Thursday, October 30, 2008

Thursday Thirteen #1: Favorite foods/ingredients

I have always liked the lists of questions, or "memes," that many bloggers utilize to help readers get to know them, facilitate discussion and elicit response, or just for kicks. So look for that kind of thing every now and again, mixed in with the food...

But a fun little exercise that has made its way around the blogosphere for some time is a concept called Thursday Thirteen. It's so fab, it has its own website; check it out.

Here's my first attempt, and of course, it's all about food.

My 13 favorite foods/ingredients (not in order of preference):
1. Figs. Fresh, please. Dried figs don't even really count as figs to me.
2. Hazelnuts. Toasted and included in, oh, just about anything from salads to ice cream. (Gianduja, the "official" term for the marriage of chocolate and hazelnut (Nutella!), is so close to paradise it's crazy.) I do love most nuts, but hazelnuts top them all.
3. Custard (bet you didn't see that one coming!) in just about any form.
4. Pesto (or just basil, but there is a certain harmony to pesto that is hard to beat).
5. Peanut sauce. Thai, generally, but recently had a Chinese version that was very yummy too. I can eat this on almost anything, but sobe noodles is probably my first choice.
6. Avocadoes. Either as is or as guacamole. Not picky. Just hand me a saltshaker and I'm good to go.
7. Eggs. Especially poached or deviled or as egg salad.
8. Arugula. My greens of choice every time. So fun and peppery!
9. Cheese. Wish I could pick one kind, but can't... everything from chevre to brie to parmigiano-reggiano to good old sharp cheddar and of course, blue cheese. And just about everything stinky inbetween!
10. Tzatziki, or raita, depending on which country you're talking about (Greece or India). But the cucumber-yogurt-with-a-bit-of-garlic combo hits the spot. It has to be done right. Sometimes it's too sour creamy, sometimes too garlicky, sometimes too watery. But there's a version at Trader Joe's that is very more-ish and inspires me when I make it at home.
11. Butternut squash. I used to hate this vegetable as a child, but something odd happened to my tastebuds in the last decade and now I love it. Roasted with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper, and I'm set.
12. Blueberries. Best berry, best fruit, even fun to pick. Big and blue and fresh, I've been known to plow my way through many a pound during the too-short blueberry season. Not a delicate image, I know, me plowing my way through blueberries... but this is how emphatic I am about them as a great fruit!
13. Last but not least, this isn't an actual food, but a food combination: salty and sweet. Popcorn and Junior Mints, salty peanuts on Frosted Flakes, sea salt on chocolate... always been a little too happy about that combination.

So what about you? What are your 13 favorite foods? I am positive I've forgotten at least another 13, but there's always next Thursday!

10 comments:

  1. This was great. I didn't know you're into the sweety/salt thing! One of my favorite treats--and I hardly ever eat it these days because it's so "loaded" (literally and figuratively)--McDonalds French fries dipped in McDonalds chocolate shakes. Mmmmm... When our new TJ opens on Nov. 7 I am definitely going to try their Tzatziki. What do you eat with it?

    Excellent TT! Makes me wish I'd participated this week. Welcome!

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  2. one of my favorite things to keep are infused olive oils....lemon infused, basil infused, the list goes on!
    and when i'm not being too lazy, homemade lemon curd in the fridge! it's such a lovely topping for so many things......'course you can just eat it by the spoonful too!

    in re #13.....payday candy bars....the combination of salted peanuts and caramel are enough to put me over the top! great list! happy tt!

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  3. Yum. Can I come over to your house to eat?

    You can find me at http://aliceaudrey.wordpress.com

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  4. Jen--Pita (for Greek food) and naan (for Indian) are the usual bread you dip the tzatziki in to. With Indian it is often the "cooling agent" for a spicy curry. Oh, and the McD's thing... I almost put that down but thought it might gross some readers out! Ha. Thanks for helping me out with that one.

    Jayedee--Thanks for stopping by! And yes, yes, yes on the Payday bars. I actually have a couple of those around here somewhere...

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  5. I feel like I should be hungry after reading that (but I've eaten too many cookies lol).

    I like that sweet salty combination too.

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  6. I love eggs and cheese. I hope you eat your cheese at room temperature, not straight out of the fridge with all the taste and texture chilled out of it.

    Is there really a food called Arugula?

    Welcome to TT!

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  7. Yum! I love them all except #1 & #7. Everything else sounds delicious!

    Happy TT!

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  8. My MIL grows figs and they put a special net over the tree to keep "Figaro" the squirrel out. I LOVE them.

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  9. I just realized how great choco chips and popcorn are mixed together! What a great TT!
    Come and check out mine!

    http://blog.uvskinz.com/2008/10/29/13-places-to-wear-your-uv-skinz/

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  10. Nicholas--Arugula is a green that is getting more and more widely known. In the UK it's called "rocket," fyi. And it's one of those love it or hate it things. I happen to love it.

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