food meme, from coalboy

[mmegaera]

What's the last thing you ate? a few pieces of candy corn

What's your favorite cheese? monterey jack

What's your favorite fish? Salmon.

What's your favorite fruit? Bartlett pears and Rainier cherries. Oh, and Honeycrisp apples.

When, if ever, did you start liking olives? no

When, if ever, did you start liking beer? Harp ale only, and only since my first sip in a pub in Doolin, Ireland.

When, if ever, did you start liking shellfish? since I was younger than I can remember -- just about anything but raw oysters, thanks.

What was the best thing your parent/s used to make? My dad used to do some pretty awesome grilling, although it was my mother's barbecue sauce that made the chicken. He didn't cook otherwise. My mother was a downhome cook back when she used to cook, and there wasn't much she made that I didn't love. Maybe her turkey dressing, if I had to choose just one thing.

What's the native specialty of your home town? I hate questions that ask about hometowns, since I don't have one. Where I'm living now doesn't really have a specialty food. The state fair held in the town where I'm living now's signature foods are scones with raspberry jam and burgers with massive amounts of lovely grilled onions.

What's your comfort food? It used to be cream of wheat. Nowadays, at least when the weather's cool, it's nuked flour tortillas folded over melted jack cheese.

What's your favorite type of chocolate? See's butterscotch squares.

How do you like your steak? red in the middle but not bloody.

How do you like your burger? done all the way through but not dried out, with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayo, ketchup and mustard, but *no* onions.

How do you like your eggs? deviled, with mayo and just a dibble of mustard. I'm not a big egg fan.

How do you like your potatoes? If I'm really bad, I love them diced, boiled, then fried in butter. I'm not a huge potato fan, either.

How do you take your coffee? I'm the only person in the land where Starbucks originated who doesn't like coffee.

How do you take your tea? Depends. Most of the time, iced with lemon. If it's cold or I have a migraine, hot with lemon. Just plain tea, thanks, nothing fancy.

What's your favorite mug? When I left my first librarian job, I was given a hand-thrown tan-colored mug with a blue flower in the glaze. I love that mug.

What's your cookie of choice? I have to choose one? Oh, either the standard tollhouse recipe only with heath bar bits instead of chocolate chips, or homemade snickerdoodles.

What's your ideal breakfast? Soft waffle (I don't like them crispy, so I don't cook them as long) with butter and syrup. Add a link of sausage and some fresh fruit, and milk, of course, and I'm happy.

What's your ideal sandwich? Either roast beef with lettuce and tomato, or turkey and avocado, or BLT, probably.

What's your ideal pizza (topping and base)? Pan pizza with mushrooms and sausage.

What's your ideal pie (sweet or savory)? Homemade cherry (I hate the jellylike goo that passes for cherry pie filling in commercial pies), or strawberry pie from Marie Callendar's.

What's your ideal salad? A fresh-from-the-garden almost-overripe sliced tomato. What? You want more?

What food do you always like to have in the fridge? milk, fresh fruit in season, eggs (mostly for cooking), margarine, deli meat for sandwiches, tortillas, cheese

What food do you always like to have in the freezer? I am a big fan of OAMC or batch cooking -- my freezer holds way too many essentials to list here.

What food do you always like to have in the cupboard? baking essentials, pasta, makings for pasta sauces, assorted herbs and spices, etc.

What spices can you not live without? garlic, thyme, cinnamon

What sauces can you not live without? mayonnaise (*not* Miracle Whip, that stuff is vile), ketchup, maple syrup

Where do you buy most of your food? Summit Trading, Walmart, the farmer's market

How often do you go food shopping? Once a week, usually.

What's the most you've spent on a single food item? I tend to buy meat in bulk -- I just spent $22 on a 11 pound chunk of hamburger, which I divvied into 1-lb. chunks and stowed in the freezer for later. It costs a lot less to do it that way where I shop. Otherwise, I'm too cheap to buy expensive stuff.

What's the most expensive piece of kitchen equipment you own? Probably my bread machine.

What's the last piece of equipment you bought for your kitchen? An ice-cream maker, but that was summer before last.

What piece of kitchen equipment could you not live without? I hate to admit it, but probably the nuker.

How many times a week/month do you cook from raw ingredients? Most of the time. About the only "convenience food" I buy regularly is spaghetti sauce, and mostly because by the time I buy all the ingredients, buying the jarred sauce on sale is cheaper.

What's the last thing you cooked from raw ingredients? Chicken and dumplings. I had pasta with spaghetti sauce last night, so it doesn't count [g].

What's your favorite thing to make for yourself? I have at least a dozen favorites. Since I live alone, I don't make anything I don't really like. I do love the chicken and dumplings, though.

What meats have you eaten besides cow, pig, chicken and turkey? Lamb. I'm assuming fish and seafood don't count?

What's the last time you ate something that had fallen on the floor? I adhere to the 5-second rule unless the cats beat me to it.

What's the last time you ate something you'd picked in the wild? I haven't done that in a while. Huckleberries in Montana a few years ago is the only one I can remember ATM.

Place the following cuisines in order of preference (greatest to least): Italian, Chinese, French, Indian, Thai, sushi.

Place the following boozes in order of preference (greatest to least): Whiskey, tequila, gin, vodka, rum, brandy.

Place the following flavors in order of preference (greatest to least): Garlic, lime, basil, ginger, aniseed.

Place the following fruits in order of preference (greatest to least): Cherry, apple, pineapple, watermelon, orange, banana.

Bread and spread: Whole wheat and butter, sourdough and butter.

What's your fast food restaurant of choice, and what do you usually order? Carl's Jr. and a Starburger with onion rings.

What are three of the best dining-out experiences you've had? I have no idea.

What's your choice of tipple at the end of a long day? the tall glass of ice cold milk I usually have with supper.

Favorite cookbook/s? The one I use the most is the almost 30-year-old Betty Crocker I got as a wedding present the first time around.

Got any favorite food blogs? no

What's the next thing you'll eat? pasta, probably.