I read in one of my favorite Atlanta food blogs that Fritti has hired a new master pizza chef from Naples, Italy.  Hooray!  Personally I don’t think the pizza at Fritti could get any better, but this circumstance certainly can’t hurt one bit.  Okay, I’m now going to stop talking about pizza because it’s detrimental to my self-discipline.

A disturbing southern tradition happens under my nose every day.  Did you know that many southerners put cheese on their sweet breakfast foods?  Like waffles and oatmeal?  Well, it’s not really cheese, folks.  The version of choice is the eponymous American cheese food.  So every morning people like my able assistant (born and raised in eastern Georgia) make a bowl of maple and brown sugar oatmeal and then ruin it with a slice of rubbery cheese food product.  I should state here that I’m not really anti-American cheese food.  While I won’t admit that it’s actually cheese, I have no problem downing a ham and cheese sandwich using it on occasion.  But I deny the idea that its proper place is anywhere even close to sweet breakfast foods!  What a way to ruin a good waffle!

Recently on The Biggest Loser Jillian offered a nutrition tip about using cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes.  My first reaction, health fanatic that I am, was, “ew! when I want mashed potatoes, I want mashed potatoes!”  But then I thought about it for half a second.  I bet you cash money that if you pureed the cauliflower and put the right amount of salt and pepper in with plenty of milk and butter, you wouldn’t even know the difference.  Considering you’re going to put plenty of milk and butter in it anyway, might as well at least substitute the potato part, right?  It’s worth a try, at any rate.

Two businesses in my neighborhood are doing what I think is really remarkable and admirable.  One business, My Sister’s Room, is really a nightclub.  It doesn’t even open until 9:00 pm and is still totally dead until at least 11:00 pm every night.  So another business, Calavino’s Soul Kitchen, will now be operating during the day for lunch and dinner, with brunch on weekends.  GENIUS.  Space sharing saves on so many overhead costs.  I heartily approve.  While I’m usually either fast asleep or ensconced on the couch during MSR normal hours, I will absolutely be frequenting the soul food stylings of Calavino’s.  I hear the food’s really good, too, which is just icing on the cake.