Published: September 09, 2009 09:06 am      

Food glorious food; Angie picks her top-10 favorites

There are certain things in life that I cannot think about living without. I, like 99.9 percent of most people, have undeniable cravings that may or may not be good for me. Some of my food choices and combinations are a little on the whacky side, but who cares.

In the summer, I love to eat green pepper sandwiches. There is nothing better than picking a luscious green bell pepper from the garden, slicing it in half and laying it on a piece of white bread topped with mayonnaise, yellow mustard, cheese and a thick slice of onion. If you see me eating one of these delectable sandwiches, you may not want to stop and have a long conversation if you know what I mean. Green pepper sandwiches are my dad’s trademark — he grew up eating them. I am glad we are keeping the family tradition alive and well.

My dad and I have a flair for liking not-so-typical foods. We also love pickled herring. Yes, I said pickled herring — that slimy stuff floating around in a jar amidst onions and cloves. Every Christmas we have a tradition of giving each other one or two jars of herring. I could sit in front of the TV, watch “The Donna Reed Show” and eat a whole jar in one sitting topped off with a Cherry Coke. See, what I mean by weird. You can’t beat Coca-Cola for great burping action. This is not something you would want to share on a first date with lets say a guy who looks like Brad Pitt. He might be a goner in five, four, three, two, one — boom right out the door. He might even miss the door — who knows.

If I would ever get cornered by a pack of coyotes in my backyard and am given an opportunity to choose my last meal before they make me theirs, I would choose a stuffed green pepper, pickled herring and a Cherry Coke. Maybe the sight of that combination would make them ill and they would leave me alone. I doubt it but a person can always dream can’t she?

Like most people, my one weakness is ice cream. I would not be able to function in a world without ice cream. I would be in a state of pure bliss if I could hook up an IV to drip ice cream through my veins all day long. That really sounds pathetic. I think I may have left my head in the freezer too long. I may need to place the container of ice cream closer to the front next time.

Further more, I would not be able to live on a deserted island without a jumbo-sized freezer filled to the brink with ice cream — butter brickle, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, vanilla… The list could go on and on and on… Excuse me, I think I might need to take a break. “Cordy, go grab me a spoon!”

We all have certain foods that we would not want to live without; some may just be more normal than mine. There is one thing I can’t imagine not ever tasting again and that would be my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Now, I love to bake but I have never been able to duplicate her rolls of perfection. I think the dough just likes her better than me. And her homemade frosting is to die for; that I can duplicate — thank goodness. One of my fondest memories growing up as a kid was coming home after school and eating one of my mom’s homemade cinnamon rolls while watching an episode of “The Waltons.”

So looking at all my food choices, weird and otherwise, I have compiled a list of top-10 foods that I can’t live without.

10. Green pepper sandwiches

9. Pickled herring

8. Stuffed green peppers

7. Coconut cream pie — oh, baby

6. Apple pie

5. Lobster — I know this seems really out of place here, but oh well.

4. Homemade bread and butter pickles

3. Homemade chocolate chip cookies

2. Ice cream

1. Cinnamon rolls

Now, what would you take on a deserted island to eat?



Angie Bicker is the Lifestyles Editor for the Clinton Herald. She can be reached at angiebicker@clintonherald.com.