Seven Essential Summer Foods

Saturday! Its the last weekend of summer for some people around here.  Bummer for them. 


I haven't really had a summer vacation in 6-7 years, so it means nothing to me except my birthday is rapidly approaching and then Christmas!  Then we just rinse and repeat.  Some people really take summer to the extreme.  They switch out their closet and rotate their footwear.  Stop eating warm foods and simply eat chilled delicacies.  Not me.  No big deal to me.  Its hot.  Its sticky.  It rains randomly here in Arizona.  I don't care to swim too much, I don't vacation strictly during the summer months so its just kinda another season for me.


Herc has given me his essential list of summer foods.  What he doesn't know is that I am using my magical privileges as the owner of this blog and adding my own commentary(in orange)!


Herc’s 7 Essential Summer Foods

• Popsicles and other ice cream novelties (red white and blue bomb pops and rocket pops) from the ice cream man or, in a pinch, the freezer.  I can't believe Herc is forgetting about Cherry Popsicles and otter pops!  Bomb pops make my lips blue and I really can't stand blue food(more on that in an upcoming blog post!).  They even had awesome Root Beer Popsicles at one point.  If I recall, Herc has a certain affinity for root beer...
•  Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream - if you haven’t had it, it’s probably because you can’t get it as it’s only available in certain pockets of our great land.  If you haven't had it, you are missing out!  If you have confused it for "blue bunny", don't talk to me anymore.  I have had the distinct pleasure of touring their headquarters in Brenham, TX.  Ice cream has never been the same for me, you could say it was religious.  Blue Bell is the only ice cream that holds a candle to Sweet Republic.  
• Watermelon - whole, half, sliced, cubed, balled, seeded, seedless, orange, yellow, pink, warm, cold, whatever, whenever.  Might I add: salted, compressed, souped, sorbet-ed?  Word.
• Tuna salad sandwiches are apples + onions + bread and butter pickles + Miracle Whip + whole wheat pita pocket = nirvana.  HERC!  I've totally had this tuna salad!  Skip the pita, add some whole wheat bread and we are good to go.  My question is: why confine this to the summer?
• BBQ - it really doesn’t matter what the meat or the cut is, cooking meat over flame is what we do best as human beings. Well that and making other human beings.  Yes!
• Hot Dogs - Herc’s with Devyn on this one. The soft bun, the boiled or steamed “dog” and these condiments are what Herc is made of: ketchup, Kraft American singles x 2, sweet relish and diced onions. Nom, nom, nom.  No joke. Went to Costco yesterday to have one of their hot dogs.  Only, the food court area was closed for some reason.  Say it with me: de-nied.
• Eegee’s frozen fruit drinks especially Orange Dream, Cherry Cider, Pina Colada, Galactic Grape, Lucky Lime and Sour Cherry - sorry, they are strictly a Southern Arizona thing.  One of the things I miss most about not living in Tucson!  Again, Herc forgot another killer flavor: Root Beer.  In honor of the rodeo holidays every year, they serve this flavor for a week.  I travel to the nearest Eegee's(Casa Grande, FYI) all the time and can often consume my weight in this treat...thrice.

I would also like to add something: Corn on the Cob.  Grilled, salad-ed, ice creamed, no matter what it is get it in my belly!

What must you have in the summer time?  Add to this list in the comments!

PS I have a surprise for you starting tomorrow... 

Seven Foods That Keep Me From Vegetarianism

Another food post?

Really Devyn?

Yes, really.

Here's why, they say "write what you know".  I know food. We are gonna have to deal with that together.  

This is the follow up post to my post wondering why I wasn't a vegetarian here.  As much as I hate all of that stuff, I love all of this stuff even more.


