Spring fever and the food meme

[kelliem]

You know, it's really hard to concentrate on work when everyone else is off having fun. Spring Break sucks if you're not a student or faculty. Gah. On the plus side, I'm getting caught up on a lot of stuff, and I have Friday off, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Except that the weather has been wonderful and I feel like the kid with her nose pressed up against the bakery-shop window. *sigh*

I know some folks don't like it when a body posts too many memes, but this one's about FOOD. How could I resist?? :-) It's a long one so I cut it.


What's the last thing you ate?
A piece of crab, asparagus & mushroom quiche with swiss and smoked gouda

What's your favourite cheese?
Hmm.... that's really difficult, but I think I'd have to go with Morbier, or maybe Oka. Third place: a great local brie called Mou Cou Rouge.

What's your favourite fish?
Tilapia, unless you're including shellfish then it would have to be crab.

What's your favourite fruit?
Oh man, how can I choose? Oranges, cherries, mangos. . . they're about equal.

When, if ever, did you start liking olives?
I've always liked black olives, started liking green ones in my 20's.

When, if ever, did you start liking beer?
In my 20's when I discovered that Coors was pseudo-beer and there was actual GOOD beer in existence. Ah... porter, milk stout, brown ale... mmmmmmm.

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish?
I always liked shellfish but they didn't like me when I was younger. Fortunately I outgrew the shrimp allergy.

What was the best thing your mom used to make?
Beef Stroganoff.

What's the native specialty of your home town?
Er... I have no clue. I have no home town, we moved a lot. If you count Boulder as my home town I suppose it would be anything containing tofu. :)

What's your comfort food?
Minute Rice with cheddar cheese melted in it.

What's your favorite type of chocolate?
Belgian dark. Of the kind I can actually obtain on a regular basis: Whole Foods Organic Dark Chocolate Truffles.

How do you like your steak?
Medium rare.

How do you like your burger?
Medium rare.

How do you like your eggs?
Over easy.

How do you like your potatoes?
Any way they come, but best is roasted with fresh garlic, rosemary and olive oil.

How do you take your coffee?
I like a little coffee with my heavily sweetened warm milk.

How do you take your tea?
Depends on the tea- black tea with milk and sugar, herbal teas with honey

What's your favourite mug?
A Nissan Stainless 12-oz travel mug that keeps things hot or cold for hours

What's your biscuit or cookie of choice?
Home-made: Peanut-butter. Storebought: Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux Cookies

What's your ideal breakfast?
Beignets, latte, eggs benedict with a perfect lemony hollandaise.

What's your ideal sandwich?
Prosciutto, genoa salami, cappacolla ham & provolone on rosemary foccaccia with lettuce, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)?
Hand-tossed thin crust with a red sauce, roasted red peppers, eggplant & prosciutto

What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)?
Strawberry-rhubarb (closely followed by bourbon-pecan, and real key lime)

What's your ideal salad?
Spring greens, onions, tomatoes, avocado, garlic croutons with a Caesar-Italian dressing

What food do you always like to have in the fridge?
Eggs, cheese, milk, butter, sliced hard salami, salsa, onions, garlic, spring greens, anaheim chilies, misc. condiments.

What food do you always like to have in the freezer?
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, lean ground beef, Pillsbury Ready-Crusts, misc. frozen veggies.

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard?
Refried beans, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, canned tuna, Stokes Green Chili, flour, sugar, rice, pasta, pinto beans, misc. cereals of the hot and cold varieties.

What spices can you not live without?
Garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, chili powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, thyme, black pepper, salt, cumin, celery seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground coriander seed, cloves, dried orange and lemon peel.

What sauces can you not live without?
Worcestershire, soy, Tabasco.

Where do you buy most of your food?
Albertsons, Whole Foods, Safeway. During the summer veggies and the best kick-ass Hmong salsa at the local Farmer's Market. Cheese from the Cheese Importer's Warehouse. Bread from Daily Bread. Bagels from Moe's.

How often do you go food shopping?
Once a week.

What's the most you've spent on a single food item?
I have no idea. I don't like to stint on good food, though.

What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own (excluding 'white goods')?
My Farberware Millennium pots and pans, though they're getting a little old and banged up now.

