In this final episode of SEASON 1 of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Gail and Donna reflect on their personal experiences with this first season (yes, they have another season in the works which will be coming up very soon) - what they enjoyed, what they learned, what kept them coming back to this fledgling project. A huge thanks to all of you for showing up and spending time with The Lunchbucket’s guests. As you head out into the rest of your summer, here are a few rabbit holes you may enjoy exploring….

Speaking of lunch, ever wonder why Andy Warhol painted soup cans? Click HERE to read what we found out.

Just because we love, love these women and who doesn’t need a good laugh?

Roz Chast

Nicole Olive’s Nonprofit Boss

And how about an easy summertime recipe! Donna here, and in case you didn’t know, pimento cheese is a “thing” where I grew up. Everyone has their own recipe and pimento cheese sandwiches are perfect to pack in a cooler for a day at the lake or a picnic in the park or anything along those lines. I shared two versions of pimento cheese in the cookbook I worked on with my old boss Kix Brooks (“Cookin’ It With Kix” Harper Horizon, 2016). Here’s one of those for you to try:

Pimento Cheese Version 1

Pimento (or pimiento) cheese is a very popular spread in the Southern United States. Not that you don’t find it elsewhere, but you’ll find it frequently on restaurant and café menus in the South and almost every Southern family has their own version of the spread. It’s often called “The Caviar of the South” because of its frequent appearance at party spreads.

Base ingredients include cheeses, pimientos (canned red peppers) and mayonnaise. Regional ingredients vary and can include jalapeños, horseradish, cream cheese, hot sauce, paprika, onions, garlic, dill pickles, cayenne peppers, etc. It can be served as a spread for crackers, chips and veggies or made into a sandwich or mixed into grits, used in deviled eggs or spread onto hamburgers and hot dogs.

This version is made with sharp cheddar cheeses which is a bit chunkier and great on sandwiches. Keep in mind you can do add-ins to your heart’s desire. I suggest a dash of hot sauce for starters. You can also season with paprika or add chopped jalapeños, diced dill pickles or minced onions. Get creative and make it to suit your own taste.

Pimento Cheese Version 1

Makes 6-8 servings

-1 block sharp white cheddar cheese, diced into small cubes

-1 block sharp cheddar cheese, diced into small cubes

-1 small jar red pimentos, drained and chopped

-Mayonnaise, to taste

-Small pinch cayenne pepper, optional

The only time consuming task in making this recipe is dicing the cheese into small cubes. You could grate it instead but, in my opinion, it’s much better in little square chunks and the chunks are less likely to clump together when you’re mixing.

Place diced cheese into a mixing bowl and add the strained pimentos. Mix in a dollop or two of mayo, stir and taste. The idea is to bring the mixture together into something you can spread. Then you take a taste and trust your taste buds. If you want more mayo, go for it. If you like it just the way it is, then leave it be. Add cayenne or whatever seasonings you prefer and mix well.

Make a nice sandwich or place in a pretty dish and serve with crackers or veggies on the side.

Bon Appétit and we’ll be back soon!

xo,

Gail & Donna

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Nancy shares what it’s like to be an independent graphic designer and how she got into that line of work in the first place.

She’s also a music maker on the side and has created CD covers and other artwork for performing musicians, including the amazing Karla Bonoff! We get a behind-the-scenes peak into the grueling life of a traveling musician and the reality of food on the road.

Nancy also shares her love of Mexican food for lunch out of the house to get a break from her work at the computer.

You're definitely in for a special treat if you listen all the way to the end of this episode; Nancy plays guitar and sings one of her original songs, "Shoot the Moon".

We also hope you enjoy the shared photos/art and other links below.

Love, Gail & Donna

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Carolyn explains what her job as an accountant entails, both during and after tax season each year. She compares her daily work to solving puzzles and thank goodness, there are people such as Carolyn who love puzzles!

We hear what it’s really like to be responsible for the financial accounting and about how complicated taxes are these days. We get Carolyn’s thoughts on the proliferation of online tax prep services and whether or not she thinks the tax system in this country should change. We also find out the other career path that she was interested in besides accounting and how the two fields are similar.

Of course we also talk food & bev - the drink that gets her going each morning and what she eats for lunch these days. We rewind to elementary school lunch as well and peak into Carolyn’s 4th grade lunchbox; you won’t believe what she used to do with a bag of Fritos!

