Foodie Meme

Found on this blog

What’s your #1 comfort food?
My Mom's chili. It's delicious and I can never get enough of it.

If you were on a deserted island, what one food would you want to have with you?
Cheesecake Factory's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake. It combines two loves; red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting.

What is/are your signature dishes? (What dishes are you ‘known’ for?)
Kidney beans and rice with shredded taco cheese sprinkled on top until it becomes a gooey mess.

It’s Friday night, you don’t know what to cook. You opt for…
Getting food at Panera or Quizno's. Anything fast that I don't have to bother with.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to food?
I have a lot of weaknesses when it comes to food. I absolutely love pies and ice cream and cakes. Anything and everything with chocolate. Sushi is a big weakness, but something I haven't indulged in in quite awhile. Sandwiches...I LOVE sandwiches.

What food can you absolutely not eat?
Brussels sprouts, but that's more a personal dislike. I literally can't drink soy milk or I get physically sick.

What’s the most decadent dish you’ve had?
I don't really go for "decadent" food, but probably the quail I had at a Vietnamese restaurant last year, along with the pork pot. My word was it good.

What’s your favorite type of food?
Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, American. In that order.

Favorite dish?
Depends on where I am and who's making it.

Favorite place is Mandarin House. And my favorite dishes include; General Tso's Chicken, Honey Sesame Beef, Chef's Spicy Crispy Shrimp or Beef, Pork Lo Mein or Fried Rice

If your partner could take you to any restaurant you wanted, which one would it be?
There's too many options, but right now, I'd really like to go back to Victoria Gastro Pub. I haven't been there in a long time, and want to get a shepherd's pie and a trifle.

Are you a soup or salad person?
It really depends on my mood and what is being offered. Caesar salad? I could eat them until I burst. Clam chowder, chicken noodle soup or chili? Holy God I wouldn't know where to start. Unless it's my Mom's chili. Then I will have that.

Buffet, take-out or sit-down restaurant?
Again, depends on my mood and where I'm at. Never eat at a sushi buffet, but I really love Pizza Hut's buffet area and anything from Old Country Buffet. Mama Mia's in my hometown has excellent take-out subs. If we're talking about Mandarin House, it doesn't matter because it's excellent anyway. Narita Sushi, I always sit down in, to get the full benefit of sushi. It's about the ambiance as much as the quality of the food.

What’s the most impressive dinner you’ve ever made?
I made steak and veggies by myself, and the steak was mind-blowingly delicious.

Do you consider yourself a good cook?
I do. I won't be cooking any elaborate courses or be nabbing a Michelin star anytime soon, but I've never heard any complaints about my food.

Do you know what vichyssoise is?
Some weird green French soup? I think I had some in New York and it was not pleasant.

Who’s your favorite TV cook?
Anthony Bourdain {does he count? We'll just say he does}

Can you name at least three TV cooking personalities?
Anthony Bourdain, Emeril and Rachel Ray {¬_¬}

Homemade or homemade from a box?
Homemade every time.

Name 3 or more other foodies you are going to tag
Anyone who stumbles upon this can do it.

Food Quote: We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are. —-Adelle Davis

New Appreciation

As I get older, and subsequently more poor, I have found a new appreciation for generic brand and Dollar Tree/Family Dollar/whatever you call it: dollar store foods. This might seem obvious to some people that you have to buy non-name brand food and other items if you want to save money, but for whatever reason {snobbishness, pride, I'm unsure}, this is news to me.

My Mom and I, thanks to lack of funds, have started patronizing the Dollar Tree every time we go grocery shopping. Now, you can't get everything there, and some places don't have freezers, but the amount you can get is actually surprising. We have bought the following from the Dollar Tree:

-Shampoo and conditioner
-Bread
-Paper towels
-Ramen
-Italian ices
-Michelina's frozen dinners {smaller portion sizes and less sodium for yummy food}
-Soap
-Razors
-Granola bars...damn good ones, too
-Pudding
-Banquet Pot Pies {filling and still with less sodium than the frozen dinners}
-Sandals {these I got for the pool and they've held up extremely well}
-Ibuprofen/Advil

Once we got a lot of these things at once, and the total was still under $40. Compared to about $45 or more the same amount at a grocery store.

Admittedly, with some generic brands, the food isn't always the best. The cereals at the Dollar Tree are....eh. I prefer the generic brands at Giant {still a lot cheaper than Frosted Flakes or Cheerios would be}.

The next time you're in a money crisis, think twice before you don't go into the dollar store down the street/close by. You won't be sorry.

Food Quote: "Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."—– Ernestine Ulmer

Food Meme

Stolen from here: Six Until Me

1. Can you cook? If yes, do you like to cook?
I can cook, yes. I like cooking hamburgers/cheeseburgers, pastas, rice, vegetables, steaks. I also like making cookies and cakes, but I tend to make those out of the box, so I'm not sure if that counts as cooking or not.

2. When do you eat with your whole family?
Usually on holidays or other special occasions. My Dad living in New Hampshire ensures we don't eat together much.

3. What do you eat for breakfast?
Weekdays; bagels with butter or peanut butter on top, with some fruit or a Fiber One bar added to it, with some type of juice to go with it.

4. When, where and how do you eat on weekdays?
Weekdays I mostly eat food from home. Breakfast is anything I can scrape together at home as I'm rushing out the door. I used to eat at Starbucks as well every morning but monetary and weight concerns have largely made me stop doing that. Lunch is usually a sandwich, frozen food or leftovers from the night previous with either a Fiber One bar, a piece of fruit or some pudding and water to go with it.

