The Omnivores Fifty Seven

This is going around, and is interesting. I only got 57/100, but a lot of that has to do with not liking fish until recently, and also being allergic to fish and seafood (maybe, my allergy tests said I was so I've avoided it for a long long time, but just recently started tasting some things) so it's not totally fair. A lot of the things I haven't tried I want to, and are on my list of things to eat. My friends and I are going to do a "fear factor" night where we (they, since I'm going to be house-bound once I get home to Philly) go around and collect interesting animals and animal parts that we don't usually eat and dare ourselves to eat them. Alex is going to cook, since he is from Slovakia and they normally eat things like cock's comb and head cheese.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush(allergic to eggplants!)
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
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
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (Kind of, I've eaten clam chowder, and I've eaten other chowders in a sourdough bowl, but I give myself this because I can't eat bread anymore so...)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
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
100. Snake

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.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

Snow day, PB&J Cookies, Tag I'm It

It snowed! It finally snowed! This is the first "snowstorm" Philly has had this year. We've had I think 2 dustings, but this time it stuck, and we have snow! I put snowstorm in quotes because it's only a storm by Philly standards, meaning the salt trucks were out and people called out of work, because of 2 inches of snow. Pfft! Babies. Luckily I'm not working today, so I got to play in it with Puff.
Puff is a snowbunny. She loves snow, she likes following footprints and running in the snow. She ran around the yard for a long time, playing.
I haven't done much baking lately, I've been in kind of a stressed out slump. Moving within a month, going to Europe in less than three, having to come up with a security deposit as well as covering moving expenses, paying off rent and all bills before we go to Europe, and more than likely bribing one of my friends to watch my dog, cat, guinea pig, fish and plants while I'm gone. I'm out of flour mix, and I haven't been out to get potato starch and tapioca starch to make more. But yesterday I was feeling cookies, so I made some of my favorite flourless peanut butter cookies. I wanted to make a Fluff filling to make sandwich cookies, but I only had granulated sugar so it didn't turn out well. Instead I filled them with jam, and oh my gosh.

I haven't had a pb&j sandwich since I went gluten-free, and I forgot how perfect they are. I don't really like gf bread, and I haven't found a perfect sandwich bread yet, so I mostly cut them out of my diet. These cookies, since they aren't that sweet, are perfect. I used raspberry jam, and can't stop eating them.

I like adding the baking powder on top of the eggs and watching the reaction

PB&J sandwich cookies:
Double batch Shauna's PB cookies
Jam of your choice (or, Nutella!!!)

Bake cookies, cool, spread with jam. Stick in the fridge for a few hours, to let the jam set. Alternatively, make a thumb print in the cookies and fill with jam.
This was going around a few weeks ago, but I've been out of commission (sorry Mom!!!!)
Jeff over at Good Without Gluten tagged me, as well as someone else (sorry! I forget who!)
so I guess I'll do this now! Better late than never, huh?

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here is my random information:

1. I was never technically diagnosed with Celiac. My mom has it, I had the DH rash, and I had a bunch of jerk doctors who thought I was making things up when I suggested maybe I had Celiac. I've been gluten-free for over 2 years, feel pretty good, and my current doctor thinks I probably DO have Celiac, but I don't want a biopsy. But I tell people I do anyway, because it's easier.
2. I really don't want to move out of the house I live in now, but I have to (too expensive for 2 of us, and too big)
3. I'm terrified of the emotional damage I'm going to inflict on my dog by abandoning her by going to Europe for a month.
4. I love the grocery store.
5 I wish I lived on a farm instead of in the city, I want to grow my own food and kill my own meat.
6. I wear stretch pants 90% of the time I'm not at work.
7. I have a tattoo of a slice of pizza with wings on my hip. When I got it, I was thinking I had Celiac, but wasn't sure and wasn't yet gluten-free, and my tattoo artist (good friend Amy) wanted to put a halo over the pizza but I didn't want to jinx myself. At that point, living gluten-free was terrifying and awful, but now it's easy, and I'm happy about it.

In return I'm tagging:
NO ONE! I think everyone has done it already, if not, I tag you!!!

tag, I'm it

Instead of doing a real post, talking about delicious food, I'm going to stall on that (remind me later to update about the jam, pickles, and most delicious ribs ever) and do this. I'm not going to tag anyone, though. I was tagged by Kate, over at Gluten-free Gobsmacked.

Anyway, here are the rules for the meme:

1. 1. Once tagged, let others know who tagged you.
2. 2. Players are to list 8 random facts about themselves.
3. 3. Those who are tagged should post these rules within their meme-tag post.
4. 4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them that they have been tagged. (I'm not doing this)

Eight Random Things about Me…

1. 1. I took almost a 50% pay cut to work at Wholefoods and center my life in the city more (instead of commuting to NJ everyday) and I'm a lot happier for it.
2. 2. I really don't like coffee, but I drink it at work almost every day, at least once.
3. 3. After wanting to learn for a long, long time, I am teaching myself the art of canning. You know, sealing jars filled with food so they will keep for 100 years if kept sealed.
4. 4. If I could listen to one and only one band for the rest of my life, it would be this one.
5. 5. Now that I'm not vegetarian anymore, I embraced eating meat. As in, I don't want to pretend my food isn't from an animal. I am fascinated by butchers and someday want to raise (and eat) at least my own chickens.
6. 6. In the vein of #5, I'd secretly love to be a butcher. All my dream jobs are "boy" jobs, that I could probably do if I worked out and was stronger, but I am usually too small/not stong enough. For example, in college I took a wildfire firefighting class. If I had been in shape, I could have taken the strength test and gone to Wyoming for the summer to fight forest fires. Butcher, firefighter, farmer, etc.
7. 7. I'm really proud for having convinced my world that gluten-free food can be (and is, if I'm preparing it) delicious. People at work don't really say "oh, I feel bad for you because you can't eat ______" much anymore. I've brought in tons of cookies and cupcakes and coffeecakes and word's spread that being gluten-free isn't the worst thing that can happen to you. Also, I'm really jealous of everyone with beautiful photographs on their blogs. Jerks.
8. 8. I think I might get another dog soon.