100 Things

Would you eat this fish? Wikipedia image

This list of 100 things was posted at the Very Good Taste blog. The instructions are to copy the list, bold all the things you've eaten and cross out the stuff you'd never consider eating. If you want to share your list, you can post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk with a link to your results.

There aren't many things on the list that I'd never consider trying. A few that don't sound so great, or that I know I'd have a hard time wrapping my brain around, and maybe some that I don't particularly want to try again. But it's all just food. Why be scared of food? I'm always a little boggled by people who react to new or strange foods with horror, as if you were trying to poison them. (Did I say in-laws? No, I didn't.)

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison (Bambi! I'd have a hard time.)
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros (This has been on my mind lately. I've been seeing good-looking recipes around. Maybe I'll make some this weekend.)
4. Steak tartare (Sort of. When I lived on Guam, I had beef kelaguen, which is a similar preparation, a bit like ceviche, that uses lemon, coconut, scallions and hot chilies.)
5. Crocodile (Sort of. Does Alligator on a stick at the fair count?)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht (No, oddly. I love beets.)
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses (I like stinky cheese, but I'm still working up to really stinky cheese.)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche (Ooh, yes. More, please.)
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (I smoked a cigar once in college. Tequila was involved. Never again.)
37. Clotted cream tea (Why haven't I had this? Must remedy.)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (I'm just not a big alcohol consumer in general. The occasional glass of wine, maybe a margarita, but I'm a lightweight.)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects (I think I could. If I had to.)
43. Phaal (I'm not a spicy-food freak. I like some heat, but I want to taste the food, not feel the burn.)
44. Goat’s milk (Does goat cheese count? Let's say it does.)
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46. Fugu (Highly unlikely that I'd even have the opportunity. But is this food or a stunt? Cute fishies, though. See above.)
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Only if the hot now light's on.)
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone (I thought they were all endangered, but SeafoodWatch says "abalone farming sustains continuing public consumption of this ocean delicacy.")
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (Have never had the opportunity, but fries, cheese, gravy -- what's not to like?)
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin (Clay? Clay's not food, is it?)
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail (Try as I might, I could not stop thinking slug. slug. slug. No matter how much butter and garlic was involved.)
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (Sign me up. We did have a memorable dinner at Babbo once, which I see has only one star.)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

She's not actually Egyptian.

B took this last night in Yorktown. Mags wore her pipe-cleaner tiara to dinner and to play on the beach afterward, because she was being Cleopatra. And she told the waitress, "I'm not actually Egyptian."

Last weekend, at the farmer's market, she was "not actually a pirate."

Just in case you were wondering.

Need these.

I may be the only person in the house who will eat these grilled lamb meatballs and zucchini posted at Smitten Kitchen (it's her photo, too), but oh, they look so good. I may make them anyway, and everybody else can have PB&J. (Like Monk would want anything else anyway.)

Things We Eat

This is a running list I keep of dinners that were tasty, or hypothetical dinners that sound good, or dinners I intend to make someday. I started this list when a friend told me about hers, and it's awfully handy when I'm staring at the week's meal plan, trying to think of what we might want to eat for the next six or seven days. If I'm feeling extra-efficient, when I complete a week's meal plan, I add any new combinations to the list. They're not in any particular order, but are sorted into full menus, entrees, side dishes, salads, soups/stews and slow-cooker faves.

Menus

Baked rigatoni w/ prosciutto, steamed broccoli

Steak/baked potato/green vegetable

Breakfast for dinner

Steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, garlic bread, salad

Hot dogs, baked beans, slaw

Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread

Lasagna, salad, garlic bread

Flank steak, corn on the cob/roasted potatoes, salad

Turkey burgers, corn, broccoli

Korean chicken, rice, lettuce, stir-fried veggies

Pork chops, apples, green beans

Spaghetti carbonara, salad

Pizza

Broiled salmon, asparagus, orzo w/ lemon

Paella

Pork chops in foil w/ potatoes and onions

Pork chops baked w/ rice, tomatoes, onions and peppers

Mojito pork, spinach, rice and beans

Chicken korma, rice, broccoli

Baked herbed chicken, quinoa with mushrooms and pine nuts, and roasted asparagus

Grilled scallops, shrimp & corn; salad (goat cheese, pink grapefruit & toasted pecans)

Chicken with artichokes, capers, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives baked in foil

Broiled salmon, salad, and orzo with chopped grilled veggies

Short ribs, mashed potatoes, glazed turnips and greens

Clams with corn on the cob, boiled potatoes and smoked sausage

Buffalo chicken breasts, fresh peas, macaroni and cheese

Steak, Greek salad and garlic roasted red potatoes

Turkey piccata with egg noodles, broccoli

BBQ Beef brisket, smashed potatoes w/ garlic, roasted green beans, coleslaw w/ apples

Grilled scallops with corn and tomatoes, sauteed squash with lemon and basil

Homemade mac’n’cheese, Little Smokies, sliced tomatoes, roasted green beans

Chicken pot pie, fruit salad

Chicken sausage, lentils, roasted cauliflower, melon

Leek-and-potato soup, fish sticks, steamed broccoli, garlic bread

Korean chicken, rice, lettuce, stir-fried broccoli and carrots

Soups and stews

Chicken and noodles

Beef stew

Vegetable soup

Leek-and-potato soup

Slow-cooker

Beef w/ carrots, potatoes & onions

Roasted turkey breast

Salads/Light Meals

Tuna salad w/ white beans, parsley and lemon

Grilled cheese w/ tomato soup

Side Dishes

Roasted potatoes and veggies

Fried potatoes and onions

Twice-baked potatoes

Roasted shiitakes on watercress

Orzo salad with spinach and cherry tomatoes in lemon-garlic dressing

Ring pasta with onions, walnuts, parsley and peas

This Week's Meals: August 20-26

In the interest of having a plan, here's the outline for this week's dinners. We may or may not follow it, but at the very least I'll have groceries on hand and a list on the fridge telling me what's in there when it's 6 p.m. and I can't remember what we were going to do for dinner tonight.

WEDNESDAY
Barbecue beef brisket, smashed potatoes with garlic, roasted green beans, coleslaw with apples.
Prep for tomorrow: Cut corn off cob, put scallops in fridge to thaw

THURSDAY
Grilled scallops with corn and tomatoes, sauteed squash with lemon and basil

FRIDAY
Homemade mac’n’cheese, Little Smokies, sliced tomatoes, roasted green beans

SATURDAY
Chicken pot pie, fruit salad

SUNDAY
Chicken sausage, lentils, roasted cauliflower, melon
Prep for tomorrow: Make potato-leek soup

MONDAY
Potato-leek soup, fish sticks, garlic bread
Prep for tomorrow: Marinate chicken, cook rice

TUESDAY
Korean chicken, steamed rice, butter lettuce, stir-fried broccoli and carrots