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Pecan pie. Mmmmm...

After winning myself and a lot of the family over with balsamic-caramelized Brussels sprouts last year, and my undying borderline-obsession with bacon, those two might have to have a meeting in a serving dish this Thanksgiving.

Ham in Coca-Cola sounds interesting...I've been sold on the soda-marinade thing since trying Dr Pepper-glazed ribs, which were awesome even though I don't like Dr Pepper.

Being one of the first dishes I learned to make, main course Mexican rice is great. Heavily seasoned ground beef, fresh tomato and herbs, and whatever I needed to finish off got tossed in. It was always unique and always great, whether it was leftover jalapeno poppers, half a can of garbanzo beans, or a few delicate saffron strands.

It's a multi-sensory experience: the taste is a given, but it sizzles so alluringly in the pan, the smell turns the kitchen into an aerial appetizer, it turns a reddish-brown color to let you known it's done, and then (when cooked the way I love it) it bends just a little before giving way. If you add in my likely supernatural bacon-sense, that's six, not just five senses being assaulted (in the kindest way) by bacon.

If you're in Tacoma, WA, stop by MSM Deli on 6th (just west of where it meets Division and Sprague) to pick up rose water for these recipes. And check out their surprisingly good selection of beers while you're there.

Bacon-wrapped filet mignon, but if I'm looking for steak-y satisfaction, a 20oz+ porterhouse can't be beat.

Filet mignon, bacon-wrapped, topped with chipotle cheddar.

The worst I encountered was at McDonalds in Hong Kong a few years back (I just moved back to the States after 8 years there). The Green Curry burger not only smelled like the floor of an off-license Indian kitchen after the dinner rush, but the curry was almost glazed on the cardboard-like hamburger patty, and looked like someone had dragged it through a vat of snot before overcooking it. The taste was...horrible. Really, indescribably bad, not a single person I knew or even heard of liked it, and it was quickly dropped from the local menu.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts With Bacon. I always love taking things people (including myself) hated in childhood and making them into something uniquely delicious.

I'd definitely start in Hong Kong with some char siu (barbecued pork), not because it's the greatest in the world (that honor going to Tex-Mex cuisine), but because it's solid food, unique, available in a slightly different variety everywhere including grocery store delis and 7-11s (which are everywhere), and addictively delicious.