Tag...I'm It!

Okay people...I finally got tagged (I was wondering if it was ever gonna happen). Once by my girl Laa and then by my girl Mocha . And of alllll of the topics in the world...it HAD to be about food (one of the very few things I hate to love as my metabolism just isn't what it used to be when I was 20...LOL). I know I'm late with my response Ladies, but as you know I have been MIA for a minute and I'm just catching up on all of your lives. Better late than never though, right?

Here were my marching orders:

1. Pick your top ten favorite foods (which, for me, is impossible)
2. Give your rationale (and photos would be nice, but are optional)
3. Choose 3-5 of your favorite food bloggers to invite

In no particular order...just how they pop in my head...here we go...

10. Doro Wat (Ethiopian)



Before you say anything (and it's probably already too late)...I COULD NOT find an appetizing picture of this dish. But TRUST me...if you like spicy, flavorful food (and you eat chicken & boiled eggs)...you will looooooooove this dish.

It's an Ethiopian stew of chicken in a red pepper paste and they "garnish" it with hard boiled eggs. The chicken is SUPER tender (and is usually dark meat, just FYI). It is spicy, but not the runny nose and watery eyes type of spicy...and part of that spiciness is dulled by the bread that most -if not all - Ethiopian food is eaten with, injera (tangy, spongy, flat bread that is less than appetizing if eaten alone, but provides the perfect je ne sais quoi when used as the "fork" with which to eat your meal)

Word to the wise: I would think twice before eating Ethopian food with anyone whose cleanliness is questionable as it is almost always served family style and is, as mentioned, eaten with your hands....LOL (but not really).

9. Oxtails (preferably Jamaican)



Even I doubted this dish at first. WHY I would want to eat anything's tail is beyond me...but I do...and it is mmm-mmm-good! Like the Doro Wat, this dish is like a stew...juicy, fall of the bone meat drowned in savory gravy (which includes a white bean of some sort) served over rice and peas (that MUST be cooked with coconut milk!!!) Don't knock it 'til you try it!

8. Sushi



And it's all about the spicy tuna roll...mix the spiciness of the tuna, with the sticky cold rice, the chewy seaweed, the heat of the wasabi and the saltiness of the soy sauce...PURE.SEX! And nope...it never dawns on me that I'm eating raw fish...believe it or not!

7. Hoagies



I'm from Jersey...wuddaya expect? Seriously though...there is NOTHING like a good hoagie (sub, hero...I don't care what you want to call it). The absolute BEST hoagies, in my opinion, are from the Hoagie Hut on Route 28 (Union Avenue) in Bridgewater, NJ. One of the MUST HAVES in order to have a stellar hoagie is SHREDDED ICEBERG lettuce...anything else? FUGGETABOUTIT!!!

And for those of you who are craving a good hoagie but will not be visiting the Bridgewater, NJ area anytime soon...please believe that WaWa's hoagies are BANGIN'! I was introduced to them not long ago by my friend who is a pseudo native of Philly (another hoagie haven...it's just a fact...the Tri-State area - and I include Philly - is the TRUTH when it comes to deli sandwiches).

6. Hot Apple Tart A La Mode (from Chili's)



I get the shakes every time I think about this dish...mainly because Chili's TOOK IT OFF THE MENU!!!! Me and my two "ride or die" sister-girlfriends used to frequent Chili's after work when we were all working together in NYC. Not to have dinner or have drinks...oh no...we went to have the hot apple tart a la mode that was served in a piping hot cast iron skillet and drizzled with just the right amount of caramel sauce. At first we all would share one...after about the second time we had it..."no my sistah...you got to get ya own!" It was THAT good!!! So, you could imagine our shock, disbelief and utter disappointment when we heard those horrid 5 words: We. No. Longer. Serve. That. * Blink, blink....blink *. I just DON'T understand. We still get PISSED off whenever we get together and one of us brings it up...I think it will ALWAYS be a touchy subject for us.

5. Fried Whiting



Fried hard, served on white sandwich bread (the ONLY time I will eat it), with hot sauce and hush puppies on the side...need I say more?

4. Cobb Salad (from California Pizza Kitchen)



I love, love, love a good, hearty salad...and this salad is GREAT! It includes two of my favorite salad toppings...pickled beets and avocado...and the Gorgonzola gives it just the right amount of zing. The perfect lunch on a hot day!

Note: If you live in or around Manhattan Beach, CA - you can also get the same salad from LA Food Show in the Manahattan Village shopping center on Sepulveda. This is where I first had it...same ownership.

3. "Better Batter" & "Udderly Cream" Blended with Strawberries (Ice Cream)



I'm not a HUGE fan of ice cream (I prefer popsicles, freeze pops...that kinda thing) HOWEVER there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule. So...with summer quickly approaching (or is it here?) if you do not have a Maggie Moo's in your area...CALL. SOMEONE. QUICK!!!! Forget Thomas Sweets, Cold Stone and whatever else you might have heard. Maggie Moo's is what's up...fo' real! Like Cold Stone, Maggie Moo's uses the cold slab to mix and blend their delicious and cleverly named ice cream with an endless array of toppings. My favorite combination is listed above.

2. Potato Knishes



I know that you may have heard some foul stuff about NYC street vendors...but you still gotta love 'em...especially when you are working in the city, you're short on cash and it's lunch time (and sometimes, just because you liked the ish).

So one of my favorites was the potato knish...with butter and sauerkraut...sometimes (and not just because of this) I think I may have been Jewish in a former life (if there is such a thing). Anyway...it's good, quick eatin'!

1. Fruit



Any and all kinds...seriously. At this very moment, I cannot think of any fruit that I don't like. Of course there are some that I like more than others, but none that I can say that I hate. Fruit is the perfect "anytime" kinda food...can be breakfast or dessert...gotta love its versatility...and its sugary sweetness (IF you know how to pick it!)

Whew...so there you have it. I must admit, this was no easy task! By no means are these my ULTIMATE favorite foods (some probably would be included in that list), but they are favorites of mine none the less. As you might be able to tell, I have a pretty undiscriminating palate...for which I am grateful. Variety is DEFINITELY the spice of life!

Now.....MANGIA!

PS. I don't really know how many members of my blog family are "foodies" like me, so if you are...feel free to consider yourself tagged!