Favorite Foods
(a.k.a. The Frog Diet)

Because of the "food" page I have received numerous emails asking what my favorite dishes are.  While it might be easier to list what I don't like, here goes. Not listed in any particular order.

Main Dishes

• Pot Roast (cooked until just about falling apart) preferably served with grits and au jus gravy
• Charcoal grilled NY Strip Steaks (Medium)
• Chili (No beans)
• Swordfish
• Scallops
• Spaghetti & homemade meatballs (or hot Italian sausage) with homemade sauce
• Veal Parmesan
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Chicken Parmesan
• Flank Steak
• Buffalo Chicken
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Summer Salads (Big salads with meat, cheese, and veggies. a.k.a. "everything" salads)
• Thin crust crispy pizza (preferably cooked in a wood fired oven, or homemade)
• Cheeseburgers (with sharp Cheddar or Jack cheese, red onion,  chili sauce (better than Catsup), Sriracha sauce, and mustard (or Dijonnaise mayo/mustard mix),  w/wo bacon,
• Tacos (Beef, chicken, pork, or fish)
• Roast Turkey and especially post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches with coleslaw
• Post-Thanksgiving homemade turkey soup
• Thick cut, lean  bacon and / or Canadian Bacon
• Scrapple
• Taylor Pork Roll
• Italian sausages (hot)
• Curried  (yellow) chicken and vegetables.
• Bratwurst
• Fried Spam particularly the (apparently discontinued) "black pepper" version)
• Chimichangas
• Corned Beef, cabbage, and potatoes)
• Fajitas 
• Red or Black Beans & Rice (with or without a little spicy sausage)
• Orange Chicken
• Chili Dogs
• Mac & Cheese with ham and spinach
• Madras Lentils
• Jambalaya
• Corned beef or pastrami sandwiches

Breakfasts (Breakfast is my main meal)

• Bacon, eggs, hash browns or home fries.
• Fried ham, eggs, cheese grits
• Scrapple and eggs
• Corned beef hash and eggs
• Everything omelets
• Breakfast Quesadillas ( Pepperjack cheese, have, salsa, and egg, and sometimes fresh spinach)

All of the above with OJ, coffee, and sometimes an English muffin or a cinnamon bun

Breads

• Fresh French bread / baguettes / filone, with or without toppings. (Of course real butter is mandated.)
• Seeded Jewish rye bread
• Focassia
• Homemade biscuits
• English muffins (particularly Thomas' "everything" variety) with butter and whole fruit jam (orange marmalade, raspberry, strawberry, peach, apricot, or  mixed berry ), cream cheese, or peanut butter.
• English muffin mini-pizzas
• Popovers
• Breads with raisins, cherries, or cranberries in them
• Kaiser rolls
• Any of the "dark" breads"
• "Everything bagels," Poppy seed, sesame seed, salt, or pretzel bagels (particularly Einstein Brothers brand bagels), San Francisco style bagels, all with butter or cream cheese.
• Pepper/Olive Oil Triscuit crackers
• Scones
• Irish Soda Bread
• Stollen
• Buttermilk or Buckwheat pancakes
• Chipotle Ritz Cracker Crisps
• Keebler "FlipSides" crackers
• Rice crackers

Veggies and sides

• Fresh corn on the cob
• Fresh tomatoes (Yes, I know they're a "fruit.")
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cucumbers
• Cabbage
• Gazpacho
• Baked, oven roasted, or mashed potatoes
• Scalloped potatoes or potatoes au gratin
• Loaded potato skins
• Scallions
• Red onions
• Asparagus
• Grits (especially with cheese)
• Hash brown or country style potatoes
• "Steak" fries
• "Everything" salads
• Onion rings (real onions)

Condiments

• Real butter (there can be no substitute)
• Jalapeno jelly
• Raspberry chipotle sauce
• Seasoned olive oil
• Orange or lime marmalade
• Strawberry, raspberry, apricot, sour cherry, and peach jams
• Horse radish
• Hot sauces (particularly the Tapitio brand), and Sriracha sauce)
• Chili sauce
• Tillamook veggie or chives cream cheese

Fruits (fresh)

• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Granny Smith apples
• Tangerines 
• Pineapple
• Peaches
• Blueberries
• Clementine's
• Oranges
• Grapefruit

Fruits (Dried)

• Cherries
• Mandarin Oranges
• Tangerines
• Apricots
• Raisins
• Currants

Cheeses

• Yes!

