Foods To Eat Before You Die #13 Biscuits And Gravy

I have always loved biscuits and gravy, but have had a difficult time making a good batch myself. It has never been an issue with the biscuit, but always the gravy. This was the first time that I was happy with how the gravy ended up, which is convenient because it was one of my last meals before my two months of vegetarianism. To learn how I made the gravy, click for more.

Foods To Eat Before You Die #28 Chile Relleno

Chile Relleno translates to "Stuffed Chile" This dish came from the Mexican city of Puebla. The dish is made with a poblano pepper, (named after the city of the dish) stuffed with meat or cheese, covered with a batter and fried. The cheese variant is common during lent. I am not Catholic, but I did happen to try the dish during lent. When it came to the table, I

Foods To Eat Before You Die #99 Turducken

30 Pounds of Poultry Goodness

A Turducken is a perfect example of the American mentality. It is large, extravagant and over the top. A Turducken is made by stuffing a TURkey with a DUCK and chickEN). This was actually the second time that I have made the meal. It is an incredibly time-consuming process that I go through once a year. After the successful first attempt at making the avian nightmare, I vowed that it would become a household tradition.

Foods To Eat Before You Die #36 Dolma

Dolma is the generic name for stuffed vegetable dishes. By this definition, the Quinois Stuffed Peppers that was my first post ever on here would qualify as a Dolma. The most popular is the grape leaf dolmas, which is what I got. When I saw this, I thought that it was just a vegan egg roll.

Foods To Eat Before You Die: #91 Spam

SPAM (SPiced hAM) was introduced to the world in 1937 and all social stigmata aside, it has been going strong since. This was the food item on my 101 foods list that I was looking forward to eating the least. It is a food that I associate with poverty. I grew up in a poor (monetary) household and we would have a can of this around occasionally, but I don't remember ever eating it. My cousins, who had even less money ALWAYS had a can of SPAM in their cupboards. When I think of SPAM, I think of opening a white cabinet with chipped paint and seeing cockroaches running across the face of the metal container. Not something people want to associate with any food.

Foods To Eat Before You Die: #68 Oxtail Soup

The term Oxtail Soup is a misnomer, as it is neither a soup, nor does it have to be made with oxtail. It IS, however, made with the tail of any cow. While the thought of eating a tail will gross out many, the way I saw it, the tail segments were like little steaks. Living in an agricultural state, I am always surprise when people refuse to try foods that are being harvested or grown right around the corner from them. When I was getting married, I had a difficult time finding polenta. How crazy is it that you can't find ground up corn in Iowa? Oxtail soup is another such meal that is popular in many areas in the world, but the US is not really one of them. At the grocery store, there was a single (and empty) spot for it in the meat section. As it turns out, they had just gotten a shipment (of four packages) that day.

Foods To Eat Before You Die: #39 Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is a dish that claims several creators. All with the last name Benedict and all around the same time period (late 1800s to early 1900s). Today, this is a dish that is a staple for many "upscale" breakfast buffets. These are the versions that Leigha had always had and disliked before. I have always thought that this is an alright food but knew that the success hinged on the hollandaise sauce. That is why mine was only a partial success, because...

Foods To Eat Before You Die: #101 Wasabi Peas

 Wasabi Peas are a simple and healthy snack, but they are a misnomer. The peas are dehydrated and crunchy, but they are not actually covered in wasabi.

Foods To Eat Before You Die: #27 Chicken Tikka Masala

When I compiled the list of 101 Foods to Eat Before You Die, I didn't even put together the fact that I had just bought a jar of Tikka Masala sauce from the store. The country of origin for Tikka Masala is debatable with both Britain and India laying claim to the dish. What is not questioned is the British love for the dish. Chicken Tikka Masala is the most sold dish in Britain's restaurants.