My life is a bundle of contradictions, especially when it comes to food. 

On Thursday, I attended a holiday food show in Laurel and saw a Thanksgiving dinner straight from a Norman Rockwell painting.

A perfectly-browned turkey breast, succulent ham, picture-perfect casseroles and flaky rolls were surrounded by towering coconut, German chocolate and pound cakes. Rows of pecan, lemon icebox, coconut cream and apple pies completed the idyllic tables cape.

The following day, cool weather arrived, creating an appetite for peasant food. I pulled out a large yellow onion, chopped it into thin pieces and sautéed it in butter in preparation for tasty French onion soup.

Discovering I was out of beef broth, I popped three beef bouillon cubes into two cups of water and heated it in the microwave. Into the Crock-Pot went both the caramelized onion, butter and all, along with the beef-flavored water and a teaspoon or two of worchestire sauce.

Three hours later, I poured the thick chunky soup into individual bowls, topped each one with a thin slice of French bread and a sprinkling of cheese and placed them under the broiler to melt the cheese. And just like that, I had hearty bowls of French onion soup for supper.

On Sunday, I made a potato casserole covered with heavy cream and cheese. For dessert, I craved cobbler, normally a warm weather treat. Not to be deterred, I purchased two bags of frozen berries, including blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. In just 40 minutes, I had a sweet, simple dessert that was the perfect touch to Sunday dinner.

I’ll be the first to admit it was not the prettiest dish. In fact, my niece called it a “crazy looking dessert.” However, she uttered the words as she filled her second bowlful, so I figured taste overruled lack of aesthetics.

Here’s the lesson I learned from a few days of diverse food choices. There are no rules on when certain foods should be prepared or how complicated your recipes should be. All that matters is that you treat yourself and those around your table with the foods you enjoy.

“Crazy in a Good Way" Dessert

2-16 oz. bags of triple berry fruit, thawed

(can substitute 2 cans fruit-flavored pie filling)

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup melted butter