Dinner...I used to eat out a lot more than I have been recently, again, thanks to monetary concerns, but if I don't feel like making anything at home, I'll grab something on the way home.

5. How often do you eat out (in a restaurant)?
I haven't eaten out in a restaurant in awhile, save for this past Thursday. It used to be at least three times a week, but it's gone down quite a bit.

6. How often do you order delivery/take-out?
Depends on how much money I have at the time.

7. Regarding no. 5 and 6: Say there weren’t financial reasons would you do this more often?
Definitely. I love take out/restaurant food.

8. Are there any “standard dishes” you serve regularly?
Nope.

9. Have you ever cooked for more than 6 persons?
Never.

10. Do you cook every day?
Nope. Most of the time, I am too lazy/tired to bother, so I subsist on frozen foods, pastas and sandwiches. Mostly things I can make in the microwave or in under 20 minutes.

11. Have you ever tried recipes from blogs?
No, but I think I will, once I get more cookware.

12. Who cooks more frequently at your home?
I'm really the only one who cooks at my house, except on weekends when my Mom will make omelettes and chili.

13. And who cooks better?
We're kind of tied. I make amazing steaks and burgers and she makes out of this world chili.

14. Do you cook totally different compared to your mother/parents?
Not really.

15. If yes, do you nevertheless eat at your parents?
I guess this is N/A, now.

16. Are you a vegetarian or could you imagine being one?
I'm not and I don't think I could imagine being one, since I love meat way too much. Pork fried rice is one of my favorite foods, and fried chicken...and steak...now I'm just making myself hungry.

17. What would you like to cook which you haven’t dared to make yet?
I would love to try baking bread or making sushi. I think of the two, I would mess up the sushi first.

18. Do you prefer cooking or baking?
I usually do more cooking than anything else, but if I had more time/wasn't so lazy, I think I would be baking more.

19. What is your greatest misery in the kitchen?
I was going to say 'The clean up', but I actually don't mind cleaning, so I guess it would be when the food doesn't turn out the way I wanted it to.

20. What do you dislike?
Brussels sprouts, Lima beans, spicy tuna rolls.

Food Quote: "You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients." —-Julia Child

Teas and Apologies

Wow, since I've neglected this thing majorly, I'm going to try a new approach, starting now.

I found this article on Yahoo called 6 Different Types of Tea for 6 Different Moods, which I thought was pretty interesting.


"A cup of tea heals emotional wounds, alleviates sickness and makes cold weather more bearable, even enjoyable.

Tea humanizes complete strangers and dissolves cultural barriers. If I know that your kitchen cupboards are stuffed with different types of tea bags and tea leaves, I will probably like you.

And let’s remind ourselves of all those health benefits of tea that people keep raving about, for good reason. Tea contains beneficial antioxidants that help fight cancer. Tea also boosts the immune system, increases mental alertness, lowers stress hormone levels and can help you sleep.

Which tea best suits your emotional and physical needs right now? Here is a handy guide.

Need a Quick Pick-Me-Up? Drink Black Tea. Black tea is Coffee Lite for those of you wanting to cut back on your coffee but still needing that perky caffeine fix. The strong flavor will reinvigorate your senses and get your mental gears running for the rest of the day.

Want to Feel Healthy and Refreshed? Try White Tea. White tea has the least amount of caffeine and contains the most antioxidants. As it is the least processed tea compared to other tea types, it has a light flavor that will go down smoothly.

Need Some Stress-Relief? Try Green Tea. Green tea has a natural, grassy, neutral flavor that is perfect for stress relief. Plus, it is not loaded with as much caffeine as black tea.

Need Some Creative Inspiration? Try Indian Chai Tea. Indian chai tea is a multifaceted taste palette loaded with different spices and nuances. Whether you drink it straight or with some cream and honey, consider having this drink within arm’s reach for your creative brainstorming sessions.

Feeling Physically Under the Weather? Try Fruit-Flavored Tea. Orange tea, lemon tea, raspberry tea: the options are endless. Drink up for sore throats, body aches and general under-the-weather-ness. Too bad cough medicine doesn’t taste more like this.

Need to Quench Your Thirst? Try Cold Oolong or Barley Tea. Found in most Asian supermarkets, getting a cold bottle of these teas is the perfect way to satisfy your thirst on a hot day. With ice, please."

Source

I solemnly swear to try and update this thing at least once a week with something interesting, since I seem to have fallen from my original goal of keeping a food diary. And who wants to look at a month's worth of what I've eaten now? Certainly not me.

Food Quote: "Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company." —–Author Unknown

Dinner for May 9, 2010

Meal: Large sausage pizza with lasagna from Pizza Hut and Swiss Miss hot chocolate.

Rating:
Taste: Pizza- 9, Lasagna- 10, Hot chocolate- 7

As always, Pizza Hut makes a superbly delicious sausage pan crust pizza. The sausage was hot, the cheese was melty and delicious, and the crust was a thing off beauty. The lasagna, what little I had of it, since it was my Mom's dish, was the highlight of the meal. The cheeses; ricotta, Parmesan and Romano blended perfectly with the meat sauce and the lasagna noodles.

The hot chocolate I combined it with could've been better. I've been having a lot of it in the last few months. Normally I put 3 scoops of the instant cocoa in the cup, but this time I put in 2, like the container said to. It wasn't terrible, but it was a bit more watery than I would've liked.

Presentation:






Food Quote: "Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside." —Mark Twain