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Wasn't planned but...I ended up eating 2 1/2 pieces of sweet breads from a local Mexican panaderia, followed by a fresh bagel. :) Very patriotic, no? haha...I crave turkey too for some reason.

Wow. I thought OREOS were the original Oreo cookie. Do the Hydroxes taste any better? I can't recall seeing them on shelves.

Haha, you're talking about the Boudin bakery, right? You must have missed their famous alligator-shaped bread--they usually have it out on display. :)

Just read recently that the potential long-term health risks of TVP are still unexplored (check out In Defense of Food)...it does make me a bit leery. I'll stick to good ol' Asian tofu. In recipes calling for ground beef, I always substitute lean ground turkey anyways because I don't like the taste of the beef to begin with.

Where's the bacon salt???!

How about sardines pan seared with cinnamon dusted pumpkin seed/ pine nut crust, wilted chard with crispy pancetta, roasted cauliflower seasoned with tumeric and browned butter and a glass of pom/blueberry juice....maybe thinly sliced-grilled beets with vanilla scoop for dessert...? Perhaps a prune or two at 4 AM when the belly starts aching.

We did burgers and dogs, but all the sides were with a Mexican flair, as we were with my brother-in-law's family. Beans, rice, Nana's wonderful squash dish with corn and cotija cheese, Papa's homegrown corn on the cob with lime and chile, fresh salsa and guacamole, and my contribution: bacon-wrapped chicken cubes, dredged in a mixture of brown sugar, cayenne and chili powder and baked @400 for 12 minutes...spicy, caramelized goodness.

Oh wow... many of these are among my most favorite foods... the only ones I don't consume frequently are the pumpkin seeds (though they used to be a borderline obsession of mine) and the pomegranate juice.

I'm guessing frozen, dried or canned are specified simply because they're available year-round. Of course, dried fruits, are also concentrated, which may be an extra benefit. Besides frozen blueberries, I always have dried blueberries on hand. Great with nuts, in chicken salad, or in lieu of raisins in baked goods.

Turmeric does have a bitter edge, especially if used with a heavy hand. I'd try finding it fresher, and using less of it. It's being studied for arthritis, psoriasis and anti-Alzheimer's properties (seems to prevent plaques).

Incidentally, chard is a subspecies of the beet plant, which may be why both foods made the list. In fact, swiss chard and beet greens taste virtually identical, and chard has a root that looks almost exactly like a beet. I'd argue that beet greens may be slightly better for you than the traditional white and green chard, simply because they are more colorful (red and green). I find beets really easy to prep. Trim tops to about an inch long, trim longest portion of root, wash well, simmer whole until tender, peel.

And canned pumpkin puree is one of those rare and blessed foods that is pretty much indistinguishable from fresh. That's why it's ALWAYS in my pantry. MMMmmmm... punkin bread...

i love sourdough... actually I didn't like it when I first tried it, too tangy for my kiddy tastebuds at the time. But, now that my pallate has evolved, the ones I've had recently are not even as tangy as I remember the original being... they just taste like regular white bread.

I don't know how this rates with Bay Area dwellers, but I liked the Boudin sandwiches I had the last time I was in SF.

Hydrox are back!!!!! awesome, I always prefered Hydrox over Oreos, and cried when they stopped making them. The funny thing is I bought Oreos yesterday as I was in major need of comfort junque food ( sounds classier than junk food ;) ) Unfortunatley the oreos didnt set well and instead of comforted i was discomforted by my comfort food :S I'll keep an eye open for Hydrox though, even if they have the same reaction it might be worth it ;)