Thumbs Up!

Discovered a new (to me) blog today, Cooking with the Headhunter, and namely a recipe she posted, Chicken with Garlic Sauce. In her review, she called it “so good, I wanted to cry.” Well, with a description like that, how can you not want to try it, right? Of course, with a stick of butter, a head of garlic and a cup and a half of heavy cream, you certainly can’t go wrong. I cut down the cream to one cup and the butter to 6 tablespoons, and it was still very good. I’d definitely make it again, but it’s gotta be a once-in-a-while thing, given the, uh, fat content. ;)

Kimbie from Chocolate-Chip Kimbie tagged me to list my Top 10 Favorite Foods. She was tagged by Messy Cucina, who was tagged from Comfort Food, who was tagged by Rorie at Milk and Honey, who was tagged by Weekly Dish, who was tagged by Kalyn’s Kitchen, who was tagged by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast …. phew, got that?! I lost the trail after that. It was kinda fun to follow the trail to see how it got from Point A to Point Me, and who it included along the way. Throughout the myriad of tagged bloggers, I discovered a few bloggers I hadn’t seen before, and perhaps a new nomination for New (to Me) Blogger on the Block Thursday. Any now to report on my Top 10 Favorite Foods:

1. Tortellini. I love, love, love, triple love, tortellini. Luckily, Nicholas likes pasta in any form, so when The Husband is not home for dinner, I indulge my inner tortellini lust and make it for Nicholas and I. For some unexplainable reason, The Husband doesn’t like tortellini. Go figure.

2. Truffles. I do NOT have a sweet tooth, which is one of the reasons why I can bake as I do, since I’m rarely tempted by it. There are, however, few things that call my sweet palate as truffles do. In any form mostly. There’s a wholesale bakery near us that has this amazing cake with many decadent layers of sweetness, starting with a layer of cheesecake, then mousse and then piped turrets of truffles on top. The Husband (who, like me, has a very specific sweet tooth) and I will buy the ridiculously cheap confection just to eat the truffles off the top. In Rachael Ray-speak, Yum-O!

3. Vegetables. There are so many that I like that this one is going to have to be a general, all-encompassing category. The Husband does not eat green vegetables, unless they’re really well hidden in a casserole. I, on the other hand, love roasted asparagus, roasted broccoli, broccoli rabe, and collard greens… the list is favorite greens is pretty endless, then I can add in mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and on and on.

4. Terra Chips. I don’t know … does a chip count as a food? I love their Blue and White salt ones, which I waxed rhapsodic about here. I also love their vegetable root chips, and luckily Nicholas does too, because that’s gotta be as close to healthy as chips get.

5. Mussels. Love them, and all their sweet meaty goodness. ‘Nuff said.

6. Oysters. Particularly raw, or gently fried. Delicious. The Husband and I have a New Year’s Eve Seafood Feast every year, and Oysters always make the table, though then only raw, because The Husband doesn’t like them any other way. When I was pregnant with Nicholas, it was culinary roughness for both of us … because I couldn’t eat raw oysters, I told The Husband he couldn’t either. ;) Fair’s fair, right?

7. Cheeses. All kinds, in every shape, form and fashion, and yep, even the fake kinds. Growing up with a Mom who was born in France, a cheese course was a familiar sight at our dinner table (and still is, coupled with the Antipasto platter for my Dad’s Italian side). It really gave us a great education on the different types of cheeses out there, and definitely fostered my love for cheese. Everything from Brie, Munster and Port Salut to the stronger ones like Bleu, Gorgonzola, Feta and yes, even Limburger. On my own, I discovered Saga Blue, which I really love, especially in my delicious burgers. And processed cheese even finds its way into my heart … I am quite content with a Snyders pretzel dipped in Cheez Whiz. Shhh, don’t tell; they’ll take away my foodie membership card.

8. Fruit. I don’t eat a lot of it, but I do like it. Frozen grapes – delish. Although he’s picky about his veggies, luckily Nicholas loves fruit too, going through bananas and grapes like nobody’s business. He’s trying to like apples, but still doesn’t, although he gives it a go at least once a week.

9. Mocha Frappuccinos. OK, maybe this isn’t what “they” meant, “they” meaning the originators of this meme, but I just gotta mention my weekly (and sometimes more) treat. I only discovered them this year and am making up for lost time. Double yum.

10. Indian food. Another all-encompassing category for me. Our old neighbors are Indian and through them, they introduced us to all sorts of things we wouldn’t have discovered on our own. Most people (particularly those that think they don’t like Indian food) just dismiss Indian food by saying they don’t like curry. Hogwash. There’s SO much more than just the curries. In fact, when The Husband and I get Indian food, we very rarely get anything curry. Meat Samosas, Pappadums, Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Kheer, Chicken Makhani, Onion Kulcha, Naan Bread and much more…. mmmm.

Wow, that was a tough homework assignment. I don’t consider myself a picky eater, but I really had to sit and think about this one. And now payback … time to make five other fellow bloggers stop and think. I’m tagging Culinary in the Desert, Dispensing Happiness, Eat Stuff, A Veggie Venture and last, but not least, Farmgirl Fare.

Tune in tomorrow to find out what baking goodies I whipped up tonight. One new recipe, one tried-and-true, and many more to come as I assemble some Sweetnicks Cookie Care Packages to send out on Monday… Until tomorrow…

P.S. Don’t forget to send in your pictures for Weekend Dog Blogging … Eli visited Santa Claus, so you can get a peek at that one tomorrow. Send your cat pictures into Clare at Eat Stuff, your herb pictures to Kalyn’s Kitchen for Weekend Herb Blogging, and the newest weekend blogging event, Weekend Indian Kitchen hosted by Mahanandi. Every Monday, she’ll post the round-up of pictures from bloggers’ showing their Indian kitchen ingredient/utensil, tool or recipe. The item could be unique, common or anything in-between.

P.P.S. Like what you read here daily? Cast a vote for me over at the 2005 Food Blog Awards … go to Accidental Hedonist and show Sweetnicks some love.