The Omnivore's Hundred - It's my turn to play

When this came up on Mary's site, it as about the 5th time I'd seen it in two days. To be fair, I've had company so haven't been reading blogs, which means I probably missed a stack of others.

It is a list from Very Good Taste on the 100 foods any self respecting omnivore should try at least once.

Feel free to play along.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating. (actually can anyone tell me how you cross out words on blogger, I can't figure it out)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Not an amazing result, 54 out of 100, but I do have a few that I am unsure of. Course I don't get out as much as I used to and didn't used to care as much about food when I could get out, so I wasn't paying much attention then. Oh well, excuses to go out and try new things!

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (iffy, maybe have, maybe haven't)
5. Crocodile (doesn't have much taste, as far as I remember)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht (I seem to remember making some once actually, it wasn't a popular family dish)
10. Baba ghanoush (well, this is a maybe - I don't like eggplant, but I can't remember.)
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich (And I'm sorry to say, I hate it, it makes me want to v****)
14. Aloo gobi (I think so, had Indian buffet once and ate everything they had.)
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses - I don't even know what this is
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (I'm not stupid)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda (huh?)
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi (is this like a mango lassi but with salt?)
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (thanks but no thanks, I'm a cheap date)
37. Clotted cream tea (I wish!)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - I like what Mary says here: (Does swallowing a bug while on the back of a motorcycle count?)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more (I don't care how much it cost, I'm not really interested)
46. Fugu - again, what is this?
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer (I understand this tastes like nothing, but has a rubbery texture, so I haven't run out to try it, based on that description)
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips (oh boy was that fun! not!)
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs (and I tell my kids they taste like chicken fingers)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette (what is this?)
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (well I've had the caviar but not the blini)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost ( another huh?)
75. Roadkill (though I should probably say, not to my knowledge)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum (I think so)
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (now I should know this one, but I can't recall what it is!)
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. (I've had a tasting menu but am not sure if we do Michelin star ratings here in Canada, so half marks?)
85. Kobe beef - another maybe, possibly at a Japanese restaurant once
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse(not unless I had no other options at all, horse or starve)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee (thanks but no thanks, I don't like coffee. why can't coffee taste like fresh ground beans smell?)
100. Snake

One pot dinner

Lots of pictures for you today, on how to make a pot of this yummy Vegetable Chili. Note I said vegetable, not vegetarian.


First start by chopping up a bunch of veggies. I went with cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, yellow pepper and corn. I didn't use onions, but there is a good reason for that. This is a good recipe for using bits and pieces of veggies from your fridge as you don't want huge amounts of any one veggie. I only had one left over cob of corn, which is why there is less corn than everything else, but whatever you have works. Though I've never tried mushrooms and am not sure it would work well, flavor wise.


Sauté 1 pound of lean ground beef in a big pot. Add in spices of your choice. I went with chili powder and cumin, a generous amount of cumin.


Let the spices bloom in the ground meat, to help bring out the flavors.


Add in your veggies - I stagger them, starting with the carrots and cauliflower, cooking them for a few minutes before adding the next vegetable. You want to give the veggies a chance to soften a bit, but not over cook, which is why I held the corn off until last.


While the veggies are cooking, open up the following things: one can of tomato paste, one small can of chopped tomatoes (I actually found one flavored with chili spices), one small can of beans in tomato paste, and a jar of salsa - this jar was one I had made and canned and had plenty of onions, which is why I didn't put any in the pot.

See? There was logic to my flavor building.

Add all those cans of goodies into the pot, along with the corn, and give it a good stir. It will be very thick, so add a cup or so of water.

Oh yes, I'd forgotten, I had also sliced and sautéd up some spicy chirizo sausages. Throw them into the pot, stir them in and bring everything up to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat, put on the lid and let things bubble, stirring every once in awhile. You can eat this as early as 20 minutes later, or let it simmer for a few hours.

Serve sprinkled with chopped green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese and a generous side of tortilla chips. Use your spoon to scoop up some of everything in the bowl onto the chips for eating. Yummy!

And like any good chili, it is even better the next day.

Yes, I still love Dorie

As I said earlier, just because I've had to leave TWD officially, doesn't mean I won't still be making Dorie recipes on a regular basis. Like last night. When I made two.

