On a Winter Lull

So, between the week in LA (ahhh, a break from real winter), and the week before it busy with volunteer stuff, I haven't had much time to be thinking any truly deep food thoughts. Here's a run-down of the light - n- fluffy things I have been doing:

* Making my gallbladder scream for mercy with peanut butter stuffed French toast at Potholder Cafe in Long Beach, CA. Seriously, wow.

* Pondering how to make the above mentioned delicacy at home. Think it should be easy, Good peanut butter spread between two pieces of good stale bread and soaked quickly in a fast custard. Should work nicely, when I'm up to try to murder myself with goodness again.

*Re-reading Omnivore's Dilemma and pondering ways to re-commit myself to better food.

*Making a recipe I ripped out of the year-old Gourmet magazine someone had left in the gym of my apartment. Its called "Sweet Dough" and its a very lightly sweet bread. Turned out very successfully - a possible candidate for French toast, even.

*Making old school quick fix meals that I used to make all the time in grad school, and pondering the great memories that come with - coming home from a day of teaching to a steaming pot of beans. Hell's Belle and Picky Man coming over (and the house feeling oddly empty when they didn't). Nabil teaching me how to properly pit an olive.

*Reading Eat This Not That Supermarket Survival Guide, and marveling at how clearly and easily the authors put information that can be very hard to discern even for the most extraordinarily anal label readers (like me). The book was a gift from my mother in law, who noticed how my husband and I obsessed over her copy, which was about fast food, over the Christmas holidays. The books illustrations do a great job of making disgusting food look awful.

*Speaking of disgusting food looking awful, several hat tips go around the web as over the course of 2 days nearly every blog I read has linked to This is Why You're Fat, a photographic depiction of some of the most awful food ever. Personal favorites include (in the order they appear on the website - direct links don't seem to be possible): 12 Bird True Love Roast (which falls in the same category as Turducken and Bacon Explosion for me - meat stuffed with me, just gross sounding); The Double Bacon Hamburger Fatty Melt, which uses grilled cheese sandwiches as buns; The Hamdog, just for the name; Spaghetti Meatball on a stick, the picture of which is absolutely vil;, The Meat Ship; Gregory's 120 ounce Steak, topped with apparently superfluous mushrooms; the Bacon donut, which seems doubly wasteful; Happy Meal Pizza, of which there's a before and after baking shot; and the Hot Beef Sundae, which gets points both for the name, and for the cherry on top of it.

There's also a list of things on the site, which, embarrassingly, I would actually eat. In the spirit of full disclosure, they are: Frito Pie (I mean, how could you not); King Cake (duh again - I actually make king cake); Waffle Couch (chips cheese and gravy with waffle fries); Apple Pie topped with Cheddar Cheese; Snickers pie; French Fry Encased Hot Dog on a Stick (Basically a corn dog, with potato coating instead. Yum); Deep Fried Mars bar; and I'll readily admit that I would do my best on the Giant Breakfast burrito, although I'd probably have to give up before I reached the full 7 pounds.

Best thing on the site, by far: The Snack Stadium, which I may attempt to recreate one day.

*I've been loving the latest NYTimes Foodie blog, Proof, for a well rounded, multifaceted view of booze. If you read it, like most websites, and most NYTimes articles, ignore the sanctimonious commenters.

*I've developed a love for the Manhattan, which my husband makes with perfection. A great winter substitute for the Mint Julep.