The Omnivore's Hundred

Taken from Very Good Taste - the items in bold are what I have tried. Those with an X in front of it are the ones I would never consider eating.

I encourage you to go through the list and see how many things you've tried!

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.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
X6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
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 (apple and pear. Can't say I enjoyed either one!)
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
X23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
X25. 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
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (without the cigar)
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
X42. 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
X50. 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
X62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
X66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
X68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
X70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
X75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
X78. 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
X89. 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
X99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
X100. Snake

How to Cut an Avocado

Avocados are delicious and contain lots of potassium and monounsaturated fats which protect against cardiovascular disease. They're good sliced up and sprinkled with a little bit of salt or made into a guacamole or any other kind of dip, but how do you cut one up and remove the seed? Read on to find out!

With a sharp knife, carefully cut into the top of the avocado, right to the seed.

Then run the knife all the way around the seed, cutting the avocado in half.

Once the avocado is cut in half you will see the large seed.

Very carefully, gently tap the knife (it's easiest and safest if you use the heel of the knife) into the seed.

Once the knife is in the seed, twist it and the seed should pop right out!

Now you're all set to cut up and peel the avocado or scoop out the flesh to use in your favorite recipes!

Layered Dip

I had to make something for a potluck lunch, so I thought about what I could make relatively easily without making the entire house smell like food. I came up with 7-layer dip, but this one is actually eight layers. I would've made my own refried beans, but that would have made the house smell like cooked beans and that's just not what you want people to smell when they walk into a house wondering if it's the right house for them to buy or not. So, unfortunately, I had to use canned refried beans.

Here's what you'll need for this recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 can refried beans

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon salsa (I use 1/2 cup habanero salsa and 1/4 cup medium salsa)

2/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 cup chopped hot pepper rings

2 ripe avocados

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 cup shredded cheese

STEPS

• Empty the beans into a nice, clear glass dish. (Yes, I know, mine isn't pretty but it's all that I had at the time.) Stir in 1 tablespoon of the salsa to add a bit more flavor to the beans. Level it out in the bowl and wipe the sides clean. Then spoon the remaining 3/4 cup of salsa evenly on top of the beans.
• Cover the salsa layer with the sour cream. Then sprinkle the sour cream with the green onions, then the hot peppers, and finally the tomatoes.
  

• Peel the avocados and place the flesh into another bowl. Pour the lime juice over it and mash it all together with a fork. The lime juice will help keep the avocados from turning brown. Once the avocados are mashed and the lime juice is mixed in, cover the tomatoes with the avocado. Then sprinkle the top with grated cheese.
  

• Serve with corn chips. Our favorite is Tostitos Scoops!

Blondies

Having a house for sale means that you don't have a lot of time to do any cooking or baking and you tend to eat out a lot. That's something that we're not used to doing and I've been trying to find some quick recipes. Here's a really fast recipe for whipping up some blondies. Blondies are like brownies without the cocoa powder.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips (can substitute butterscotch chips, chopped nuts or a mixture of nuts and chips)

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8"x8" pan.
• Cream together the butter and sugar. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk together.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon (if using). Then add it to the butter mixture. Fold in until just mixed.
• Then add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
• Pour into pan and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and serving.
  

Garlic Bread

Garlic bread is something that I could eat even when I'm not hungry. It's especially delicious when made from homemade baguettes. I posted the baguette recipe before but now I'll give you my recipe for warm, tasty garlic bread. We eat it with pasta or chili and sometimes, we'll just eat it by itself!

Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 loaf of baguette or other crusty bread

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (can add more if you like it garlicky)

1/4 grated cheese (you can use cheddar or something tangy) (optional)

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Slice the loaves diagonally to make individual slices, but do not cut all the way through.
• Melt the butter in the microwave in a small, microwaveable dish. Stir in the garlic powder.
• Using a spoon or a brush, spread the butter onto both sides of the bread slices. If using cheese, sprinkle cheese on top of the loaf.
• Wrap the loaf in foil and place in preheated oven for 10 minutes. If you like the bread crispy, you can open up the foil in the last few minutes to brown or place under the broiler.

Not Just for Christmas!

We were invited to a friend's house for some food and fun while we watch a hockey game. We were asked to bring something for dessert, so I thought long and hard about what would be a good dessert. Rum balls came to mind. They're normally a treat enjoyed during the Christmas season, but I don't see why we shouldn't have them whenever we want! This is an easy recipe to follow and is a lot of fun to make. You can even substitute any kind of nuts or alcohol that you like, or you can leave out the nuts for those with allergies. Play with the recipe and make it your own!

Rum Balls

INGREDIENTS

3 cups crushed vanilla wafers

3/4 cup icing sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

3 tablespoons corn syrup

1 1/2 finely chopped walnuts

1/2 cup rum

STEPS

1. Using a blender or a food processor, crush the vanilla wafers into a powder like bread crumbs. You can use vanilla wafers with the creme filling if you like your rum balls a bit sweeter, otherwise you can use plain vanilla wafers without the filling. These can be found at your local bulk food store. You can even experiment with different flavors of wafers like chocolate or strawberry.
2. Using the blender or food processor, finely chop the walnuts (or whatever nuts you choose to use). If you like a bit of crunch in your rum balls, leave the nuts a bit chunkier. If you like them smooth, then chop them until they turn to a powder.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the crushed wafers, icing sugar, cocoa powder and nuts. Then blend in the corn syrup and rum.
4. Using about 1 teaspoonful of the mixture, shape it into 1-inch balls. You can roll the balls in sweetened cocoa powder or icing sugar. I learned the hard way that coconut and sprinkles don't stick very well unless you dip the balls in more alcohol or cover them in melted sugar first.
5. Store the balls, refrigerated, in an airtight container for several days to develop the flavor. Roll again in icing sugar or cocoa powder before serving. Makes approximately 30 balls.

This is a versatile recipe and you can change the ingredients around to suit your tastes. I divided up the recipe into thirds and made two of the batches with almonds and the other with walnuts. I used rum in the walnut batch, triple sec (orange flavored liqueur) with one of the almond batches and amaretto (almond flavored liqueur) with the other. But you can use anything you like. Try it with pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, or whatever you like. You can even make the balls a bit more exotic by using alcohol like Bailey's or Kahlua. Have fun playing with the recipe!

Quick and Easy Chili

Fall is in the air and it's time to start making some hearty dishes again. With the house for sale, we're cooking things that can last a few meals and can be done relatively quickly. Here's a quick and easy chili that tastes pretty good. You can experiment with the type of pasta sauce that you use to achieve different flavors.

Quick and Easy Chili

INGREDIENTS

1 to 1-1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey

1 medium sized onion, diced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 can red kidney beans, rinsed

1 bottle pasta sauce, e.g. Ragu

1 chipotle pepper, chopped (optional)

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

STEPS

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the meat, onions and chili powder and cook until the meat it is no longer pink. If using ground beef, you will want to drain the liquid once it is cooked. If using turkey, there is no need to drain since it is leaner than beef.
2. Add the beans and the pasta sauce. If you are using a chipotle pepper, add it now. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Serve in bowls and sprinkle grated cheddar on top if desired. I usually serve the chili with garlic bread made from my own baguettes. This recipe makes 4 large servings or 6 small servings.