Seven Foods That Keep Me From Being A Vegetarian or Vegan:

• Cheese. Who knew milk could make something so wonderful?  Cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, brie, mascarpone, swiss, and on and on.  So delicious.  Alone, on things, in things, with other things, anyway you want it!  Melty, gooey, cheesey goodness. 
• Cheeseburgers.  Please see my ode to cheese above.  Add to that some top quality beef ground and pressed into a perfect patty.  Add a few other toppings and bingo! A solid burger can heal me.  It can elevate a blasé day to a fantastic day!  Look out for a post on my best burgers! I can feel it a-comin'!
• Sausage. Sometimes sausage gets a bad reputation, that nasty pair of words comes up sometimes(meat filler).  Sometimes it is just sublime, seasoned, meaty, paradise.  That pizza I wrote about at Pizzeria Bianco has homemade fennel sausage on it and without it, I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much.  I die.
• Bacon.  Do I even need to explain this to you?  Honestly?  Put it on that cheeseburger and eat it.  Fry it up and eat it by the pound like my little brother.  Take some thick-cut applewood smoked bacon and make the best BLT of your life.  Nothing could ever take bacon away from me.  This is probably the #1 reason I will never be able to ditch meat or animal products.  Sorry to all the vegetarians out there.  Bacon is amazing. 
• Eggs.  Know what's cool?  Eggs.  They are the most versatile ingredient in my kitchen.  You can make a cake, brownies, angelfood, meringues, buttercream, custards, and even cookies.  Then you take them over to the savory side and you make quiche, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, french toast(swoon!), hard boiled eggs. They can be the most delicious thing, but they are also one more thing that can gross me out, I'll leave the specifics up to you but I'll be damned if I can't help but enjoy them!
• Hot Dogs.  All beef, soft bun, condiments, cold beverage.  Yep, simple things.
• Steak.  Beef, thick, slightly charred, well seasoned, perfectly cooked to medium, with some potatoes and sweet corn on the cobone of the most satisfying meals.  A special treat for me to have steak.  Most of the time I grill a burger patty and eat it with a steak knife and A1 sauce and call it my poor Devyn's steak.  Mmmmm.

Honorable Mention: BUTTER.

 Do you have a similar list of things you could never give up?  I need to go eat some of these delicious treats like now. 

Seven Things I Like To Pile On My Hotdogs

Hello and welcome back from Harry Potter week!  I'd like to thank you for sticking it out and for continuing to read, I shall reward you with non-magical posts.  

I enjoy hot dogs.  Grilled. Charred but not burnt. On soft buns.  All the time.  Now you know.

Oh, my hot dogs are all beef.  You all can have your miscellany of meat in your "weiners" but I prefer the all beef franks.  I dress my dogs well too.  A plain dog will do in a pinch but who really enjoys a naked dog?  I like fully clothed dogs like the Sonoran dog as special treats, but I make a simple ketchup/mustard/relish dog at home at least a few times a month.

Seven Things I Like To Pile on My Hotdogs(not all at once):

• Ketchup - I only like this tomato based concoction on my hot dogs or hamburgers.  I never dip fries in it.  I don’t put it on my eggs, I don’t add it to my hash browns and I definitely don’t put it in my macaroni and cheese.

• Mustard - My dad always called this mouse-turd while I was growing up.  Needless to say, he hates the stuff.  My mom’s side of the family, however, can’t get enough of the stuff!  Its in my genes...but the yellow tang just makes a dog for me.  Whole grain mustard too!

• Pickle Relish - I am a die hard fan of pickles.  Sweet, dill, kosher, bread and butter or whole, spears, chips, relish.  Anyways you offer it to me, I’ll take it.  Lots and lots of it.

• Onions - I like red onions on my Sonoran style dogs.  I tolerate white onions as well and recently had caramelized onions on a hot dog too.  Again, please.

• Cheddar Cheese - Again, Sonoran Style dogs have made this okay with me.  Cheese on a hot dog was never my thing until the last few years.  Shredded cheddar, no American cheese slices.  Yes Dad, this was directed at you.  

• Jalapenos - As a Mexican I like anything spicy.  Jalapenos offer a kick that doesn’t ruin the rest of your meal. Sold.

• Bacon - What doesn’t taste better with bacon?  Bacon bits work well in a pinch, but hotdogs wrapped in bacon and then cooked take the cake.  Get yourself some!

What do you like to put on your hotdogs?  Such a happy summer food.  Its no wonder that July is National Hot Dog Month!!!