Raisins

There's something to be said for raisins--and I'm going to say it. For the last few days, I've packed raisins in my lunch. They taste intensely sweet, giving hints of their sun-dried nature, are satisfyingly chewy, and come in small pieces suitable for snacking. I started eating these raisins not because of an uncontrollable urge at the store, but because they were left over from a chicken recipe that called for them. That brings me to another thing to be said for raisins. Raisins are quite versatile, allowing themselves to bring sweetness to dishes without overpowering them. Think of raisins in spinach, blue cheese and walnut salads, or tossed with rice, toasted almonds, sliced green onions and a little bit of butter. Raisins add just the right amount of sugar to oatmeal, and who has ever removed raisins from Raisin Bran (besides the picky ones)?