It was Tuesday and, as usual, I was spending the day with my 94-year-old mom. It was time for us to decide where to go for lunch. One of our favorite places or a new place? Mom suggested pizza, so we headed off to Nagila pizza. It turns out that place is added to our favorites list. The combination of a slice of their thin, crispy pizza*, and a bowl of their thick, delicious mushroom-barley soup hit the spot perfectly.

In deference to my mom’s YUMMY choice of lunches, today I am presenting you with my very favorite foods – those that make the YUM list.

• My wife’s chicken soup – with chicken legs and thighs, unusual veggies, and mini croutons.

• All other homemade soups, to which I can add leftovers.

• Nagila pizza by the slice – haven’t found any other pizza to match it – *it is so crispy that it stays horizontal when you hold it by the crust.

• Fried and breaded chicken, fish and eggplant.

• Smoked chicken – on my smoker – 4 chickens in 4.5 hours.

• Basmati rice – great with the smoked chicken.

• Barbequed chicken thighs – tender and delicious – it’s the only thing I like barbequed.

• Low-fat microwave mini bags of popcorn with melted margarine.

• Homemade sardine sandwich on squaw bread with mayo, lettuce, tomato and a few potato chips [or a tuna sandwich at Subway].

• Vegetarian baked beans.

• Grape juice – as healthy as wine?

• Crispy oven-baked potato and baby green peas – memories from my childhood.

• Corn on the cob – crunch, crunch.

• My own crispy egg rolls – crunchy.

• Thawed frozen cherries with or without yogurt – in yogurt, it’s my own fruit-on-the-bottom treat.

So there is my YUM list, as best I can recall today. The fun of eating in a new restaurant or dining at someone’s home is that I may discover a new food I can add to my list.

Happy, healthy eating to you all!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at Robertebsen@hotmail.com