Deserts

• Pies: Apple, Rhubarb, Pumpkin, Cherry,  Strawberry, Lemon, and Key Lime
• Ice Cream: Coffee, Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Peach (particularly the Häagen Daz brand)
• Sherbet: Lime, lemon, orange, and peach
• Cinnamon buns (homemade)
• Cookies: Choc chip w/cherries, ORAPs (oatmeal, raisin, apricot, and pecan), butter cookies, lemon cookies,  gingersnaps, almond, "thumb print," almond, and peanut butter
• Apple or peach "crisp"
• Lemon or lime "cookie bars"
• Carr's Ginger-Lemon Crème cookies
• Chocolate Pudding w/ a little instant coffee added
• Almond Thins cookies
• Anything "toasted coconut"

Beverages

• Coffee (hot or iced) with "half & half" (I like Dunkin Doughnuts "Original," or Folger's "Columbian"
• Almond Tea, green tea, Ginger-Lemon Tea
• Iced tea (we make it strong)
• Cranberry, orange, and tangerine juices
• Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi
• Ginger Ale (particularly "golden" ginger ale)
• Dr. Pepper
• Dark Chocolate cocoa

Adult Beverages

• Negra Modela, 1554 Belgian, Guinness's Stout, and Grolsch beers
• Gin & Tonic (w/ Gilbeys gin)
• Single malt scotches and whiskeys
• Wines: Burgundy, Cabernet, Shiraz, Sangria Madria Sangria, and  the Yellow Tail Sangria), YellowTail "Bold Red," and Cabernet/Shiraz blend,
• Amaretto
• Cointreau

Munchies

• Potato Chips: salt & vinegar, cracked pepper & sea salt, and BBQ flavors
• Salted peanuts, almonds (plain & flavored), cashews, pistachios
• Pita chips
• Nachos

Appetizers

• Potato skins
• Chili's Southwestern egg rolls
• Brochette
• Onion rings (particularly Red Robin's)
• Chips & Salsa
• Nachos (with LOTS of cheese)
• Fried Mozzarella sticks
• Jalapeno "poppers"
• Hot wings (boneless)
• Pot stickers
• Shrimp

Candy

• Dark chocolate
• Dark chocolate (well OK any chocolate) covered raisins, fruits, caramel, coconut, almonds, or macadamia nuts
• Malted milk balls
• Ghirardelli dark chocolate/peppermint bark squares (seasonal)
• Cocoa  covered almonds, or peanuts 
• Did I mention dark chocolate?
• Oh yes, and dark chocolate

Breakfast Cereals

• Original Cherrios
• Chocolate Cheerios
• Oatmeal (with rasins & cinnamon, or dried cherries, pecans, or dried apricots)
• Steel cut Oatmeal with butter
• Granola (with raisins & cinnamon, dried cherries and pecans, and/ or dried apricots)

Favorite Spices

• Black pepper
• Red pepper
• Sea salt
• Ginger
• Basil
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Dill
• Marjoram
• Curry
• Cumin
• Turmeric
• Garlic
• Nutmeg

Favorite Aromas

• Pine (Balsam)
• Cooking spaghetti sauce
• Sautéing onion & garlic
• Basil
• Oregano
• Mint
• Any citrus
• Baking breads
• Grilling steaks

"Gourmet" Foods

To me gourmet food is not tiny portions of silly, decorated stuff  served on fine china.  Gourmet food is simple, hearty food, served in abundance and eaten in the company of good friend, with good conversation and laughter.

"Diets"

Diets come and diets go, and they all exist to do one thing.  Sell books and products.

They only diet that works for a lifetime is moderation.  Eat to live, not live to eat.  Eat a balanced diet (and IMO the gubermint's food pyramid is not correct) and don't overeat. We all get carried away now and then but that's not the problem.  The problem is overeating almost all the time and not eating balanced diet., nor getting exercise.  Choose quality products, prepare them to your taste, and enjoy.

One thing that was brought to my attention is that the typical dinner plate is much larger that they use to be, and as we all know it is a universal law that we have to fill up empty spaces--so we pile on the goodies.  We've been serving most meals on 8½" plates rather than the typical 10½ to 11" typical dinner plates.  The plates are full and after eating it feels like we've eaten much more than we actually did.

Please email comments or questions to Fr. Frog by clicking here.

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Updated 2024-03-06 @ 1625