Those of you old enough to remember, will remember the very first Corning WareŽ products, squatty little casserole dishes with a funky little blue flower, in the original Cornflower pattern.

This new-fangled stuff was made from pyroceram, a wedding of strong, durable porcelain onto a glass base. It was as heavy as Pyrex glassware but combined the properties of tempered glass with the opaque appearance of china. Before long we say new patterns like Indian Summer, then the introduction of dinnerware, from the Corelle, a newly separate division.

Through the last 30 or so years, these products have graced tables, from dorm room desks, second-hand parental cast-off dining tables to my own round oak collection. That's not to say I don't have a china hutch full of Noritake's Art Noveau inspired Barrymore pattern, or my Great Aunt Marian's fragile Belleek from the Olde Sod.

CorelleŽ Ocean Dance Dinnerware

This set contains 16 basic pieces*, and sold at our local Walmart's for around $30.00, a bargain to be sure. The winter white background is edged with a ribbon of turqoise ocean waves and interspersed with frolicking blue dolphins. It is cheerful, whimsical and endearing all at the same time.

It reminds me of our dear little Grandparents cottage, a quaint redwood structure overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where various members of our extended family find respite from the often brutal San Joaquin, (e.g. The Big Valley), Valley summers.

It also reminds me of the brand new Imperial Gold dolphin pendant I received for last week's 10th Anniversary, and a love for sea mammals which has endured since our earliest visits to San Francisco's Steinhart Aquarium, (Golden Gate Park), and family trips to Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

*There are 4 10" dinner plates, 4 8" luncheon plates, 4 generous cereal/soup bowls and 4 good sized mugs, (solid blue color), which makes up my set. In days gone by, mugs were not offered and instead these rather chintzy coffee cups were offered.

Mugs are more modern, and I'm glad my particular set offers these instead of cups and saucers, as these, and the chunker jumbo Fiesta Ware® ones are like ones I like for piping hot java, mulled apple cider or even a nourishing cup of hot chocolate, tomato soup or broth.

Corelle is good about providing a line of serving pieces, tableware and glassware to compliment most collections, and follow the basic colors.

Not included here, but available are 1 and 2 quart serving bowls, large soup/salad bowls I find perfect for pasta, super-sized, (deeper) cereal/soup bowls, 12" platters big enough to hold a T-bone steak plus sides, and a variety of place mats, drinking glasses, carafes and more, to create a fully coordinated table.

Of course Corelle dinnerware wouldn't be such a bargain if the pieces weren't well-made and durable. Right now I'm looking at comparison pieces of a stoneware set, called Medea, I've loved and used as much as my Ocean Dream pieces.

Where the stoneware is super heavy, the Corelle is moderately light, but not flimsy. The Medea is sadly starting to show the sort of nicks and chips that come with even careful everyday use, and a few pieces even have hairline cracks.

My Ocean DanceŽ dinnerware set has none of these defects, and stacks a lot more compactly than my stoneware ever could. It is dishwasher and microwave safe, and can go from oven to table to freezer, though it can't be used on stovetops the way the Corning cookware can.

When pieces occasionally drop, the plates spin a while then fall unharmed to the vinyl floor, the bowls sometimes fall and don't spin, and only once has a bowl fallen "face" down, landing solidly on its rim, and broken.

It was interesting to see how the bowl broke, (it splintered), and to notice the similarities to glass under these conditions. Care needed to be taken to get each tiny sliver up from the floor, as we are barefoot people in our own home, and luckily, this has only happened the one time.

My Corelle Ocean Dance cleans like a dream. The decoration has never peeled nor worn off, and occasional discolorations scrub away easily with a plastic scrubbie pad and a little elbow grease.

I would recommend this product without reservation. It is the least breakage-prone dinnerware, and comes with enough variety of pattern to please even the fussiest of households. The enduring affair homemakers have with their Corelle Ware is evident by the huge amounts traded on auction sites like eBay, and I love to spend a few hours each month checking out what my local Revere-Corning Outlet store has to offer.

If Ocean Dance isn't your cup of tea, the Corelle site offers dozens and dozens of alternatives, from fancy fluted designs like the ivy-covered Calloway, a tasteful, more earthenware appearing herbal pattern, county-themed casual pieces like Farm Fresh and Windsor Farms.

my second set of Corelle dinnerware, Forever Yours, has a Pennsylvania Dutch tole appearance, featuring an attractive ecru ground with a border of peachy pink hearts and flowers with aqua accents which have a stenciled appearance.

You should know, this stuff is addictive as potato chips, and I already have my eye on some darling seasonal pieces, with snowflakes and snowmen aptly named Let It Snow.
Let's see, they have dinner plates, serving platters and bowls...

Corning thoughtful sells replacement dinnerware, and individual serving pieces, though for most of us in The Club, this is not to replace but rather to expand our growing collections.

I strongly feel this stuff is as smart as the idea of sliced bread, and can't say enough good things about my favorite everyday 'china'. Well, maybe they could come up with a few more of the Southwest patterns I like best...

This is a wonderful idea for both newlyweds, (or newly divorced/widowed), young adults off to stock their first kitchen, or for anyone seeking change, color or just a replacement for the battered stuff that lurks in their own cupboards.
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Atkin's Diet-Style Tuna Melt

When I'm too tired to cook, after 10 hour shifts at the Medical Center, something like this is what I'm liable to whip up. It can be served on crackers, on celery sticks, with corn chip scoopers, slathered on English Muffin halves, or for that true low carbohydrate induction experience, all by itself.

1 can albacore (white) tuna in water, drained
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Couple dashes tarragon
Couple dashes Lawry's Seasoned Pepper
1/2 Cup grated cheese (Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Muenster, Mozzarella, Provolone, Mild Cheddar or Gouda)
1/4 Cup fresh salsa, drained (optional)

Combine seasonings with drained tuna and lemon juice, breaking the fish into small bits with a fork. Stir in grated cheese, and the fresh salsa if desired. This can be prepared in the same Corelle cereal bowl you'll be eating from.

Cover with paper towel or microwave-save wax paper or plastic wrap, then microwave on medium power for 1 minute. Stir to distribute unmelted cheese, recover, and microwave another minute or so on medium, until cheese is just melted.

This only takes about 5 minutes to prepare, from start to finish. Sometimes I'll use a bit, (1/8 teaspoon), of granulated onion powder if not using the salsa. I don't add salt, because to my taste, canned tuna, whether packed in water or oil, is plenty salty all by itself. And it goes without saying, that using dolphin-safe tuna, such as the excellent Safeway brand tonagol type (in the blue can), is a must.
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This is another entry in the PAYOFF Challenge arranged by those industrious H&G and Pet people, in the hopes the organized and articulate Book Brigade could possibly win back the Eps Kids, individually known as Eenie, Meanie, Minie and Moe.

An extra special thanks must go to Pogomom for adding Corelle dinnerware, (after I bugged her no end). Like I said before, stuff this great just needs to be shared.


Recommended: Yes