Enjoy!

Love, Gail & Donna

Being the astute researcher that she is, Gail found this fascinating website listing famous folks who studied accounting and/or worked in accounting before becoming famous for doing other things, such as acting or singing in rock and roll bands. Yes, both Mick Jagger and Peter Falk studied accounting! Who knew?!

Carolyn says accounting is like solving a puzzle. We’re pretty sure she’s a lot better at solving that puzzle than WE are. How about some soothing, old school Tetris to exercise your gaming/problem solving muscles?

One of our favorite (fictional) accountants of all time. The late great Charles Grodin in Midnight Run with Robert De Niro. Watch HERE.

During the demanding tax season, Carolyn enjoys a Friday Fritter treat each Friday along with a nice cup of coffee … yummmm

When Carolyn told us about her childhood hack of putting Fritos on her PB&J for lunch, we were intrigued. But who knew that it’s actually a thing! The ol’ internet if full of recipes and folks making the sweet, salty treat. Haha!

Here’s one YouTube video showing exactly how to make a PB&J with Fritos and take it up a notch further if you’re so inclined.

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, we converse with Saba, a specialized IT professional who bridges the gap between business problems and technical solutions in the healthcare field. Saba explains exactly what she does in everyday language (thank goodness!) and also talks about why she does what she does.

We get insight into her childhood, how she was inspired by her father, the engineer, and her takeaways from living in countries around the world. And, how she keeps herself creative and ready for the challenges she craves.

Of course we take a lunch break and Saba definitely knows her way around a kitchen. From turmeric lattes to healthy lunch bowls, we get a glimpse into her daily life, what she eats and why she eats it. We also find out what she had for school lunch on her first day of school in the U.S. many years ago.

We also hope you enjoy the shared photos/art and other links below.

Love, Gail & Donna

Saba has this photo of herself and her father on her work desk; it brings back fond memories of helping her dad, the engineer, fix things. Fixing things is now what she does for a living.

Saba is a great host! She made these turmeric lattes for Donna and herself to enjoy during the podcast interview. Scroll on down for an easy turmeric latte recipe!

To make a turmeric latte at home:

For each latte, heat 1 cup of milk of your choice in a saucepan, bringing to a gentle simmer. Do not boil. In the bottom of each mug, place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom and a tiny pinch of black pepper. Stir the hot milk into each mug and add 1-2 teaspoons Manuka honey (to taste). If you have a milk frother (or want to froth milk using a Mason jar), spoon frothed milk on top of the latte before serving.

Mason Jar Frother: Fill a clean Mason jar no more than halfway with milk. Microwave for 30-35 seconds (140-150 degrees F). Secure the lid tightly and shake the jar vigorously for about a minute. Remove the lid and let the foam settle before pouring it into your latte.

Saba’s Lunchbucket contains a fiber-rich Mediterranean salad, chock-full of greens, such as chard or arugula, lots of colorful veggies, legumes, and a bit of cheese.

Along with the creative demands of her day job, Saba unwinds by creating beautiful artwork. She has loved drawing and painting her entire life. These gorgeous butterflies are a small sample of her handiwork.

Other interesting reading:

Check out this NY Times opinion piece about A.I. tech workers work to have a “say”.

You might also find this article about the UK Institute that’s becoming a model for countries grappling with A.I.’s emerging risks.

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, we meet salon owner and esthetician Lisa, who loves what she does for a living! Lisa talks about her daily routine and how much she enjoys providing services for her clients, who she considers her friends.

We hear Lisa’s story of building her own business while raising her son and how she has felt lucky all along the way. We also learn all about spray tans and get some solid skincare tips.

Of course we take a lunch break and get a peak into Lisa’s snack, er, lunchbucket 😂 And as always, we hope you enjoy the links/info this episode inspired (see below).

Love, Gail & Donna

Inspired to try a facial or one of the other services available at Lisa’s salon?

Check out Bellezza Face and Body HERE.

Are you a woman business owner like Lisa? (Or aspiring to be one?) Here are a couple of links to current grant opportunities:

Business Grants for Women

More small business grants for women

Gail here – making a plug for a beautiful little business whose products I discovered on a trip to New Mexico last year - EastsideRemedios.

