By Mary Jo Spiegel
Enquirer contributor

There are no doubt blues men and women have an affinity for food. Songs like "She Cooks Me Cabbage" and artist names "Barbecue Bob," "Catfish Keith" and "Jelly Roll" confirm it.

"We joke that if you want to be a blues singer, you take an affliction or a food then add your name," says Amy Joy, media and advertising coordinator with the Greater Cincinnati Blues Society, whose annual Queen City Blues Fest is Aug. 1-2.

Festival crowds might be more concerned with what music to play with dinner than what wine to pour. Blues recordings make the pairing easy, with a smorgasbord of artists and titles to choose from. How about some T-Bone Walker with that steak dinner? House guests refuse to leave? Play the song "18 Pounds of Unclean Chitlins" while serving the same. Problem solved.

But the perfect pairing with the blues, Joy says, "Traditionally is barbecue, any way shape or form, or food with Cajun nuances from around the Mississippi Delta where the blues originated."

OK, the Blues Fest is about music, not food, but the sounds at Bicentennial Commons at Sawyer Point next weekend just might inspire your next meal. Find out more about the Cincy Blues Society, Blues in the Schools and the Greater Cincinnati Blues Fest at www.cincyblues.org.

• "Fine as an appetizer or snack," Amy Joy says of her rumaki. "However, I have seen one true blues man polish off the whole tray as a meal. As with blues music, improvise to your hearts desire!"

Blues Chick's Rumaki

SAUCE

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 small onion, mashed (chop to oblivion in food processor)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt, to taste

RUMAKI

1 or 2 cans pineapple chunks

1 pound sliced bacon

To make sauce, combine all ingredients and simmer until thick. Set aside.

Meanwhile, wrap each pineapple chunk in bacon slice and secure with toothpick. Place on foil-covered cookie sheet, broil until bacon is crisp. Transfer bacon-wrapped chunks to crock pot, cover with sauce and simmer 30 minutes. Transfer to cookie sheet, broil again 3 to 5 minutes and serve.

Easy option: Place bacon-wrapped pineapple in baking dish, cover with favorite barbecue sauce and bake at 375 degrees 20 to 30 minutes, turning once. Makes 4 servings.

• Supporting Blues in the Schools this spring, Francine Reed, blues diva, and excellent cook, sang "Wild women never, never get the blues," but I came close when this recipe originally ran garbled. Here it is again.

No-Bake Pineapple Squares

CRUST

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup light margarine, melted

FILLING

1 cup fat-free or light sour cream (or small curd cottage cheese)

4 ounces light cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange marmalade or apricot fruit spread, divided

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

Whipped cream for topping

Make crust by combining crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and margarine. Pat onto bottom of 8-inch square baking dish and chill.

Meanwhile, make filling. Beat together sour cream, cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon marmalade in medium bowl until smooth; set aside. Drain pineapple; reserving 1/4 cup juice. Sprinkle gelatin over reserved juice in small saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Stir juice over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Beat juice mixture into sour cream mixture until blended, then spread evenly over crust.

Stir together pineapple and remaining 3 tablespoons orange marmalade in small bowl until blended and spread over sour cream filling. Top with whipped cream if desired. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Makes 16 squares.

Can you help?

• Barbara Johnson in Loveland wants a fresh salsa recipe similar to Fiesta Bravo's in time for tomato season.

• West-sider Jim Handorf still longs for a butter crumb Danish or coffeecake like that from the former Moellinger's Bakery on Queen City Avenue.

Send food questions, tips, recipe requests and recipes to Saucy Cook, the Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati 45202. E-mail: maryjo@saucycook.com. Include name, neighborhood, e-mail and phone number.