An Ode to Food

Let me start this off by explaining...I've been on a hardcore training diet since....oh, December 29th was my last official "cheat meal" during the off season. I remember it fondly---sushi at sushi.com, where Erik, Eric, and Jackie didn't make fun of me devouring the tempura off the plate, followed by Ben and Jerry's with Eric. The largest serving they offer. Three different flavors, probably each with some form of chocolate and peanut butter. That was the last time I've had ice cream. By the time I finally have another bite, it will have been six months. Wow. And the same with alcohol....lest you think I'm a closet binge-drinker...I enjoy wine. I'm not a connoisseur of wine by any stretch of the imagination, but I am definitely partial to white wines (and yes, you chill whites ;) you know who you are....) and after some of the stress I've endured over the past few months, a glass or two of pinot grigio at the end of the day would have come in handy....but I made do with scrambled egg whites and a string of profanity. Actually, more than just a string....sorry, God. I'm not perfect. :)

So...this is a combination of food memories and thank you's. Prepare to be entertained.

Mom and Dad---thanks for enduring the first few cheats with me. Red Robin, where you watched me inhale burgers and two baskets of fries. Bet you didn't think you'd ever see me eat that much. There were some tears, too, one of the first times, unrelated to the food. But...life is so much better now, and will be even better when I can have another burger. ;) And...there was an all you can eat pancake night with you, Mom, and some tears there, too. Again, not related to the food. Phew. ;) Homemade burgers and fries, and Domini's too, right? I think there was a Domini's night in there....oh! Thanksgiving was incredible, and I ate so much I had to sleep propped up on like, 5 pillows. And Christmas...my first bite of crab cakes, and I made them from scratch. Very tasty! Oh....and plenty of sugar cookies, and some other miscellaneous Christmas treats that I definitely need recipes for next year....

As for the rest of the meals...oh, wow. Lots of sushi, Ben and Jerry's, and heavenly Rocky Rococo a handful of times...followed by more ice cream. Mmmm...Baskin Robbins one time. And my favorite (of course) was either the homemade fajitas or the Thai Peanut Chicken and chocolate chip cookie dough, where the sugar that was at the house had been there so long that it smelled like...feet. Hee hee. Not mine! I mean, the sugar wasn't mine. I knew better, so I brought the baking supplies. We're lucky there was any dough left for the cookies, because...well, we all know that chocolate chip cookie dough is soooo much better than the actual cookies! Oh my...and I can't forget Ron's Drive-In, home of the bag of burgers (yay for force-feeding) and fries and milk shakes, followed by Ugly Christmas Sweater shopping. That was a great night. :)

Hmmm...I could probably write about this all night. Kind of embarrassing. But I will say that I'm looking forward to the Giordano's pizza Mom, Eric, and I will be enjoying on Eric's 27th birthday. Check out the pictures of the stuffed pizza: http://www.giordanos.com/stuffed.php
Are you kidding me? My mouth is watering just looking at it. Holy smokes. My vote is Hawaiian Delight. Um, yeah! Delight in my MOUTH! When I get back to Spokane....Rocky Rococo and the Rococo Chicago with 4 Italian Cheeses, Italian Sausage and Diced Tomatoes. Don't judge. Like you've never fallen in love with food...or memorized a menu. Or considered cooking magazines, cookbooks, and Food Network to be your fantasy land...

And...some other things that top my list...

1. Pancakes at Kalico Kitchen on a Sunday morning with the paper, some coffee, and my friends.
2. Sushi at sushi.com.
3. A big group of friends at Shogun for hibachi and sushi. Mmmmm...oh, and some drinks. ;)
4. Some home cooked meals from my favorite chef. Maybe followed with...a Hershey's dark chocolate bar from the freezer?
5. Barbecue ANYTHING. With s'mores. And peanut butter.
6. DEFINITELY a pb and j sandwich with crunchy peanut butter.
7. Did I say peanut butter? Oh yeah....lots and lots of peanut butter.

Good thing I plan on doing the Spokane Half-Marathon in October....otherwise, next year I'd be competing as a heavyweight. So...it's safe to say that this topic? Food? Probably going to come up again...in about 12 hours. ;)