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Here's One Food Pyramid That Won't Be Built In A Day

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By TONY "FATSO" SICILIANO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 20, 2008

If you were to ask anyone who knows me what they like the best about me, chances are they would say my wife. We have all heard people refer to their spouse as their "better half," but I am yet to see a marriage where it is truer than in mine.

Not only is she beautiful and funny, but she is always looking out for me, always loving me and, most importantly, always putting up with my shenanigans. She cares about me and my health a million times more than I do, and she always does what she can to make sure I am healthy. If I have a cough, she calls a doctor for me; if my tooth hurts, she calls the dentist. All I have to do is show up for the appointment.

That being said, I cannot go shopping at the supermarket with her. For all of the things we have in common, we are polar opposites in the grocery aisles. I get whole milk, she gets skim. I get cereal with a cartoon character on the box loaded with delicious sugar, she gets something healthy with lots of fiber and taste like a tree's bark.

My favorite area of the grocery store is the meat department. While I am loading up on ground beef and rib-eye steaks and all kinds of pork products, she might get some boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Recently she made one of those curious, thoughtful, out-of-the-clear-blue-sky comments that wives seem to make to their husbands when they have another motive. She coyly snuggles up to me and drops the bomb, "Honey, in all the time that we have been married, I don't think I have ever seen you eat fruit." I instantly got overly defensive.

She goes on to ask when the last time I ate an apple, or blueberries, or cherries. I snap back that she just named, in order, my favorite kinds of pies.

"What about bananas?" she said. "Honey, you know that is my favorite kind of pudding!" She finished her inquisition, but I knew she wasn't done, and I couldn't help but feel that I had awakened a sleeping giant to the fact that I just don't eat a lot of fresh fruit.

The next day, after slaving away all day over a hot microphone at work, I came home, walked into the kitchen, and there it was. It looked like the kitchen gave birth to a produce stand. There was a cornucopia of fresh fruit. Not one kind of apples; three kinds. She had melons and berries and oranges and grapes. Pineapples, plums, pears, peaches, even prunes - and that is just the P's. The kitchen was loaded.

Before I had a chance to ask her what was going on she exclaimed, "After yesterday, I thought you'd like to eat more fruit." She proudly showed me each and every kind of fruit she bought, even explained the antioxidant qualities of some of the fruits. She really did her homework on this.

I looked at every piece of fruit, giving my bride an immense sense of accomplishment. I quietly walked our kitchen counter, and when I reached the end, I looked at her and said, "My love, I would like to start with the peaches!" Her face was beaming with joy.

Many fruits do great on the grill, but few do as well as peaches. By themselves, they are perfect, with a little brown sugar, they are more than perfect. It doesn't matter if you just bought your first grill and you have never cooked anything more than a hot dog, the peaches will come out great. They are easy and delicious and, as far as I go, as close to eating fresh fruit as I care to get.

For dinner that night, I grilled some of those boneless, skinless chicken breasts that she is such a big fan of and, as the meal concluded, she asked me if I was in the mood for some fruit. I told her to sit back and relax. I had it taken care of. I walked back out to the grill then walked in with a bowl full of steaming hot, perfectly grilled peaches. I knew that is not what she had in mind, but as soon as she ate one she couldn't possibly be mad.

TONY FATSO'S PERFECTLY GRILLED PEACHES

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Pinch of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 fresh peaches

Vegetable oil

Vanilla ice cream

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut peaches along the seam all the way around and twist halves off the pit. Brush cut sides with vegetable oil. Cook, cut side down, on a hot grill until fruit has grill marks, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush tops with oil, turn over, and move to indirect heat. Sprinkle cut sides with cinnamon sugar. Cover grill and cook until sugar is melted and fruit is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream (sprinkle on extra cinnamon sugar if you like).

Tony "Fatso" Siciliano is the host of "On the Grill Radio" from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays on WFLA, 970 AM. For information, go to www.onthegrillradio.com.

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