted. As a treat for going on all these errands, I took them to McDonald's and they were thrilled to do that.

Spring is surely Tuscany's most beguiling season. Everywhere you look is a celebration -- of produce. In Italy, celebrations are all about food. Food fills the Italian soul and renews it. Tuscans, with their passion for agriculture and land, can grow just about anything.

Spring has officially sprung! The peepers are out in force and singing along with the once-again babbling creek. My young men are not content just to climb every tree in which they can gain a foothold. They stand back with arms folded and examine the trees in the yard, of which there are a multitude, and debate their chances of success with assorted limbs and branches.

Charlene Michael of East Jordan sent in today's recipe for Souper Meat 'n' Potato Pie. She said she cut it out of a newspaper a long time ago, and the clipping appears to be from the Detroit Free Press. "It was a family favorite when my children were growing up and I still occasionally make it for myself," she writes. "It's fast, yummy and comforting. Just add a veggie or salad and enjoy."