easter bliss

i have a confession to make. every year for lent i give up chocolate, and it is really hard. i eat other desserts, have fruit in my ice cream flurries, but, to quote a recent blockbuster movie, "it’s like… a human only living on tofu. it keeps you strong, but it never… fully satisfies". that is how i feel about not eating chocolate. my sweet tooth is never fully satisfied.
hence my confession. no, i did not cheat and give in to temptation. but i did go to the fawn unchaperoned and spent OVER $100 ON CHOCOLATE. i feel tomorrow morning will be much like this scene from chocolat, in which alfred molina gorges himself on chocolate and passes out.

easter favorites:
- chocolate caramel marshmallows
- dark chocolate opera cream eggs
- coconut goodies
- dark chocolate foil wrapped eggs. simple and divine.
- reese's peanut butter eggs. duh. i've witnessed brian put down six of these in one sitting. true story.

i could go on, but better stop. i would also like to add, this lent i discovered my professor is actually the devil. he opened his box of peanut butter patty girl scout cookies, kept offering them to me, then set the open tray on the table right in front of me for the duration of a 2 hour meeting. salivating ensued.

what are your easter favorites? and what are you happy to finally be able to eat tomorrow?

favorite cookies

i am powered through the holiday season with a constant sugar-high. i eat cookies for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and the occasional snack. my top 5 favorites are candy cane cookies, russian teacakes, snickerdoodles, orange and white chocolate chip, and gingerbread. oh, i also love french lace and meringue (called styrofoam cookies at our house). and thumbprints. and the hershey kiss ones. ok, i guess i can't limit it to five. while i (obviously) love most cookies, one absolute standout is the candy cane cookies from betty crocker's 1963 cooky book.

candy cane cookies

1 cup shortening (use 1/2 butter and 1/2 crisco)

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp red food coloring

1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy (i don't do this step. i hate mint flavored anything)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

heat oven to 375. mix shortening, sugar, egg and flavorings thoroughly. mix flour and salt; stir into shortening mixture. divide dough in half. blend food coloring into one half.
roll a 4" strip from each color. place strips side by side, press lightly together and twist like a rope. place on ungreased baking sheet. curve the top down to form handle of cane.

(as you may well imagine based on the amount of shortening in the dough, this is a fairly greasy enterprise. i was home by myself and therefore have no photos of the actual cane-forming. i included this helpful illustration from the cooky book for reference.)

bake about 9 minutes until lightly browned. while still warm, remove from baking sheet with spatula and sprinkle with sugar (and peppermint candy, if desired).
eat them all and don't share any, even when your sister calls from colorado and asks you to send her some. she can make her own damn cookies.

what are your favorite holiday cookies?

anyone can cook

a party conversation
me (slightly intoxicated): so you like to cook?
friend-of-a-friend (nibbling cheese): yeah, well, sort of. i use a lot of recipes.
me: do you improvise ever?
foaf: i follow every recipe exactly. i don't want to mess anything up.
me: you shouldn't be afraid. you know what flavors and ingredients you like, right?
foaf: yes, i think.
me: you're most of the way there. just start experimenting.
foaf (doubtfully): really?
me: yes. trust me. trust yourself. anyone can cook.

what i didn't tell her: there may be a learning curve.

i do read recipes, usually for inspiration or new ideas. but i never measure anything and may 'adapt' the recipe at whim. and i'm a much better cook than i was 5 years ago when i decided i needed to learn because i could not afford to eat the food i wanted at restaurants all the time.

so, in the spirit of cooks who throw caution to the wind (like jeff), here are my top 5 favorite flavors for experimenting:
- citrus: usually lemon, sometimes lime or orange
- cilantro
- oregano
- cinnamon
- ginger

what are your favorites? and what kind of cook are you?

trick-or-treat

when i was a kid we trick-or-treated every year with family friends. at the end of the night, all of us would dump our take on the family room floor and commence an intense, illogical barter, a monetary system where 4 packages of necco wafers and 5 pennies taped together by the old lady on the corner equalled one milky way (perhaps this would be an alternative to the government bail-out??). there were definitely candies to be coveted, sweets to be swapped, and the inevitable toothbrush to be tossed.

here are my top 5 confections to keep:
-kit kats
-reese cups
-mounds bars
-pixie sticks (or fun dip. any flavored sugar will do)
-smarties (gross, right? love 'em)

and the top 5 to pawn off on someone:
-bazooka joe
-lemon sweet tarts
-mary janes
-bullseyes
-bit o' honey
-honorable mention: the handful of ritz crackers from the recently immigrated family who had not been informed about halloween.

so, what are your favorite and least favorite halloween treats? and what are you giving out this year?

one last comment - i loved dressing up for halloween. my favorite outfit ever was probably when i was scarlett o'hara, hoop skirt and all. when did kids stop trying? carrying a pillowcase and coming to my porch does not mean you are wearing a costume!

family gathering foods

everyone has those classic dishes that somehow surface at every family function.

here are the top 5 foods most likely to be found at one of my family gatherings:

- green bean casserole. i don't know why, but my dad's wife believes this to be one of my favorite foods. i think it is because i had never had it before they got married, and i commented that i liked it. now i am in too deep. (as you might guess, she does not read my blog)

- jello, cool whip and fruit. the only component of the infamous jello salad that i actually like is the fruit. i usually take some to be polite and then spread it around my plate. although i did have a particularly tasty version this past sunday at brian and my godson's baptism. it had a bottom layer of pretzels. what a surprise of salty goodness!

