Here's a chance to wax culinary poetics. Whether you're a self-described foodie, just love fast-food, or are a cheese puff connoisseur, lay out your top five delectable dishes.
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1. Lasagna. Particularly Meg's slow-cooker vegetable lasagna with zucchini and ricotta. Delicious and light without sacrificing the cheese. Also, zucchini gives it a nice crunch most meat lasagnas lack.
ReplyDelete2. English muffin pizzas. This one is mostly nostalgic. Whenever my dad would make his spaghetti sauce there would always be about a gallon of leftovers and so we got creative. Toast an english muffin, put some tomato sauce on top (preferable with scrambled hamburg) and then top with a piece of american cheese. You can easily dress this up to by using fresh mozzarella and maybe some homemade mariana, but nothing will ever top the original for me.
3. Ritz cracker snackers. Again, a nostalgic "dish," this one only enjoyed a few times in my life, however those few were emotionally charged and fantastic to boot. Take a ritz cracker, top it with tuna (mixed with mayo like it's going on a sandwich) and place a quarter piece of american cheese on top. Microwave until the cheese just starts to melt. You should probably just make the whole damn sleeve of ritz crackers up, or at least enough to use up whatever tuna you've prepared.
4. Quinoa burgers and tots. One of Meg and my favorite cheap meals. Quina is an ancient grain that packs a ton of protein into every spiral-y morsel and tots are delicious potato treats that make any 26 year old man feel 8 years old again. Don't overload yourself on tots here, upsetting the wonderful nutrition of the quinoa burgers, and sometimes swap them out for salad or sweet potatoes. However, go for the tots when you're short on time or short on awesomeness.
5. Chicken Korma. Nothing has beaten the chicken korma at Taste of India in Bangor, however India Mahal in Raleigh has come damn close. I love the way Indian chefs cook chicken, though I have no idea how it's done, because it's by far the most tender I've every eaten. Chicken korma with long-grain rice and naan never disappoints, easily my favorite dinner out meal.
1. Brisket. My mom's brisket. Which is better than your mom's brisket. My mom wasn't the most prolific cook, but there were a few dishes that she perfected. This was one of them. Some of the best food I've ever eaten, and I can go straight to the source whenever I want.
ReplyDelete2. Lobster rolls. I love lobster, but sometimes I'm just not up to going through the pain of pulling it apart myself. And mayo is great. There's no part of lobster rolls that isn't fantastic.
3. Lamb Curry. No matter what Indian restaurant I go to, if I haven't been there I try the lamb curry. Once that's out of the way, I can go on to other dishes, but the lamb curry is the litmus test. If it doesn't pass, I know the place isn't worth my time.
4. Bagels and Lox. Specifically New York bagels. Specifically Nova Scotia Lox strips. None of that lox spread BS. There's something so pure and wonderful about a fresh, toasted, giant New York plain bagel, with a ton of cream cheese, stacked high with lox strips. Amazing stuff.
5. Pat's Double-dough, Buiffalo Chicken pizza. Not the Bufalo chicken. And definitely not the boring and more common Buffalo chicken. This pizza is a thing of beauty. Like no other pizza I've ever had. Throw some bleu cheese dressing on the side, and I'm happy.
1. My Mother's Lasagna. Never found it's equal. My mother makes many amazing dishes (all dishes in fact) but this is one of her stand outs.
ReplyDelete2. Pasta alla Carbonara. For those who don't know this an italian sauce that usually consists of egg, cheese and bacon all mostly cooked in the hot pasta itself instead of over direct heat. I've had it in Italy. But it's good at Massimos here in bangor.
3. A Toasted Onion Bagel with Green Olive Cream Cheese from The Bagel Shop in Bangor. It's almost perfection. Add an Orangina and it's God Food.
4. The Double Stack from The Shake Shack in NYC. Only had it once. Best burger in existence. Every time I remember it and want to have another one I momentarily entertain killing someone i've never met just to have it again. A perfectly greasy stand burger with all the fixin's PLUS a portabella mushroom stuffed with cheese and then deep fried and put on top of the burger. I waited an hour and a half in line for one. I would wait forever.....
5. A Liverwurst sandwich. Simple. Perfect. Whatever bread your heart desires. Liverwurst. Cheddar Cheese. Any good veggies you have around. Mayo. Liverwurst sounds gross but it's actually transcendent.
1. Yellow Curry (w/chicken)+ thai iced tea from any thai place, anywhere.
ReplyDelete2. 2 dogs with cheese and kraut, fries with vinegar and a small Pep from Bolley's Franks in Waterville.
3. Large chicken burrito (wheat wrap, rice, bean, cheese, spicy salsa, sour cream, lettuce and jalapenos) from Verve, Orono.
4. Bourbon Grille Steak Sandwich from Quiznos.
5. Sauerkraut and Dumplings with Mashed Potatoes from My Mom.