My uber-minimal skincare routine involves washing face and body with one of their soaps. This one for my face: Skin Tonic No. 4 Rose

To soften up crazy dry Central Oregon skin, I like one of their salves like this Prairie Salve.

Everything they make is simple, clean, and made in small batches with wild foraged and local ingredients. Love you, Eastside!

If you want to hear more vintage radio commercials like the one we played at the beginning of this podcast episode, check out the Old Radio World site - it’s cool!

Oh and here’s a link to a 1950’s TV ad for Camay Beauty Soap!

Lisa admitted that lunch is not really on her radar, although she does have a basket of snacks at the salon (above) for quick bites in between clients. She promises that she makes up for it with a wonderful dinner each evening.

And finally, Lisa has very fond memories of Hostess Fruit Pies from her teenage years (and who doesn’t)!

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Ellie shares what it’s like to be a Dutch Bros barista. The training she went through, the details involved in making all those specialty caffeinated drinks, and how it feels to interact with customers for hours at a time.

Her smile shines through as she tells the story of how she came to work in a coffee hut and what’s on her near horizon; graduating from college! She also shares one of her lunchtime go-to recipes with us, her mom’s Black Bean Mango Salsa.

Like a nice shot of espresso, Ellie’s bright spirit energizes the room. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did as well as the links, ideas, and recipe attached.

Cheers! Gail & Donna

Ellie is a barista at a Dutch Bros location in Bend, Oregon where The Lunchbucket Podcast is based. Dutch Bros is a coffee hut chain that started in Grants Pass, Oregon in 1992. With PNW roots, the company has been expanding nationwide with plans to open over 180 stores in 2026! Check out the Dutch Bros story and mission.

As Ellie described some of the most popular Dutch Bros energy drinks, we were surprised at all the sour flavors and started pondering why sour candies and drinks seem to be so popular these days. Check out this fascinating read on how the Mega Warhead catapulted us into true sour territory: TOXIC. SOUR. ATOMIC.

Just for fun, we thought this “At Home with Amy Sedaris” was fitting:

No offense Dutch Bros, but we are a little concerned about how much caffeine and sugar the youth of America seem to be ingesting these days. We dug a little deeper into that worry and found some interesting reading that we wanted to share. Not to alarm, but to educate, here’s a LINK to a Psychology Today report.

And here’s a caffeine chart you might find interesting: CHART

Service with a smile. That’s a huge expectation in our culture. If you listen to the end of the podcast, you’ll hear us talking about the emotional toll working in any service industry job can take on a person. Here’s an article we found quite interesting that addresses just that, the dark side of service with a smile: BARISTAS BURDEN

Ellie’s Favorite Black Bean Mango Salsa/Salad (from her mom)

Ellie’s mom Melissa is a great cook, so instead of exact amounts, she says to “Cook From Your Heart”

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

small bag of frozen white or yellow corn, thawed

1 mango, peeled and chopped

small can of roasted green chiles

chopped red pepper, as much as you like

a handful of cilantro, chopped

red onion, diced, as much as you like

chopped tomato, as much as you like

a few swirls of olive oil

a splash of red wine vinegar

salt, to taste

black pepper, taste

garlic powder, to taste

a zesty seasoning of your choice, to taste

Stir it all together and just taste it to see if it tastes like you like it to taste.

In this episode of The Lunchbucket Podcast, Gail is in conversation with a very inspiring human being. Robert is his name and his warmth, humility, and enthusiasm for life is uplifting, to say the least.

Robert has contributed a lifetime of service to humankind and he’s not slowing down. His current endeavors including volunteering with hospice (in Central Oregon) as well as donating his time to lead meditation groups at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in Jefferson County, Oregon.

You can literally feel the kindness in his spirt and the goodness in his heart from listening to his voice. As Gail puts it, she’s happy to share a little of “The Magic of Robert” with our audience.

As always, we hope you enjoy the links/info related to this episode, shared below.

Love, Gail & Donna

As you find out early on in Robert’s episode, he was an OG Mr. Mom who was quite comfortable and more than happy in his role. Of course the 1983 movie starring Michael Keaton came to mind.

Here’s a link to the Prison Contemplative Fellowship organization that produces the book (available for free and in multiple languages) that Robert’s group uses at Deer Ridge: uspcf.org

“Toxic Shame and Contemplative Prayer – From Hiding to Healing” by Ray Leonardini

This all-volunteer, grassroots, nonprofit organization sends books to incarcerated people who can request books: PRISONERS LITERATURE PROJECT

Interested in volunteering at Deer Ridge or another correctional facility in Oregon? Find out more HERE.

