Nourishment

Summer is officially here! I spent my Memorial Day weekend getting nourished. Food, baby! And good drink! Damn a diet! Reminded me of a meme mi amiga, DivaFlava, had posted a couple months back:

So...I thought it would be fun to do a meme about our favorite foods and why we chose them. The rules are as easy as 1-2-3:
1. Pick your top ten favorite foods (I was going to go for five, but it was impossible to choose JUST five)
2. Give your rationale (and photos would be nice but are optional).
3. Choose 3 -5 of your favorite food bloggers to invite (don't forget to let them know you are dying to know what their favorites are) I ended up with 6 and feel guilty about all the ones I left out.

I'm not big on tagging, but I am nosey, so Zed, Reesie, Passionettez, Ankh, and Quint....and anyone else that might be interested....tell us what you like eating *giggles*

Now that that is out of the way, my top 10 favorite foods:

1] Come on, now. You KNOW this one -- Fried Chicken. Hot, crispy, golden, succulent fried chicken. Since I've been in the south, that's all I know. You'd swear I was on a personal quest to find the best fried bird ever. I've been sampling all across the south. And I make some pretty good fried chicken myself -- ask anyone that's been to Chix & Waffles -- but I won't share the secret, cuz every good cook has their own special touch. Get an invite to the next C&W and find out for yourself.....

2] C is for Cookie. I was one 4pm run to the 1/2price Au Bon Pain sale away from a diabetic shock when living in DC. Either that or moving up the scale into numbers I can't even mention. Give me a soft, chewy Oatmeal Raisin cookie, or M&M's cookie, and I'll be your BEST FRIEND! Now, I don't like to make those, but I can bake a good Chocolate Chip with pecans, or walnuts. Butterscotch cookies, too. And Girl Scout cookies?! It makes me feel better to share cuz lawd knows I can put those away too!

3] Breakfast at ____________(fill in the blank). I love Breakfast! From toasted pumpernickel bagels with honey walnut spread, to pecan pancakes, to shrimp and broccoli omelets, to kielbasa sausages, breakfast foods are my favorite! Usually, I have a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast, but on weekends, it may be strawberry cheesecake or banana nut muffins. Add hot chocolate in the cooler months, and I am all.good! Give me some eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits or pancakes or waffles, and some meat (chicken, catfish, steak, bacon, sausage)....that is the best thang ever. But you bet not come at me with grits....

4] Tea....sweet, thai, peach, sun, peppermint, lemon. I like tea, cold or hot. Flavored, obviously. With lemon and honey, or splenda. Good stuff!

5] Chilled fruits. Gala Apples. Red seedless grapes. Mount Rainier cherries. Melons. Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew....oh the juicy, dripping, delectable sweetness! Summer is soo much cooler when I'm sucking on the coolness that is chilled fruits. Not to mention what else they might be good for *giggles*

6] Fish and Seafood. Now, I enjoy making some seafood dishes, but I leave the fancy stuff to master chefs. I've always said the best seafood I've had is when I'm traveling -- it's very fresh and very well seasoned and oh-so-good! Best fish dish I have EVER had was in Honduras. Chilean Sea Bass, stuffed with lobster and shrimp with a side of rice, black beans, ensalada y platanos. I dream about that meal....but salmon and crab legs in Seattle, crabcakes in Baltimore, catfish in New Orleans, walleye in Minneapolis, snapper, trout, scallops, orange roughy, mahi-mahi, calamari, tilapia....grilled, broiled, fried, pan seared, baked, bbq'd, raw (ceviche style)...love it all.

7] Ensalada....this is my new favorite, Salads. I have never been a huge fan of rabbit food. However, in spite of the bacteria warnings, a bagged salad, all dressed up, has become a quick and easy dining option! Of course, all dressed up usually refers to a piece of fish, or chicken or steak on top, but the mixed greens with a tasty dressing, candied pecans, and croutons, are a fine start!

8] Corn. Yes, this is gaseousness defined; however, fresh sweet corn is one of the best.things.ever! Corn-on-the-cob, fried corn, grilled/bbq'd corn, corn pudding....popcorn (with Snickers, of course)?! Funny enough, I don't like corn in salads. Has to be heated -- cold corn? Ewwwyuuuuck!

9] Mexican. Admittedly, the mexican food in the A leaves a lot to be desired for a Cali native. But I've got Tacos to die for -- the secret is taco sauce. I couldn't buy it in Maryland. It can be found if you search for it here, but my secret is having Moms send me a case. Enchiladas, pollo asado, tamales, quesadillas, tortillas, empanadas, tostadas, nachos....um, not burritos, though. Chimichangas and fajitas don't really count, but every now and then I'm game. Mexican hot chocolate and churros....mos definitely!

10] Bread. Oh, my love affair with bread goes WAAAY back. Growing up, I was hooked on Home Pride White Bread. Today, if it's not Sara Lee Honey Wheat, I'm not having it. Yes, I love a good PB&J, not to mention a good turkey sandwich, and the bread makes the sandwich, yanno? Aside from loaves, grilled sourdough, Parker House rolls, monkey bread -- H-E-A-V-E-N!!!! Hawaiian Sweet Bread, Coco Bread, Croissants, buttermilk biscuits, italian...dipped in olive oil, peppers and parmesean cheese!!! It gets no better!