Ten new foods (at home)

"Expanding Horizons" item number eight is to try ten foods that I've never tried before. Item seven is just about the same thing, only that's for eating in restaurants and this is for cooking at home..


01.) PB & Pickle Sandwich - Recently, the subject of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches has come up in several places in my life. No fewer than three people in more than one social circle have recommended it. So I got some pickles and I gave it a try. I made myself half a sandwich because, honestly, I expected it to make me gag as soon as I took a bite. As it turns out, I didn't hate it! It's never going to make it onto my list of favorite foods, but it was surprisingly not disgusting. The rest of the pickles in the jar are probably going to go on chicken sandwiches and burgers instead of on peanut butter sandwiches, but ... I'm glad I tried it. And if I ever want to gross people out by eating it in front of them, at least now I know I can!

02.) Corn Soufflé - When my sister came to visit between Christmas and New Year's, one night she made corn soufflé. It's whole corn, cream corn, corn muffin mix, eggs and sour cream all mixed together and baked with cheddar cheese sprinkled on top. And it's just about the best thing I have ever eaten. EVER.

03.) Fish - Yes, I'm in my mid-20s and "fish" is on a list of "new foods" for me. I have eaten fish before, I know, but I have no lasting memories of it. All I know is that when I did eat it as a child, I didn't like it. I've spent my whole life declaring that I do not like fish. Well, not long ago it occurred to me that I might not dislike it anymore and I probably ought to give it a try to make sure. And, as it turns out, I don't dislike it anymore. At least, not the kind I tried. (...Flounder, I think it was?) It's not my favorite; I'm unlikely ever to say, "Hey, let's have fish for dinner!" but it isn't disgusting. [Edit: I went and looked at the packaging. There were two different kinds of fish. One was, indeed, flounder. The other was tilapia. I liked the flounder a bit better.]

04.) Frosted Mini-Wheats Chocolate Little Bites - I wrote about this in my LiveJournal: "How goddamn 'mini' do mini-wheats have to get before they'll stop!? What the hell is next? Pre-chewed cereal? Don't they fucking call that 'oatmeal'? That said, it really does taste good. I just wish the pieces were at least normal mini-wheat size." They're one of the very few cereals that I'll eat that messes with the milk.

05.) Cottage Cheese (plain) - As a person whose food likes and dislikes rely more on consistency than on taste, I've always been a little bit afraid of cottage cheese. It just looks so ... er ... cottage cheesy... But my best friend Chantal said it's one of her favorite snack foods, so I decided I should give it a try, just to see. I really thought it was going to make me gag, but it didn't! I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it, though. It wasn't bad but I'm not completely sure I actually liked it, either. I have to think about it and try it again. I also plan on trying it with fruit eventually.

06.) Cottage Cheese (with STUFF) - I tried cottage cheese with pineapple chunks and I liked it. But by that time, I'd tasted a spoonful or two by itself so many times that I'd gotten used to it and actually preferred it to the pineapple. However, then a friend told me she eats it with jelly and I tried that. Woooooo, I found my preferred cottage cheese companion! So tasty.

07.) Cereal with chocolate milk - I was craving chocolate milk so I asked my mother to bring home a Stewart's refresher bottle of it for me. Since a quart is twice as much as a refresher and costs less than twice as much, that's what she brought home, so I had some milk to be creative with. I decided to pour it over my corn Chex this morning for breakfast. It wasn't bad but I don't think I'm going to make a habit of it. Chocolate milk tastes better by itself.