Appetizing Muse

Like a majority of people, I always have a "dipping" sauce on hand when eating ham or other pork. My husband doesn't care for sauces, but I experiment with mustard mixtures: yellow blended with horseradish or Chinese mustard, or yellow combined with sweet potato mustard. I like mustard pickles, and sometimes use Heinz 57 on pork as well as beef. I also use the typical "sauces" for egg rolls, no matter the meat variety.

On the other hand, I like tartar sauce with breaded and baked fish. My favorite fish-dish is filet of sole baked with slivered almonds, lemon juice and butter (aka Almondine Sole). Lobster, crab and shrimp are also high on my list but I don't indulge too often because of the expense.

I'm picky when it comes to beef because I don't like rare-cooked meat. No pink for me; which is probably why I've never tried Prime Rib. Steaks, hamburgers and roasts have to be cooked through and through, with Heinz 57 or A1 steak sauces.

Lamb has to be well-cooked, too. I like the chops with mint jelly, but avoid leg of lamb.

Chicken is my favorite "meat," and I like it prepared in a variety of ways. The crock-pot version with mushroom soup gravy is divine (aka Mushroom Chicken).

My husband's barbequed chicken (Grilled Paprika Chicken) is another rave, and I also like chicken lathered with teriyaki sauce and cooked slowly to retain tenderness. I don't care for the white meat of the bird, but prefer drumsticks and thighs.

Meats I never eat: veal, liver, giblets, hearts, brains or anything bizarre such as the lining of a cow's stomach or its brain, et al.