Meme

I will continue to admit to being a bad blogger. I'm just not cooking a ton of things lately. Taking a class that meets twice a week, in the evenings. It leaves me exhausted. So I'm not cooking as much. Or cooking very quick things. The last has one more week. Then my regular schedule "should" resume. We'll see.

A killer burger from Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Delaware. Big fat juicy burger topped with a jumbo onion ring, then cheddar cheese, then crumbled bacon...g'ahhhhhhhhhh!

In the meantime...

Via the Brace Astronaut:

From Shine on Yahoo:

"When it came time to compile our culinary bucket list, anything was game, from street meat on the corner to the finest offerings at a four-star restaurant. Our list includes the usual suspects - caviar, decadent desserts, in-season produce at the peak of freshness - and some surprises, too.

If today were your last on this earth, would your tummy be satisfied? Or do you have some eating to do? Without further ado, our list of 50 Things to Eat Before You Die . . ."

">1. Chicago-style deep dish stuffed pizza with every topping imaginable – love deep dish, but my preference would be for a deep dish stuffed with cheese and sausage. My favorite!

2. Caviar (local and sustainable, of course!) – Could care less

3. Fried chicken and waffles – Nice, but not great

4. Just-picked, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes with fresh basil and mozzarella di bufala on crusty bread – Certainly. But to me, it's all in the bread!

5. Perfect scrambled eggs with crème fraiche and chives – Very nice

6. French press coffee with real cream – Yum, but the coffee would make my belly sad. I miss guzzling coffee

7. Champagne and strawberries – As a snack, sure.

8. Steak tartare and fresh arugula with a drizzle of oil – No thanks.

9. Hot dog from a street cart with all the fixings – I’m weird, I barely like catsup on my hotdog. Maybe a chili-cheese dog, but no pickles, no relish, generally no mustard. Actually I’d prefer a good old fashioned brat with sauerkraut!

10. Authentic Vietnamese pho soup with beef, rice noodles, sprouts, fresh herbs, and sriracha (perfect for when you're feeling under the weather!) – Good pho is transcendent. And it will clear out your sinuses like no other!

11. Spicy tuna sushi roll topped with avocado – I’ll pass.

12. Fried soft shell crab – I prefer crab in “cake” form. Thanks.

13. Mayo-rich lobster roll – Don’t like mayo. Prefer my lobster coming out of shell and diving in a bowl of melted butter.

14. Baklava (Middle Eastern filo pastry filled with walnuts and honey) – I make the best Baklava, and I use pistachios instead of walnuts. Adding a little orange essence to the honey.

15. S'mores by the campfire – I enjoy them, but never fully appreciated the appeal.

16. Churros dipped in melted chocolate – I’ll enjoy them.

17. Bagel with cream cheese and lox – Salt bagel, toasted with cream cheese and no lox.

18. Ice-cold sake – The nearest thing I’ve had is a sake-mosa. Danger!

19. Sweet potato fries fried in truffle oil – There is a place near work where I can get sweet potato fries, dusted with cinnamon and a side of warm marshmallow fluff for dipping. Much better.

20. Anything with truffle salt – Sure, if someone wants to buy it for me.

21. Escargot drenched in garlic butter – Not a fan.

22. Beignets right out of the fryer, dusted with powdered sugar – As dessert for the last meal. I’ve had them before, not from NOLA, where you get three bowls of dipping sauce…that was a treat. And light on the powdered sugar please.

23. Real strawberry ice cream – Depends on how its made. I don’t like the real strawberries in the real strawberry ice cream to be frozen. Textural thing. Sorry.

24. Fresh-caught, head-on prawns over homemade pasta (preferably eaten in Italy) – Eh.

25. Chocolate-filled croissants with cappuccino on a Sunday morning – OK. Now, let’s make it a chocolate-almond croissant and were talking.

26. Pork belly – Yes please.

27. Tandoori lobster with garlic-butter naan – Maybe. See #13.

28. Tiramisu – Only homemade, not from a restaurant.

29. Honeycomb – Honey yes, honeycomb, no thanks. One of my all time favorite snacks…toasted English muffin, chunky peanut butter, sliced banana and drizzled in Tupelo honey.

30. Kansas City-style BBQ ribs dripping with sauce – Yes please.

31. Salted caramels – Had a salted caramel cupcake just last night. Heavenly. Salted caramels are very nice.

32. Fried Twinkie – No thanks. Didn’t like it when I tried it.

33. Homemade cannoli filled with ricotta – If you get in the way, I might punch you in the throat. Mine.

34. Nutella-filled crepe with fresh strawberries – I’ve never had a delicious crepe. I know they are out there, but the places I’ve had them, they were craptastic.

35. Full-fat eggnog dusted with freshly ground nutmeg – Yum, but…this is the worst thing for me to have…considering the lactose intolerance. No really…when ranking all dairy…this is the absolute worst thing for me. Yet I do it. Once glass a year. Only when I’m at home. Only on the weekend.

36. Greek yogurt with honey and fresh raspberries – I like Greek yogurt, but I usually have to had some things to it to make it to my liking. Vanilla seed. Honey is ok, but usually it’s a spoonful of sugar…and strawberries are preferred.

37. Southern-style shrimp and creamy grits – I just don’t get grits.

38. Mexican grilled corn with lime, crema, and chili powder – I’ve done it, but not with crema…butter, lime and cayenne pepper. Heavenly. Oh and make sure to have some fluer de sel.

39. Fresh-made guacamole with blue corn tortilla chips – Only homemade please.

40. Grilled summer peaches with brown sugar – Fine.

41. Fried green tomatoes – Not for me.

42. Big Mac – Not my favorite McD’s menu item.

43. Baked Camembert – Baked Brie maybe.

44. Homemade gnocchi in tomato cream sauce – Don’t twist my arm!

45. Butter lettuce from the farmers' market drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a few drops of really good olive oil – To simple for me. Lets dress it up with some toasted almonds, strawberries and a nice tangy vinaigrette.

46. Just-made glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut – I’ll eat a box in one sitting.

47. Mussels steamed in ale – No thank you.

48. 8-hour (or longer!) braised osso bucco – Actually have never had it.

49. Duck fat French fries – Have had it, loved the first two bites, then didn’t. So I’ll pass.

50. Bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with Gorgonzola – OK, I hate bleu cheese. BUT…BUT…I recently was given exactly this as an amuse buche at a fairly nice restaurant. I didn’t want it, but I did it. One bite. The flavors actually worked really well together. Sweet & jammy dates. Salty, crispy bacon. Tangy, creamy cheese. Together it works.