Duck

Peking Duck Steamed Buns

I don't know what it is guys, but I freaking love duck (the food... and the animal). I don't eat meat unless it's ethically and sustainably raised and slaughtered, but if there's duck on the menu I HAVE to have it. I will not even look at anything else. I don't even know what it is! I've never had a bad experience with duck, but that's probably because I've only ever seen it in nice restaurants and therefore everything they serve probably rocks. Most crap restaurants don't serve duck, unless it's a Chinese place. I've never actually had a duck Chinese dish. Wait, maybe I have. I seem to recall eating something that looked like that picture. Still going to steer clear of crap places serving duck though.
A little afraid it may ruin my perfect run so far.

I first had duck only a couple of years ago on a prix fixe menu in Vancouver. Since then I seek it out. Some of my favorite dishes? There's this place in Sonoma, California called Sunflower Caffé Espresso & Wine Bar and they're kind of famous for their Smoked Duck Breast Sandwich. It rocks. Another favorite is at the Rooftop Pizzeria in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Their Smoked Duck Pizza is so good! (My lunch sounds totally boring now.) So if you haven't eaten duck, TRY IT NOW.

Pie

Growing up, pie was my least favorite desert. Probably because my dad, who suffers from adult picky eater disorder, always liked my genius of a baker mother to just make pies with store bought filling (the horror!). But then a few years ago someone gave her a pie recipe book and I flipped through it over Christmas. For some reason I thought it would be cool to make a different pie every week for a year. So I did. Yeah, I'm that cool. Thankfully at the time I had five roommates (half of which were boys) so I didn't gain any extra weight that year. But it was super fun experimenting with weird ingredients and learning about thickening agents and perfect crusts. I have so many lovely memories of pie making now--like collecting salmonberries in an old growth forest in Vancouver with good friend, experimenting with pineapple pie filling on a date, or surprising a loved one with a cup pie to take for lunch.

During that times pies suddenly became super popular. Not unlike cupcakes and woopie pies (totally overrated in my opinion). One of my all-time favorite shows was on the air--Pushing Daisies was about a really hot pie-maker. And then the charming movie, Waitress, came out. And I was even more inspired. 

Here are some of my favorites:

• Salmonberry Pie
• Pear, Cranberry Camembert Pie
• Butternut Squash Pie
• Rosewater/Coconut Mousse Pie
• Peaches & Cream Pie
• Popover Apple Cranberry Pie

Opaque Fruit Snacks

Listen, I don't know why opaque fruit snacks taste better--they just do. I groan with annoyance when I open a pack of [insert random cartoon] fruit snacks and find translucent pieces. Some awesome types, like Betty Crocker's My Little Pony, have ALL opaque fruit snacks. This just plain rocks.

When it comes to food I am usually pretty picky. Were this any other type of snack I would opt for something like Annie's organic fruit snacks, or say an orange, because they're way better for you and I'm extremely conscious about what I eat (okay, maybe not extremely but more so than most people I know). But there are some things I just cannot give up despite all the bad press. I think the key is moderation. I say that after I just inhaled three packs. Fail.

Trader Joe's

I think Trader Joe's also made the list on Stuff White People Like. Trader Joe's is simply awesome. They basically have tons of cool stuff at prices lower than regular grocery stores. I could gripe about how they could have more selection, more local & organic options, and better produce but I know what it's like to live without a Trader Joe's so I'll just thank the Lord that I'm moving to a city with two. Here are some of my favorite items:

• Honey Sesame Almonds (so good!)
• Organic Beef Jerky (finally, organic jerky that I don't have to drive to a ranch for)
• Veggie & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips (these beat any other kind of bagged tortilla chip)
• Corn and Chile Tomato-less Salsa (love corn salsa! Sweet & spicy)
• Frozen Thai Vegetable Gyoza (my go-to midnight (savory) snack)
• 2% Greek Style Yogurt (I eat half a container of this stuff everyday)
• Goat Cheese (lasts longer than most TJ cheese and it's so much cheaper)
• Gluten Free Cranberry Maple Nut Granola (I eat this like cereal)
• Frozen Organic Raspberries (mix with Greek yogurt!)
• Frozen Mango Chunks (smoothies, mix with yogurt, blend in pies, etc.)
• Raisin Rosemary Crisps (Serve with brie, lavender honey, and fig jam)
• Macaroni & Cheese: Wisconsin Cheddar (Wisconsin. Need I say more?)
• Harvest Grains Blend (lentils, couscous, orzo, beans, quinoa)
• Everything Pretzel Thins (great snack!)
• Dark Chocolate Tahitian Vanilla Caramels (I give in to buying these far too often)
• Green Tea Mints (don’t work all that well but taste great!)
• Organic Sprouted Tofo (love the two pack)
• Mini Peanut Butter Cups (they’re tiny so you can pretend you’re eating less)
• Oatmeal & Cranberry Cookie (nom nom nom)
• Mini Heirloom Tomatoes (a lunch staple)
• Goat Milk (tastes the same as Cow milk but easier on your system)
• 2 Buck Chuck! (Charles Shaw wine)
• Chunky Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds (so many good things for you!)

Plumiscuous Plum Mistelle

The first winery I ever visited was Forbidden Fruit in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. Some friends and I had been camping in the Interior over the May Two-Four and my boyfriend at the time had visited this organic fruit farm nearby years before and said it was fantastic--so we stopped. Now, I've only been drinking wine for a few years and I'm still on the fence. I can now drink most types without grimacing but I wouldn't say I LOVE wine. I'd still usually prefer a cocktail. But then I tried the fruit wines at Forbidden Fruit and was completely blown away. The Plumiscuous Plum Mistelle is my absolute favorite. It's probably the best beverage I've ever had. It's a fortified red plum wine "made from Euro and Asian red plums. The aromas of this wine embrace the exotic delicate plum, and the palate exudes ripe plum, tropical fruit, melon and notes of strawberry and cranberry." It's freaking amazing, okay? I went back the following year and bought more bottles, which I have used on various special occasions, such as when I see one of those initial trip friends again after a long time apart. It's bottled summer.

Jasmine Tea

Teavana's Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls. Yum!

After years of "hating" tea, which began as simply an inclination and was later confirmed when my cousin, Emily, and I were told by our grandmother to always accept tea when offered on our first trip to Ireland as young teens. I think if I'd put more sugar in those cups it would have been okay. But sometime in, hmmm, 2006? Sometime in 2006 I decided it was totally cool to be a tea drinker and when Emily and I were in Chicago one day we had dinner at Frontera Grill and as it was cold and I was attempting to be healthy, I ordered jasmine tea. A blend I'd picked at random. It was the first cup of tea I'd ever enjoyed and therefore has a soft spot in my heart.