#Food - P.J. MacLayne

What’s For Supper? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne February 8, 2026 February 8, 2026 Open Book

Feb. 9, 2026

Did you try any new foods last year?

How did that go?

During the summer, I spend a lot of weekends at various community events. You’d think that would provide the opportunity to try a variety of new foods. But I don’t eat much during festival days because I’m afraid to dig into some messy dish just as a potential customer comes to my booth. Besides, I don’t want to have grease on my hands when I’m handling my books.

But there’s the rest of the year. And limited options in my local area as far as restaurants. In fact, this year we planned to try a new one for our anniversary. Walked in, and they had a sign that said “cash only” and were serving a limited menu. We ended up going elsewhere.

Now, I’ve tried new dishes in favorite restaurants.

But I don’t consider that as new food as they were still “American-style” dishes.

Here’s a confession: I’m bored with cooking and eating. The variety of dietary needs in the household makes meal planning difficult. We’ve fallen into a pattern of repeating the same dishes over and over. At times, I’d rather just munch on a variety of cheese, meats, and crackers than eat a full meal.

I hope your diet has been more adventurous than mine. Feel free to share the new dishes you’ve tried in the comments. And I’m hoping the other authors on this hop have more to share than I do. Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe. (and warm if you’re in a freezing area!)

Goal update – I’m at 34,800 words. Not as far as I wanted to be, but the characters are switching the plot on me.

What’s To Eat? #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne August 10, 2025 August 10, 2025 Open Book

August 11,2025

Are you a breakfast, lunch, or dinner person?

What does your ideal meal look like?

For many years, I didn’t eat breakfast. I’d have a large glass of orange juice and call it good. These days I often treat myself with a bowl of flavored oatmeal, especially in the colder months.

And lunch? I have mixed emotions. I loved when we went out as a team (before I retired). But I had to be careful what I ate. If I splurged on pasta, I’d often get a midday slump, so I normally stuck to salads or other lighter fare. (Yes, I have figured out it was a symptom of a thyroid problem. It’s being treated now.) These days, lunch is basically whatever I can grab when I feel like it. Occasionally, the hubby and I will go out for lunch, when the mood strikes us.

That leaves supper.

Supper is always an adventure. There are three different dietary issues I have to accommodate. Trying to find one meal plan that suits everyone is basically impossible. So, I end up having a backup for the main dish. I refuse to serve chicken for every meal. Personally, I prefer Italian food. Spaghetti, lasagna, or anything similar. (One member of the household doesn’t eat any pasta, so

But the best thing about supper is that it signals the end of the day. A time to relax. No rush to get to work or the grandkids to school. A time to sit at the computer and catch up on email or reading.

So, I guess I’m a dinner person.

How about the other people on this hop? What’s their favorite meal? Follow the links below to find out.

August 11, 2025

Are you a breakfast, lunch, or dinner person? What does your ideal meal look like?

Over The River And Through The Woods #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne July 9, 2023 July 9, 2023 Open Book

July 10, 2023

What do you order from your local Chinese restaurant? Do you order it every time or mix things up?

What do I order from my local Chinese restaurant? Clutch your pearls, I don’t really have a local one. The nearest one is over the river and through the woods and down a hill; not necessarily in that order. In the year since we’ve lived here, I haven’t ordered from it.

There’s a reason for that. I drive by it on my weekly trip to the grocery store and no matter what time it is; the place is never busy, which makes me assume the food isn’t very good. Even if people were getting takeout, there’d be cars in the parking lot, and the most I’ve seen even at suppertime is two. That’s not encouraging. (And they don’t deliver to my area.)

How does a place like that stay in business? What are they selling out the back door? And what does that have to do with the mystery the private investigator in my work in progress is involved in? I can’t wait to find out!

It won’t be the first time I’ve used Chinese food in one of my stories. There’s a pivotal scene in The Rise of Jake Hennessey that takes place over a meal of Chinese takeout. Typical stuff – fried rice, lo mein, sweet-n-sour chicken.

That doesn’t mean those are the food I would choose. I like to experiment. I may not try any of the really spicy recipes, but I’m good with anything from mild to medium. It really depends on the restaurant, but put me in front of buffet and I will make several trips. I may not leave room for dessert!

What are my favorites? Honey chicken and pepper chicken. You can’t find them everywhere. I’m also fond of a good combination fried rice.

Oh, as a sidenote. I don’t use chopsticks. I’ve tried, and never got the hang of it.

How about the other authors on this hop? Find out by following the links below.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

July 10, 2023

What do you order from your local Chinese restaurant? Do you order it every time or mix things up?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

The Food They Eat #OpenBook Blog Hop

By P.J. MacLayne April 9, 2023 April 9, 2023 Open Book

April 10, 2023

What does the food your characters eat reveal about their personality?

She longed for a rare steak to satisfy the blood lust licking her paw had awakened, but she hadn’t found a gas station yet selling them. She sighed. Beef jerky would be on the menu.
Wolves’ Pawn

What do wolf shifters eat? Raw meat, of course, when they have the option. Except they have a human side, and a no-nonsense doctor that insists that pack members include fruits and vegetables in their menus. I played with the concept throughout the Free Wolves’ series. In Wolves’ Knight, there is a community celebration that includes steak and casseroles, and in Wolves’ Gambit, steak is mentioned several times as a part of meals.

I took it farther in Wolves’ Gambit, joking about how a Wyoming pack can’t raise cattle because the cows can sense the dual nature of the wolf shifters, and are skittish around them. Chickens, however, don’t seem to care.

The wolf part of my shifters leads to many minor plot points around food. They have rules about what they can hunt and when. Pregnant does are never to be killed. A large stag is considered off-limits because of his potential to expand the local herd of deer. Who says a wolf shifter can’t be an environmentalist and understand their impact on a future food source? Also, there are other rules about verifying if an animal is another shifter or not before attacking them to make them a meal, which would be unethical. (Attacking them in battle is a different set of values.)

It makes sense. The closer you are to nature, the closer you are to your food source. So my wolf shifters and food are tied together.

How about the other authors. What does food reveal about their character’s personalities? Follow the link below to find out.

As always, until next time, please stay safe.

April 10, 2023

What does the food your characters eat reveal about their personality?

1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Tag: #Food