moonfrog –

Ferg at Redumbrella asked me personally, so I figured I’d play along with this meme. These are foods I’d suggest everyone try at least once in a lifetime. I’m sure there are others I’ve forgotten, but these are some of my favorites.
Five Things to Eat Before You Die
Chocolate-covered licorice
. . . or was it Licorice-covered chocolate? I don’t remember, but a long time ago our town had an import store called Globe Imports. They had a food section that carried some candy from far, far away. It looked like M&Ms. It had a hard outer candy shell, probably brown or orange. Inside was a soft chocolate and inside that was a licorice center. I think that’s the general idea. Sounds weird, huh? I loved those things…. If anyone knows what I’m talking about, point me to a place where I can buy these lovlies. Okay?
Abalone
For years, my dad and his friend would go skin-diving once or twice a year to harvest abalone, a large footed shellfish much like a scallop or a sea snail. Dad would put on heavy weights and dive down and pry the big shells off the rocks. We still have some of the shells. They have beautiful rainbow colored insides.
Mom would take the abalone and beat the living daylights out of it to tenderize it, then bread it and fry it. It was the only food we told visitors (or family) that if they didn’t really like it, they couldn’t have any. It was like gold, not to be wasted. Dad’s too old to skin-dive anymore, it’s very dangerous, although he does still fish on the ocean, even alone. I don’t know where you can get some good abalone, but I miss it.
Moose Tracks Ice Cream
My mom mail-ordered me a T-shirt with this flavor on it. I used to eat a lot of it. *blush* I’ll let you read about it. Suffice it to say that my second favorite ice cream flavor, peanut butter cup, is part of the Moose Tracks recipe.
Lemon Meringue Pie
This is my specialty. I try to convince my family that this delicacy is reserved for my son’s birthday and maybe one other VIP occasion each year. They still pester me to make it more often. I rarely give in to their pleas. I make it myself, but am not above eating a commercial pie once in a while. Mine is better, of course.
Broccoli Soup
Now, this is a dish my DH cooks for me. (He actually does most of the cooking, but that is not such a good thing, as my digital, very accurate, scale will verify.) I have to ask for this delicious concoction, and eventually he will whip it up. Of course, I know where the recipe is and could make it myself, but that’s no fun, now is it? This is a variation of a recipe** that calls for dill, but DH uses cilantro since I don’t care so much for dill. Cilantro! It makes me happy just to think about it. If there was ever a personal aphrodisiac, this one is mine. It doesn’t make me lust after DH, though, just after cilantro, which may be why he isn’t quicker to make it for me. Here’s the recipe.

Creamless Broccoli Soup

Place oil onions, celery, garlic and salt in soup pot. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Chop broccoli, using mostly tops with some stem. Set aside about a cup of broccoli tops. When onions are tender, add 4 cups of stock or broth and the broccoli, except for the cup of florets that were set aside. Cover and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the oatmeal and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. When broccoli is tender, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Puree in a blender until smooth. Cook broccoli florets that were set aside in boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Add to soup with cooking water.
Yields: 7 to 8 cups
Nutrition per 10-ounce serving: 109 calories, 5.8 g protein,
3.4 g fat, 16.8 g carbs, 0 cholesterol, 239 mg sodium, 5.4 g fiber.
**Adapted from a recipe in
Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special