Ben’s Chili Bowl is a gotta do. Their half smoke, a cross between a hot dog and sausage covered with chili, has been a D.C. staple since the 60’s. On a trip to D.C. with the family a few years ago, we visited Ben’s on a day Ms. Virginia was there – Ms. Virginia was Ben’s wife and a founder of the restaurant. Was humbled and honored that she spent time at our table telling us the history of the restaurant and the area, including how Dr. King planned activities for the March On Washington while eating at the restaurant. “You make sure you get some of my banana pudding! My secret – I use Biscoff cookies instead of Nella Wafers.” Never had better. My kids still talk about their Ben’s Chili Bowl experience.

Created a few drawings for my sister and her family from photos they took on vacation while in Korea.

Created a few drawings for my sister and her family from photos they took on vacation while in Korea.

Created a few drawings for my sister and her family from photos they took on vacation while in Korea.

Created a few drawings for my sister and her family from photos they took on vacation while in Korea.

My sister, Lori, asked me to paint an oil painting portrait of her with my niece, Kelsey, and my Mom – three generations.

Another “Taste Of Home” painting – this one is #27 in the series – “Good’s Cheese Curls.” Oil on linen canvas. 16” X 12”. My home county, Berks, is considered “the pretzel capital of the world”, and Reading is known as “Pretzel City.” Took pretzels for granted until I moved out of the area to Houston, TX, in the 90’s – couldn’t get a decent pretzel anywhere (although I quickly fell in love with what Texas had to offer like BBQ, Tex Mex, Cajun food, and chicken fried steaks). When we moved back to Berks, I renewed my pretzel addiction. All the pretzel factories in the area make pretzel alternatives, cheese curls being one of the most popular – Good’s and Bachman’s make the best, and the recent addition of Unique Splitz “Puffzels” are welcome. My “Tastes Of Home” series features food brands local to Reading/Berks County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the greater Philadelphia area.

This is another “Taste Of Home” painting – this one is #26 in the series – “Black And White Cookies.” Oil on linen canvas. 16” X 12”. This one’s a bit of a stretch – black and white cookies are a New York City thing. Fell in love with them when getting good deli food in NYC. Have seen these cookies migrate to my area at higher end markets. Love infusing paintings that should have little color – “black and white” – with lots of saturated color. Purple, blue, pink, and orange dominate the whites of the cookies, deep blues and purples are used for the blacks – very little black and white were used. My “Tastes Of Home” series features food brands local to Reading/Berks County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the greater Philadelphia area.

“Corn Pie” is another one in the ”Tastes Of Home” series. Had to paint this one when we we’re going into fresh corn season in our part of Pennsylvania. I always look forward to buttered corn on the cob fresh from a local farm stand in July and August. When I was a kid, my dad would look forward to this time – one of his favorite foods was this Pennsylvania Dutch classic, corn pie. He would get corn pie from his mother, or my mom would make it. The standard recipe was fresh corn cut off the cob and hard-boiled egg wedges baked in a pie crust. Pie was served hot out of the oven in a bowl with a splash of cold milk over the top (at least, that’s how we ate it at my house). I wasn’t much of a corn pie fan when I was a kid. My favorite part – leftover pie dough scraps were used to make milk tarts (aka “slop pie”). Leftover dough is formed into smaller pie crusts. A few tablespoons of flour and sugar are sprinkled in the middle of the crust. Cream or milk is added. Tradition has it that the mix is stirred with your finger to incorporate. A few pats of butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top, baked for a bit, and you have an amazing custard pie…back to corn pie. I’ve learned to love corn pie. I doctor up the classic recipe a bit by adding onion, celery, minced jalapeños, garlic, and a bit of chicken base. Despite the additions, the flavor doesn’t deviate too much from the original. My “Tastes Of Home” painting series features food and food brands local to Reading/Berks County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the greater Philadelphia area.

Here’s another “Taste Of Home” painting – this one is #24 in the series. Everyone knows that cheesesteaks are a Philly thing. But, I didn’t realize that there are subtle regional differences. In Philly, the Amaroso or Conshohocken roll are the standards. Up where I live in Berks County, an hour Northwest of Philly, the ATV bakery roll is standard (although I’ve found a few places that are now getting Conshohocken rolls). In Philly, the standard cheesesteak is simply steak, cheese wiz, and onions – “one wiz with.” American cheese or provolone are also considered acceptable substitutes. In Berks County, wiz is rare – American or provolone cheese is the norm, and some use mozzarella. And, in Berks, cheesesteaks automatically come with tomato sauce (or “gravy” as it’s known in parts of Philly). In Philly, if you want a cheesesteak with sauce, you can get it, but you have to order a “pizza steak.” The best sauce, the one that most places use, is Tallarico’s. Tallarico’s is a Bethlehem, PA product – sauce is automatic on a cheesesteak North of me in Lehigh County as well, probably because of the availability of this brand. Great product – just the right sweetness. What do I prefer? It’s ALL good. When in Philly, “one wiz with.” When local, bring on the sauce. The “Tastes Of Home” series features food brands local to Reading/Berks County, Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the greater Philadelphia area.