The Great Book of Lists – Chapter 3.0 -Your Favorite Dishes
I write about food on occasion, like when travelling and what-not, but I’m not incredibly inventive with my own recipes so the life of a food blogger is probably not for me. However, this week’s GBOL prompts us to write about our favorite dishes, and I can definitely do that!
Poutine
I am a fanatic when it comes to the combination of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. It boggles my mind that this Canadian junk food hasn’t gotten a strong foothold in Wisconsin. Especially when you remember that it is a state literally known for its dairy products.
A few local places have been picking it up, but they always manage to screw it up somehow. The wrong gravy, breaded curds, fries that are too thick, adding raw eggs and duck fat? Stop it guys. You’re ruining it. Just give me a bowl of thin cut fries, brown gravy, and some squeaky, squeaky curds. Mix it into a melted mess of happiness. Done.
I’ll be in Ontario and Quebec this summer, and you better believe I’ll be eating Poutine for at least one meal a day. And Instagramming it… as one does.
Croque Monsieur Macaroni and Cheese
I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago and it is a masterpiece in comfort food. Make it in giant pans, because it’s just as good reheated and you’ll crave it for days.
Sushi
Especially with Tuna. Or the really insane rolls that are tempura battered. Or shrimp. Or anything. I like sushi.
Beef and Rice
Somehow I made it through two years of college eating basically nothing by chopped up stew beef cuts and white rice. Sure, I could’ve chosen a cheaper cut of meat, but rice is functionally free over time when you buy it in 30lb bags. I could swing $2 a meal.
Brown that beef, add some cheap onion, pepper, and garlic powder, and then toss it in a bowl with the rice and let it soak everything together. I still make this sometimes, even as an adult with big-kid paychecks and a full sized kitchen.
Funfetti Bars
These are my go-to dessert for gatherings. Do you like Funfetti cake? Do you like Blondies? Of course you do.
The original recipe I used no longer exists, but this one is close. I experiment with vanilla extract, whipping cream instead of milk, and different filling ingredients as my heart desires.
This Thing
Yeah, that’s food. Bless you Noma.
The Great Book of Lists is a 52-week list making project with the objective to “reflect your happiness, your hopes, your project, your inclinations, the person you were, the person you long to become.”
The Laurenest 
Sushi is the best thing in my world.. food wise 😀
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You may be disappointed in the poutine in Canada. Canucks play around with fancy recipes like what you described in Wisconsin.
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It’s not the fancy recipes themselves that are bad, it’s not being able to get the basics right first. I’ve had some great stuff in Vancouver and Montreal, hell, even at little roadside rest stops. Here everyone jumps to “culinary innovation” and it ends up just… not good.
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I have yet to visit a place where they have poutine on the menu, but I’ve been intrigued since I first saw it on TV. Any thoughts on a good copycat version of the gravy for someone who hasn’t had the authentic version? I suppose I could go wander around Pinterest, but that’s always hit and miss.
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It’s actually pretty easy to make on your own, with good results. A standard brown gravy works best; not too think and not too thin. I’ve had it with red wine gravy and sausage gravy (Ala sausage and biscuits) and it just tasted off.
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I’ll have to keep my eye out for the cheese curds then. They appear once in a while here in Michigan–and in some specialty cheese shops. Such a treat!
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