I have a little story. Oh don’t look at me like that! You’ll like this story. It has a happy ending. I promise it’s about food too. Okay, I also promise it's brief. Now will you keep reading?

I have this friend (‘cuz this could never happen to me). He was in the middle of preparing a special dish. Let’s say it was Salmon Tartare inspired by his buddy Dash of Stash (who is coincidentally a buddy of mine as well). And for the sake of this story let’s say he’d gotten to a certain place in the preparation of this dish. He came across that moment. You know the moment I am talking about. We have all been there.

He had spent a considerable amount of time, energy, a pretty penny getting to this moment. As he leaned over his concoction of sweet salmon beautiness, the hills and crystal blue sky in view outside his kitchen window (okay, I am editorializing here somewhat). He took in the deeply savory aroma of his creation and he put a spoonful into his mouth. This is the moment of “taste”.

But something was wrong. You could see that by the look on his face. But he is an experienced cook. He knew this was no big deal. So he did not panic. This is why the phrase “season to taste” was invented. It’s that last shining moment when the cook gets to tweak his culinary baby into its peak performance.

He began to reach for the salt, because surely “season to taste” means salt and possibly pepper. Right?

I have so many little people to thank for this recipe!

I never could have done it were it not for the bold pioneers who went before me. Although the inspiration for this recipe may come from many, I have decided to take all the credit myself! And if I cry and sniffle a little whilst taking all the credit, people will cheer me on as an underdog. The little guy who beat "the man".

That's me– The Little Engine That Could!  I believe this is the way you get ahead in the world, n'est-ce pas?

Because truthfully I did have many an inspiration when I sat down and started putting this recipe together. One of the primary "little people" involved in this dish is a quaint cook named Daniel Boulud. Perhaps you've heard if him? He runs a charming little self-named cafe on an island somewhere. It's a bit off the beaten track on East 76th Street, I believe. If you ever find yourself in that part of the world you must pop in. Tell him Sup! sez Hi...

Sometime in our past we humans were digging around in the dirt and hit about the idea of eating roots. The world has been a better place ever since!

There are many ways to enjoy these vegetables from the underworld, but roasting is just about my favorite. Roots such as parsnips, carrots, and beets are commonly roasted because it brings out their distinctive, rustic charm, and actually amplifies their inherent richness and bolsters the sugars in these vegetables.

Which got me thinking, Radishes are a root vegetable. Could I roast a radish?

So I did an Internet search and quickly landed at The Bitten Word. These guys have a great blog, and like me they seem to like to mix up expectations. So when I saw they had already experimented with roasting radishes I knew that their insights would help put me on the right path with my roasted radishes.

TomatoMania is coming to an end. Sad, but true. Summer is fading; my tomato plants are too.

Next week I will cook and present the very last of the winning entries in the TomatoMania contest. It’s a recipe for “fried” spaghetti from my buddy Eric, at Eric Rivera Cooks. Let’s just say his is nothing like Chef Boyardee's. It’s an adventure all its own!

But as the tomato growing season winds down, its fun to look back and see where this whole adventure began. Believe it or not it started way back in March when we were introduced to Scott Daigre, Mr. TomatoMania himself. He took on the role of head tomato cheerleader. Since then we have had an astonishing 30 posts devoted to growing, harvesting, enjoying the mighty Tom!

Of course there was the TomatoMania recipe contest too. 6 readers got to have their winning recipes printed onto recipe cards. We handed these out at the Los Angeles Garden Show, and Scott also brought the cards around with him to his TomatoMania seedling sales across the United States. There is no way of knowing how many people discovered these great  food blogs by picking up one of these recipe cards.

I am in a grumpy mood! Watch out…

So I am going to try a little experiment.

I am going to let a picture say 1000 words. In fact I am going to let 8 pictures say 8000 words.

So don’t expect any pithy repartee*  from me today. Like I said I am in a grumpy mood.

I am usually a very light-hearted person. I am usually the life of the party. I am usually all giggles and mirth (you didn’t buy that last one did you?)

Besides, I see the food-blogging trend. Ya’ll cruise through here at 100 miles an hour. You see a neat pic on one of those food photo type sites. Then you click on over here and move on to the next one at lightning speed.

Are these sites destroying your ability to read? Is it really just food porn you are interested in?

Should I quit writing long thoughtful posts, full of humor and pathos?

I will at least include the recipe for this Chicken Liver Bruschetta I made for a party recently (as if you even care… as long there is a pretty picture of some naked [plum] tart).

Don’t worry I’ll snap at of it. Anybody have a good Doris Day tune. That usually works…

Spicy Mustard Swordfish and Artichoke KabobsMustard. Mustard. Mustard.

We are still on the road with mustard. That sunny golden road running through the hills near my house.

We have used mustard in a sauce. We have used mustard as an ingredient. We (of course) used mustard as a condiment. We have even made mustard from scratch.

But today we are using mustard in a marinade.

What is it about food on sticks that makes us love it so? Is it the convenience? Is it that slightly exotic flair? That hint towards the mysteries of the East? Maybe it’s our genetic deference to fire. I believe grilled foods are what separate us from other animals.

But it is probably the simple fact that everyone loves a party. And kabobs scream “party”!

Kebap is Turkish for “roast meat”. But modern day “party kabobs” can be made with most anything you can think to throw on the grill.

I am choosing a nice firm swordfish because it grills so well and I know it won’t fall apart.  Plus it is Seafood Watch rated as a Best Choice. I am giving the fish a partner in store-bought canned artichoke hearts.

Okay. This may be a bit daring, but I am going to show my true colors here. A lot of people will take issue with what I am about to say. But if I learned anything from MILK (the major motion picture not the dairy product) it is this: Every person must come out and declare who they really are.

Well I am a finicky bastard who likes things a certain way. I don’t believe in shortcuts, instant mashed potatoes or Segways. I like to take my time when I am cooking. I look for recipes that will challenge me. I enjoy the pre-planning, and the anticipation of my meal. When I read or hear other cooks go on and on about how “easy it is”. I think to myself maybe you just didn't try hard enough.

That (cheekily) said, I also realize that liking something a particular way or always wanting something you truly enjoy is occasionally not feasible. Like Patsy Cline (may have) said, “people in Hell want ice-water…that don’t mean they get it”.

I wish I had hours every day to plan and prepare scrumptious food. It would be nice if I could devote entire afternoons towards hunting down the perfect ingredients. Bought fresh everyday, with a specific purpose in mind. But if that were my reality then Oprah’s ratings would plummet. Dr. Phil would be canceled. Days of Our Lives would cease to exist, and Chris Matthews would miss me (terribly).