Glenna over at a Fridge Full of Food…tagged me with “the five foods people should eat before they die” meme started by Melissa at the Traveler’s Lunchbox.
Of course, as with any list, it took me a while to narrow everything down to just five. Sometimes, food is such an ah-ha! kind of experience, much like the rest of life…when you taste certain things, it can change what you eat forever.
The first item on my list is Homemade Peach Ice Cream. (Actually, any flavor homemade ice cream.) I had a serious Ah-ha moment at my aunt and uncle’s house in Southern Ohio when I was about ten years old. We were the only kids at a family get-together and my uncle appeared with one of the old hand churned ice cream makers and set us to work (aka keeping us out of trouble). What seemed like days later, out came the most heavenly combination of freshly churned cream and dead ripe peaches. One bite, and the Dairy Queen soft serve that I had loved so much became a pale ghost of the REAL DEAL.
Second on the list is Fresh Sweet Corn right out of the field. Once you have the opportunity to get corn that has walked from stalk to pot in a few minutes, you will never buy another ear of plastic wrapped starch bundles ever again. Just can’t do it…and make sure you put a ton of fresh butter on it too with a little salt. None of those silly ass flavored butters… I wanna taste corn dammit, not chili-lime-rancid yak butter spread. Blech!
Third – I grew up calling them Sugar Waffles, but they have a ton of different names. The confections I speak of are deep fried pastries covered with that annoying powered sugar. The method of production is thus - dip a shaped iron into a batter then into hot fat. The batter expands, floats free of the iron, then gets pulled out and covered in enough powered sugar to choke a horse. The texture is almost like that of a potato chip. Totally addictive. They are usually found at fairs and carnivals - and occasionally in the kitchens of braver people than I.
Next – hmmmm – it’s getting harder – a really good made-from-scratch cake. Most people either buy from a bakery or pull out a Duncan Hines cake mix these days – it is so easy to bow to convenience instead of taking the time to measure and mix from scratch. Even my mom, who used to make everything from tried and true recipes, switched to box mixes later on. It was too easy not too. A not too sweet cake with an even crumb and homemade icing is a joy to eat – just ask my friend Gail. She made us the most fantastic cake for our 10th anniversary party six years back. I still drool when thinking about it. It was a yellow cake covered in the most incredible apricot butter cream icing. If you are having a special occasion – bribe her to make it for you. You won’t regret it!
Lastly – (is that a real word?) – We bloggers have been talking about all the great food that everyone should try. How it will change your life to eat a certain great dish from here or there, but how can you tell good from bad without a reference point? Ying and yang, folks. Tomorrow, if you are a parent, I want you to go to your kid’s school, get in the lunch line and buy the Hot School Lunch. It will give you a new perspective on the term “Badly Cooked Food.” Take a look at the menu for your local school. They are usually listed on the school websites. Frozen breaded chicken patties, canned soups, frozen pizza, Uncrustables - Uncrustables?! You mean frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that have the crust cut off? Damn. Now that’s bad. Maybe that’s why Annie wants to pack her lunch all the time…
So that’s it for me, boys and girls –
I am tagging
Lisa over at Restaurant Widow
and
Anthony at Bachelor Cooking
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