Thirteen Things I Love To Eat

I just realized it's only a couple of hours till dinnertime and I have no idea what I want to eat. It's boiling hot here in LA today and it just makes me want to slurp on a smoothie from Robek's. But I don't want to spend any Robek's $$$. Sigh!

And, in case you hadn't noticed, it's Thursday, which means it's time for another Thursday Thirteen! Since my mind is on dinner, let's talk about things I love to eat! I'm going to leave out my tried and true fruit and vegetable faves (tangerines, pinapple and carrots) and instead focus on stuff that has to be cooked.

Thirteen Things I Love To Eat!

1) My mom's ratatouille! My mom is SUCH a great cook and one of my favorite things she makes is ratatouille. She could teach that rat from the "Ratatouille" movie a thing or two. I wish I could eat some right now!

2) Cornbread and Vegetarian Chili: I can't cook ratatouille but I can make some fabulous cornbread and vegetarian chili. Dear weather, hurry up and get a little cooler here because then I'll make this more frequently. I don't make it too spicy because then the kids complain, but I like to throw jalapenos and pimentos in the cornbread to give it a little kick. Yum.

3) Giordano's Deep Dish Spinach Pizza: If you've never had Chicago style deep dish pizza, it's SOOO good. We're going to be doing some celebrating chez moi in a couple of weeks and I just might get one of these pizzas shipped out here. I can't eat more than one slice of it at a time because it is incredibly rich and it will sit in your belly like a brick. Gosh, all that cheese...

4) Blind Faith Cafe's Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes: I ate a lot of these this summer and I miss them. They are divine! Next time one of y'all come visit from Chicago, please head up to Evanston to pick some of these up for me and just bring 'em on the plane. I will be eternally grateful! They make a great after-dinner dessert!

5) Whole Wheat Pancakes: Bisquick did not exist in my house growing up. My mom made pancakes from scratch with real whole wheat flour and so I prefer them to any other kind of pancakes. They must be eaten with real syrup. Nope, I don't eat that fake corn syrup mess. And no, they're not just for breakfast. Branch out sometime and try them for lunch or dinner.

6) Tamales at the Hollywood Farmer's Market: I can't remember the name of the vendor (they set up shop on Selma, east of Ivar) but oh my goodness, they have the best tamales. I'd never eaten one before I came to LA and this vendor got me hooked! They sell a sweet corn & cheddar one and then there's the delicious beyond belief dessert tamale with raspberries, chocolate and walnuts. Yum!

7) Falafel Sandwich: I like falafels on their own but I especially like them in a pita sandwich. And for some reason that I can't explain, I really like eating falafel sandwiches with a glass of lemonade. The two just seem to go together marvelously to me.

8) Omelets: I've been in love with omelets for years. If a diner can't make a good omelet, seriously, I don't want to go back. Thankfully, some places can make still a really great one, like at the Coffee Table in Silver Lake. By good I mean that the cheese isn't in a nasty glob in the middle, it's not dripping with grease, and it actually tastes fresh. I also make a pretty decent omelet. I eat them a LOT but I make it with two egg whites and one whole egg to cut the cholesterol and calories.

9) Great Veggie Burgers: A good veggie burger is one of life's most beautiful things. I love it when veggie burgers have a great whole wheat bun, perfectly crisp lettuce, tomato that doesn't taste like it was injected with pesticides, some mustard and some perfect pickles, PLUS the burger itself. Thank goodness I can "cook" this at home!

10) Mustard Potato Salad: I can't stand potato salad with mayonnaise, but I can kill some well-made mustard potato salad. The best is, again, my mom's. It's sooo good. I need to ask her for the recipe. Back in my single days I used to make my own version: chop up a potato, boil it a bit, and then throw it in a bowl with some mustard, pickle relish, black pepper and paprika -- and I'd eat it for dinner with those Ak-Mak crackers. Trust me, it tastes better than it sounds.

11) Tofu Stir Fry: It doesn't matter what gets thrown in there with the tofu. I'll eat pretty much any stir fry and the spicier the better. My mom makes some great tofu stir fry and of course, living in China, I got hooked on it. I don't use much oil at all when I stir fry because I can't stand greasy food. But if you spice it up, it still tastes great.

12) Red Curry With Tofu & Vegetables: If I ever move out of LA I will seriously miss all the delicious Thai food. I'm lucky because I live right next door to Thai Town so I have some amazing Thai food at least once a week. My favorite dish is a very spicy red curry with tofu and vegetables. If you've never had any red curry, be adventurous and try some. And yes, you can get it with meat, chicken or shrimp instead.

13) Carrot Cake: My favorite cake in the world is carrot cake. My mom used to make one from scratch for me every year on my birthday, along with some homemade cream cheese frosting. Out here in LA, I haven't lost the carrot cake love. The best carrot cake I've had comes from Portos Bakery in Glendale. I get one for my birthday every year! And when I can't have that, I sometimes splurge on those carrot cake cupcakes from Trader Joe's. Nevermind that they have a gazillion calories. That's why it's a splurge, not an everyday treat.


Hmm... you know what I just realized? I've branched out a lot food-wise from what I ate growing up, but a whole lot of my tried and true favorites are stuff that my mom first cooked for me!

So what about you? What is your favorite food to eat? Don't tell me chocolate or Pringles. What's your favorite REAL food?



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