Food and Fun

It's less than 24 hours to V-Day and the pressure is on.

If you're tired of standing in a last-minute line to fight for picked-over flower bouquets, cards, syrupy stuffed animals and boxes of candy, take heart.

Nothing goes further than a homecooked meal for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Men, the findings of a recent Cosmopolitan magazine survey should pique your curiosity.

That survey showed that 70 percent of women prefer a dinner cooked by a man than one from a five-star restaurant.

It does take a little extra effort for a mother-to-be to eat healthy, but it has its benefits for her and the baby she's carrying. After all, she is eating for two.

One of the most important nutrients pregnant women need is folic acid, a B-vitamin that is needed to ensure proper cell growth. It helps the neural tube (the part of the developing baby that becomes the brain and spinal cord) develop properly.

Growing up on Erwin Farm, Christmas breakfast at our house meant fresh sausage and country-sliced bacon from the "freezer locker" (Lancaster Frozen Foods) and tons of Daddy's pancakes loaded with strawberries and blueberries.

Folks, we're talking about platters full enough to feed Granny and Granddaddy Williams and Granny Summers, along with every neighbor and young'un within shouting distance, which usually happened. Our house was filled with the aroma of maple syrup, hot coffee and pancakes.

You're about to panic.

If work, marriage, young'uns, homework and school projects and ball practice wasn't enough, you just found out that the office Christmas party is tomorrow.

Somehow, you have to find the time to make a holiday treat that wows everyone. Yeah, right.

So what do you do when time isn't on your side and you know that everyone is looking forward to seeing what you can come up with?

First, take a deep breath, and start with a little planning.