Did you know that caramelizing sugar goes from light amber to burning, boiling black in an instant? And that burnt sugar smells lingers a very, very long time, traveling through the house.

However if you stand there and don't blink, you can catch the sugar just as it turns color, add the cream and make Dorie's Caramel Sauce. Which, when it cools, you can probably eat with a spoon.

I'm not saying this from experience. I just suspect it is true.


Surprisingly, after 4 pieces of Almost Fudge Gateau, with a side of ice cream and a generous dousing of caramel sauce, we still have half a jar of the sauce left.

No worries, I'm sure it won't last long. There is still half a gateau left. And still people around to eat it, other than me.

Farmer's Market Food Porn

Sunday mornings can be so beautiful. Especially if I have time to go to the Farmer's Market.




As tasty as these looked, I left them there.


These make me wish I liked radishes, so beautiful.


Only recently did I try chard, this beautiful rainbow chard, sautéd with garlic and butter. Yummy!


Who needs chips when you can sit and much on freshly shelled peas?


Isn't this bread beautiful? It truly is art.

My haul for that visit.

And my reward, lunch. Potato and rosemary bread, slathered with goat cheese, layered with baby greens, yellow heirloom tomatoes and sprinkled with fleur de sel.

Summer, oh beautiful summer

This is my front walk way, five minutes ago. Hail, bouncing around and flying through the air. The kids and I had just made a mad dash up that walk way to get in the house.

Isn't this what August is supposed to look like?

At least the hail seems to have stopped, but the rain doesn't look like it is going to let up, so I think I will need to replan dinner tonight as I am unwilling to stand at the bbq, while lightening flashes around me.

Sorry, I know I'm a "foodie" and would do alot for good food, but being struck by lightening, or even hailed on, is not something I'm up for today. Maybe tomorrow. Or not.

Some time without rain

If you lay back and relax, sometimes you can see images in the clouds.

Leftover Lunch, just for me

Some of the best meals have no recipes and come from the moment.

Left over grilled veggies: potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, red peppers, red onions, with a splash of olive oil and a bit of butter.

Add eggs, just a few, mixed well with salt and pepper.

Finish under the broiler for a tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner. Good hot or cold.

The time has come to say goodbye

Well, this has been a hard decision to make, but had to be done.

It is with sadness that I will have to remove myself from the list of weekly Doranistas, and no longer be part of Tuesdays with Dorie.

Unfortunately the next few weeks' recipes helped me make the decision: Granola Grabbers from page 82, which I can't make because of the nuts involved in it are too a part of the recipe to remove, and Chocolate Banded Ice Cream Torte, page 288-289, which contains 8 uncooked eggs and I would not feel safe feeding to my family.

I will continue to follow along with many of my favorite bakers each week, and certainly have no plans to stop baking from Dorie. In fact, some weeks I may even take inspiration from TWD and bake up a storm. Who knows?

Thanks for the ride TWD!

Milk Chocolate Mousse, by request

Guess I forgot something earlier today....

How to make the chocolate mousse cups. It isn't much different than making the white chocolate ones, just doubled.

Milk Chocolate Mousse Cups
makes 15-18

2 cups whipping cream
14 oz chopped milk chocolate (Or use mint chocolate. Or dark chocolate.)
extra chocolate for topping

Melt the milk chocolate in a heat proof bowl with a splash of the cream, in the microwave on low, stirring every 20 seconds until almost melted. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. Allow to cool while the cream is whipped.

Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks, being careful not to over whip. Fold the slightly cooled chocolate into the cream, trying not to deflate the cream.

Spoon into cups, filling about half way. Chill for at least 4 hours, or over night.

Before serving, shave some extra chocolate on top of each cup. If you do this too early, the shavings will just melt into the mousse and make a mess.

For a more grown up version, skip the plastic picnic cups, and add a splash of liquor to the melted chocolate, your choice, and serve in fancy wine glasses.

PS This post marks my 300th here at All Things Edible! I almost missed it myself!
Wow, 300 is a big number, one I couldn't have imagined getting to when I started this little blog.
Makes getting to 500 posts seem like a good goal for the future.