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!