What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen?
New toaster oven.

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without?
Toaster oven: when you're only cooking for one or two, no need to heat the whole real oven.

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients?
4-5 times a week.

What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients?
Chicken breasts sauteed in olive oil, rosemary & garlic with rice pilaf and steamed asparagus.

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig and poultry?
Veal, venison, antelope, musk-ox jerky, rabbit, lamb, fish, shellfish, do wild duck and goose count as poultry? I once ate a chocolate-covered ant, does that count?

What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor?
Yesterday.

What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild?
Apples, last fall.

Place in order of preference (greatest to least):
Italian, Sushi, Chinese, Indian, French, Thai.

Place in order of preference:
Gin, Vodka, Whisky, Brandy, Dark Rum, Light Rum, Tequila.

Place in order of preference:
Garlic, Basil, Ginger, Aniseed, Mint, Lime, Caramel,

Place in order of preference:
Orange, Cherry, Strawberry, Banana, Watermelon, Pineapple, Apple

Place in order of preference:
Food, The Internet, Music, Sex, Sport (#2,3 &4 are pretty much a tie. 5 is a distant last place unless you're talking hockey.)

Bread and spread:
Whole wheat French baguette and Nutella

What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order?
Taco Bell: 2 tacos and a bean-only burrito supreme.

Pick a city. What are the three best dining experiences you've had in that city?
Boulder, Colorado: The Med's amazing tapas menu, especially the calamari, and their maple creme-brulee for dessert. The late, lamented Market Grill and their Mediterranean Salad (spring greens, fire-roasted carrots , red peppers & onions, warm citrus-crusted goat cheese, topped with rare roast lamb garnished with champagne grapes and served with a balsamic vinaigrette.) The flan at Casa Alvarez: orgasm on a plate.

What's your choice of tipple at the end of a long day?
Red wine (currently partial to cab-shiraz), sangria, or a Tom Collins

What's the next thing you'll eat?
Probably one of those organic truffles since the box is calling my name.

Comments

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

Wow. That food meme is interesting to read, but way too much trouble for me to actually DO. *G* We have some tastes that really conflict -- it's amazing that we like to eat together. :)

Had forgotten that you were off on Friday or I would not have scheduled my massage then. And I neeeeeeed it so much that I don't want to move the appointment. :) Argh.

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

so I'm curious now-- what tastes do we have that conflict? As for eating together, I'm always willing to adapt, since my tastes are very wide-ranging. Something may be a favorite, but I'm willing to forgo it for the sake of world peace, or at least dinner. :)

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

I do agree with you about Mou Cou Rouge. I enjoyed the heck out of that. Mmm. With you in the fish department. And beer.

Rare meat? Not so much. Actually, I think you just like meat a lot more than I do. ( Musk-ox jerky???)

You apparently like sushi. I already knew you liked calimari (which I can get down if I pretend it's a pencil eraser *G*). Also goat cheese and rare roast lamb -- high on the list of things I would not eat if I had a choice.

And lime is one of my favorite flavors -- above ginger and anise by a mile. I would eat lime every day if I could figure out enough things to squeeze it on.

Now that I've written it down, not so significant. Kind of petty, really. Guess that explains why we DO like to eat together. :)

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

Amazingly, my local Albertsons has started carrying the Mou Cou. And yes, I am a devout carnivore. But I know you're not so I try to keep that under control when you're around. I do like lime, quite a lot, in fact I kept dithering on where to put it on the list. I prefer limeade to lemonade and like to use it in place of lemon for marinades, but I just use the other spices first. And sometime I'll make the citrus-crusted goat cheese for you so you can see what you think. It's NOTHING like feta. Which actually, you like, don't you?

[ardent-muses.livejournal.com]

Okay. Interesting.

sometime I'll make the citrus-crusted goat cheese for you

Mmmm. I love feta. But only cow's milk feta. Not goat or sheep or whatever. :)

I would try it if you made it. No lamb, though, for the love of God. *G*

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't inflict lamb on you. I remember you telling me about the gawdaful lamb dinners your mom made. :) (Unless I hallucinated that.) How about some nice grilled chicken? :)

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

Oh, and no, you shouldn't change your appointment, silly! Massage always takes precedence. :-)