-white zinfandel. for the last few years brian and i have been hosting thanksgiving. the first year i went to the trouble of selecting wines for each course with the help of L.R. at piazza discepoli. i ended up drinking the whole bottle of geil riesling myself and beth and i split the bottle of dashe zinfandel a couple days later with leftover cranberry upside down cake. so, white zin it is. my grandpa is so cute about it, i can't help but drink a glass when he buys it.

-sweet potatoes with marshmellows. my mom once told me it was a national law that everyone has to eat sweet potatoes on thanksgiving. she's such a liar.

-hamburger buns. whether paired with burgers in the summer or ham and turkey at christmas, they are the universal constant on the family buffet table, napkin-lined basket and all.

i can also say these dishes are served with a side of sacrifice, concession-making, and grins with bearing it. that's what family is all about.

what are your family's staples?

extinction

top 5 things i loved as a kid that i can't get anymore

- jell-o pudding pops. bill cosby, where were you on this one?
- keebler's tato skins. such wonderful, fatty saltiness. made with potatoes and skins that are real.
- planter's cheez balls. no other cheez snack even comes close. this has a grandparent memory associated with it, but i'll keep it to myself.
- hi-c ecto cooler. far superior to other juice box beverages. my friend amy drank one everyday, for years.
- dinosaur eggs. like jawbreakers, only way better.

anyone else have now defunct favorites?

some things just aren't good

i composed this list while i was parked on 71 earlier today.

i'm a low maintenance diner, an equal opportunity eater. there are a few things i avoid (eggs, peppers, mayonnaise) but i will eat them in the right context (cake, fajitas, tuna salad, respectively). i'll try anything once, the good things twice. however, there are some foods that i will never touch again. like hearing pierce brosnan sing in mamma mia!, these are experiences i would rather not have had.

my top 5 most inedible foods:

- mussels. i'd rather swallow my own tongue.

- raw bacon. in high school, i went on a class trip to paris. at this sandwich shop, i ordered a blt. imagine my surprise when the bacon was raw.

- scrod. alton brown talked about scrod on the food network. it seemed like a harmless little white fish, so when i saw it on the menu at porkopolis, i gave it a try. never again. it is the only entree i have ever sent back and ordered something else.

- this swedish candy i don't even know the name of. when i had the opportunity to study overseas, one of my fellow students was from sweden. she shared this hard candy that is a blend of herbs (cloves and anise?) and apparently very popular. i (tactfully) spit it out.

- rumple minze. i'm not going into it. it knows why.

top 5 favorite fantastic ways to enjoy creamy whip

this top 5 is a homage to one of the most perfect foods in the universe, creamy whip. my mother is convinced if we could bring creamy whip to the people of the middle east, there would be peace.

the westside is inundated with creamy whip stands: buster's, putz's, keller's cone zone (formerly tummy treats), sweets and eats, general custer's last ice cream stand (i'm sure i'm forgetting some), and my particular favorite, the zip dip.

so here are my top 5 favorite fantastic ways to enjoy creamy whip, in all its glory:

- the twist cone. whether it be orange/vanilla or chocolate/vanilla, there's the sublime joy of the flavors mingling in your mouth.

- red dip. i think it's supposed to be cherry, but really it's that fabulous faux red-flavored solid shell. eat it fast. melting ice cream will seep through the cracks.

- oreo parfait. have you ever met a person, you say, "let's get some parfait," they say, "hell no, i don't like no parfait"? parfaits are delicious.

- jimmies. yeah, that's right, i said jimmies. that's 'sprinkles' for all you eastsiders.

- put it in a mini plastic baseball hat. sweet. just rinse it well before turning the hat over to the pug.

top 5 favorite patios to while away hours drinking and eating

these are in no particular order, because how could i choose? it depends on my mood and company.

- gajah wong. we've discussed how the food is hit or miss, but their cocktails are good and cold and their patio is like being in a fantastic eastern fairy tale. i love the stone statues and all the lights in the trees.

- mecklenburg gardens. my grandparents had their wedding reception here way back in the day and i don't think the bier garden has lost it's charm. i graduated to here from christy's when i became aware of how much older i was than everyone else at the bar.

- cabana on the river. sure, they have neon palm trees, but spending a hot summer night down by the river never hurt anyone. the menu is regular bar food. my favorite appetizer is this bread with cheese and olives...i can't remember the name right now. and if you're from the westside, on any given night you are bound to run into your cousin, your mom's best friend from high school, and a dreaded ex-boyfriend.

- honey. it's just so cute. and the food is good.

- arthur's. the old standby.

new feature

beth and i are both big fans of john cusack and (most) of his movies, including high fidelity. in homage to this, we are introducing a weekly food-related top 5. please comment your own responses...we'd love to hear them. note - the views expressed in the top 5 pertain to the poster and are not a consensus.

this week: top 5 gastronomical guilty pleasures
5) little debbie snack cakes: oatmeal cream pies, zebra cakes, strawberry shortcake rolls. need i go on?
4) salami and cream cheese rolls. these are always the perfect snack for any situation. they're fabulous.
3) cold pizza. i'd rather have leftovers cold than reheated. especially for breakfast.
2) butter. lathered on bread, whipped with sugar in the first steps of cookie-making, sauteing vegetables. mmm....maybe i shouldn't give paula deen such a hard time.
1) white castle. anytime of day. and i don't even have to be drunk.