Friday Five Homage to the Top Chef!

RevHRod talked about how her family is addicted to Top Chef (on Bravo) for their assorted reasons and then asked us to think about the following:

1. If you were a food, what would you be?
This is really hard for me - there are a lot of things I can think of! Chocolate (sweet, and flexible enough to go with about anything) or coffee (hot or cold, sweet and creamy or strong and dark). Lasagna is one of my favorite things to eat and make and I think it probably fits the best. There are layers (sometimes A LOT of layers), a variety of textures, and you can spice it up or mix in veggies but ultimately it's Italian, warm and filling comfort food.

2.What is one of the most memorable meals you ever had? And where?
This question really gets me thinking about the link between food and emotions (not always a good thing). I have a lot of great memories and significant events that involve food! I guess for the sake of this question at this moment, I'll mention my wedding dinner. My wedding wasn't the most elborate of occasions, and my parents were less than thrilled about the whole thing and swore they wouldn't take part in it. A few weeks before the big day they called me to tell me they changed their minds and would be coming (to Oklahoma City from New Jersey). Since we had already planned everything, their addition to the wedding was to take our closest friends and family out to dinner at Spaghetti Warehouse after the cake and punch reception. It wasn't that the food was so outstanding, but it was the happiest day of my life, I had my favorite people around and was especially glad to have my family there.

3.What is your favorite comfort food from childhood?
Well, "Beat Up Chicken" was always a favorite (as was lasagna, but I already used that answer). My mom would take chicken breasts and put them between two sheets of wax paper and then pound them thin with an iron skillet (hence, "beating them up"). She'd then take a piece of cheddar cheese and roll it up inside each chicken breast, then dip it egg wash and Italian seasoned bread crumbs and put it in a baking dish. While it was baking, she'd make Stove Top stuffing. She'd pull the chicken out, add the stuffing and pour chicken gravy over the whole pan before returning it to the oven to fininsh baking. YUMMY!!

4.When going to a church potluck, what one recipe from your kitchen is sure to be a hit?
I didn't grow up with the tradition of church potlucks, so I don't have any sure fire potluck hits, but I do think my chicken tortilla casserole is a pretty good option. It's always a challenge to have something with protein and nutritional value to feed a lot of people without breaking the bank, and I refuse to serve hot dogs or any other "tube meat."

5. What’s the strangest thing you ever willingly ate?
So many of you have already heard this story, but I would definitly have to say ANTS. I took a trip to Brazil and spent a couple of days along the Amazon River (INCREDIBLE!). We spent one night with a native tribe and they prepared one of their delicacies for us - fresh ants. The poor woman who prepared them had bites all over her hand from harvesting them and then drowing them in water to be served - there was no way we were going to refuse! Oddly enough, they tasted pretty good - strong mint and citrus flavors - but you had to be careful of the legs. They easily get stuck in your teeth or throat (where they tickle a lot), but if you hold the legs like a cherry stem and bite off the body, they're quite tasty!

Bonus question: What’s your favorite drink to order when looking forward to a great meal?
I'm not much of a drinker - don't like beer or wine and not a huge fan of soda - so I'd probably just order water. Occasionally when I'm celebrating or just feel like kicking back I'll order a WoodChuck Amber Cider or a White Russian, but it's not to enhance the taste of the food at all - just to enjoy the drink for what it is.