Episode 295: Queenan Country

Joe Queenan, that quirky observer of the human comedy, takes us his England this week. It's a place of people driven by good-natured insanity, where home cooking thrives, and the steak and kidney pie requires a pneumatic drill. His book is Queenan Country: A Reluctant Anglophile's Pilgrimage to the Mother Country.

Remember creamed chipped beef on toast? The Sterns tuck into the old-fashioned dish and more classic New England fare at the Blue Benn Diner in Bennington, Vermont. Wine maverick Josh Wesson talks cans, boxes and sippy straws, the next new things for serving wine. Sally Schneider returns with ideas for easy suppers starring cornbread, including her recipe for Parmigiano Cornbread.

Health authority Nina Simonds advises saying no to Botox and yes to the spice cupboard for fighting those pesky signs of aging. She shares her recipe for Fragrant Cinnamon Pork with Sweet Potatoes is from her new book Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great Health.

Broadcast dates for this episode:

• March 19, 2005 (originally aired)

• March 18, 2006 (rebroadcast)