“Sneaky Blends” will get you from a base of white beans blended with filtered water to a replacement for butter and cream in recipe, butter and oil in baked goods and dinners like those on Tuscany tables.

You’ll want some for Missy Chase Lapine’s Crunchy Kale-Crust Pizza, and even the 4 p.m. Protien Cookie. The carrot and sweet potato blend goes into single serve mac and cheese and and broccoli pea spinach bases will make you want a Broccoli-Cheddar Mini Frittata right now. It’s a tempting bite in a corn tortilla.

So there’s the word “sneaky” in the title. I’d be proud of figuring out a lifestyle where you do a little blending and have healthy and delicious ideas at your fingertips, but we all live in a world where some people we feed won’t get that mixed berry-baby kale base blend could work in a brownie. So, you gotta be sneaky sometimes. Maybe it’s science, but I think it’s a culinary miracle.

Road Trip?

People still want to drive Route 66. They should get the new book of memories and post cards by T. Lindsay Baker, “Portrait of Route 66.” Of all the images of pristine tourist courts boasting central air and scenic bridges, I gravitated to the Texas section.

In 1946 people were planning their travel to arrive at The Aristocrat Restaurant in Amarillo. The image shows tables set along a western panorama mural with cowboy, mountains and cactus. In the middle are two rows of booths with a planter division. I can’t tell what they’re eating, but everyone looks well dressed and relaxed, not like they were driving all day in the heat or cold! If you’ve done this route, or just want to dream you did, back in the day, sit back and enjoy this collection.

Eating Disorder grief diaries

Some of the women sharing their true stories of anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating mention the late singer Karen Carpenter, who died from anorexia. That was the first time I’d heard of the eating disorder that seemed so strange: starving yourself on purpose. Now days young boys and girls can link, via computers, with others who have these problems both for support to avoid the behavior or to cover up one’s tracks and hide problems from family and friends.

Women in “Grief Diaries: Through the Eyes of an Eating Disorder: True Stories About Living with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia and Binge Eating” share what instigated their behaviors, how they compensated, how they were obsessed and in some cases, how they overcame. Lynda Cheldelin Fell and others share powerful stories that hopefully help others realize what sufferers are feeling and how intense the struggle can be. I couldn’t put it down. These addictions are real and dangerous, because we all need to eat to survive. Instead of “case studies,” we get to hear from these women themselves.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com