If Robert’s hospice work touched your heart, here’s a link to great videos and other guides from expert end-of-life educator, Barbara Karnes.

Robert was born in East Africa but by the time he started school his family had relocated to Garrison, NY. His homemade school lunches were usually cream cheese and jelly or PB & J sandwiches. These days lunch is leftovers, salad, or one of his famous homemade soups.

In this episode of the Lunchbucket Podcast, Donna gets a haircut while chatting with her longtime hairdresser/friend Cash about his livelihood. We learn what it’s really like to cut and color hair all day long, what it takes to build a clientele and own your own shop and how to make the perfect PB&J!

You’ll also hear why Cash believes cosmetology is a practical profession for the long run and why it’s always important to find out what your hairdresser likes to drink - think caffeine!

As usual, this conversation brought up a lot of ideas and memories so we hope you enjoy the links, info and photos we share below.

Love, Gail & Donna

Cash says the beauty shop depicted in the movie “Steel Magnolias” (with Dolly Parton playing Truvy Jones, the shop owner), is as close to real-life as he’s seen in pop culture. The 1989 motion picture was directed by Herbert Ross with the screenplay by Robert Harling (it’s based on his 1987 play) and starred Dolly along with Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts. It’s a fun one, here’s the trailer.

Then there’s “Hairspray” (1988) by John Waters which stars Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Debbie Harry, Jerry Stiller and other stars you’ll recognize and talk about some BIG hair! Watch the trailer.

It was the 1980s when Cash graduated from cosmetology school and got his first job at a hair salon on the square in a small southern town. That’s where he really learned his craft, watching and learning from the ladies who had been doing hair longer than he had been alive - they specialized in shampoos and sets and beehive ‘dos.

As we learned in the podcast, hairdressers often get close to their clients. It’s an intimate relationship of sorts and that has led to beauty professionals banding together to support survivors and help end the epidemic of violence and abuse.

Below are a couple of links for more information on the Professional Beauty Association’s Cut It Out program and Sheer Haven’s free domestic violence training program for beauty professionals:

Cut It Out

Shear Haven Training

Thanks for tuning in - we appreciate you!

In this episode of the Lunchbucket Podcast, Gail has a compelling conversation with Betsy, who has a very important job at Mt. Bachelor in Central Oregon. Betsy has been working at the ski resort for 26 years and currently is the Mountain Operations Senior Manager and Snow Safety Manager.

This is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes peak into what goes on daily at an active ski resort including how avalanche dogs are trained and what Betsy finds most rewarding and most difficult about working in the elements and trying to keep everyone safe. Of course there’s also food talk; we hear what Betsy eats for snacks and lunch when she’s working and what she had in her lunchbox during her childhood school days.

We hope you enjoy the info/links we share below and be on the lookout soon for an accompanying Thank-You-God granola recipe from Alicia Witt.

Love, Gail & Donna

See Betsy in action on this episode of Oregon Field Guide featuring the Mt. Bachelor avalanche dog program! WATCH HERE.

Learn more about Mt. Bachelor’s Avalanche Dog Rescue Program and see a photo of the current canine team HERE.

In a field once dominated by males, Betsy has persevered and now there are more female ski patrollers than ever at Mt. Bachelor. Women ski patrollers are building their own spaces for support. Here are a few sites to check out:

Women Of Patrol

“You’re Nothing Until They See You Ski”: Life as a Female Ski Patroller

Revelstoke Mountain Resort She Patrol

Betsy loves to bring leftovers for her lunch break but her daily snacks include things such as nuts, berries and other easy to pack, healthy snacks.

Looking at Betsy’s snack pack is a reminder of a cookbook I worked on in 2021, Alicia Witt’s “Small Changes”. I did the recipe testing for the recipes in the book and Alicia’s Thank-You-God Granola is literally the best granola I have ever eaten! I’ll be sharing that recipe and a few other food thoughts in an upcoming lunchbucket Substack essay so please stay tuned! — Donna

In this episode of the Lunchbucket Podcast, Kim talks about being an OG van-lifer, making work transitions and what she eats for lunch (Pu-Pu platter & Chinese Tea Eggs).