Here’s a picture of a coffee cup Tyler got me in Chicago, I like it because it’s huge.

Last night we missed our bus in the U-District, so we went out to dinner. When I was in high school I spent a lot of time in this neighborhood because it was kind of in the middle of all the high schools and my boyfriend went to school across town. We started going to Aladdin Falafel regularly, and one of my friends got to know the owner/staff pretty well. I hadn’t been there since, so we went last night. How things change, but don’t. They painted the whole place yellow, and got a menu board that wasn’t covered with sharpie, and new people work there. The seating is the same, and the drawing of an Arabian horse hasn’t moved. The food was exactly the same, which was perfect and cheap. I know a lot of people don’t like the way gyro meat just sits there and spins, but it doesn’t bother me. They also have falafel and other middle eastern foods. I know I’m going to go there again, and maybe I’ll remember to take pictures.

Here’s what I did, which I think is easier so you don’t have a chicken carcass sitting around overnight:

Roast your chicken and eat what you want off of it. When it’s cooler pick the rest of the meat off, wrap it, and put it in the fridge. Take the bones and skin (if you didn’t eat all the delicious delicious skin…) and cover with low sodium chicken broth, simmer for an hour then pull out the carcass and throw it away. You can skim the fat now, or if you refrigerate overnight the fat will solidify and can be pulled out with a slotted spoon. The next day you do the soup as normal. I added 3/4 a cup of rice because someone was whining at me, and it ended up being a little too much, but it depends on how brothy you like your soup. The soup also ended up being plenty salty, so make sure to taste before adding more seasoning!

The recipe can be found here and here is a link to the show on youtube. I followed the recipe exactly (which is kind of rare for me) and they turned out amazing! Love, love, love.

edit: A friend of mine made pretzels with the same recipe. If you make the pretzels please post a picture and leave a comment.

How it works:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea – Does it count if I’ve had nettles raw, steamed, or dried?
3. Huevos rancheros – Probably not that authentic…
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho – LOVE IT!
13. PB&J sandwich – I didn’t like PB&J till I was in college.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes. – Plum wine, but I think I’ve also had something made from pears…
19. Steamed pork buns. I LIVED in Chinatown, how could I not. I’m not even sure what part of the pig was in them.
20. Pistachio ice cream – Gelato, but close enough.
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries. – Not really a berry person.
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche – amazing
28. Oysters – sadly not raw off the shell on the beach w/lemon which is my moms favorite way of eating them.
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – I like carbs a little too much…
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut – I can’t believe this is the first pickle on here!
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar. – Does second hand smoke count?
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O – dixie cups exist for dentists and college kids to make jello shots.
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail – it was a little weird to pull vertebrate out of my mouth, but this was soooooo good,
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects. – They’re going to have to be seasoned to high hell.
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more.
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala.
48. Eel. – Love the flavor and texture, but it’s too heavy…
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut. – Guilty Pleasure.
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear.
52. Umeboshi – I WILL NOT put the whole thing in my mouth *shudder*, but I love the paste on pretty much everything.
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal – I’m not going to strike this out but I don’t think I’ll ever seek it out…
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV. – I don’t really like bear, but I’ve tired a few.
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips – BLEH
61. S’mores – With homemade marshmallows.
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin. – Last I checked Kaolin is a type of clay, I’ve accidentally eaten clay but I don’t think that’s what this list is getting at…
64. Currywurst
65. Durian. – again, not seeking it out.
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette.
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini – not sure what a blini is
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef – I had Wendy’s in Kobe…
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse. – on pizza
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam. – love spam musubi
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor – off someone else’s plate
98. Polenta – I’d had it but Tyler bought it on a whim because it looked so weird in the tube. He wasn’t that impressed.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I feel like there should be more pickles on this list, or at least a giant kosher deli pickles that you have to fish out of a barrel. I also think homemade alcohol should be on there as well. Oh and strained Greek yogurt with honey, or frozen strained Greek yogurt soft serve. More baked goods, like cream puffs and chocolate chip cookies. The beverage selection is so specific to alcohol as well, take off the cocktails and add fresh squeezed orange juice. Paneer kind of counts at cottage cheese, but real cottage cheese should be on there. Goodness I could keep amending till the cows come home (to be eaten!)

I made these kinako pancakes today, but alter the recipe a little bit since I didn’t have yogurt or buttermilk. I used a cup of milk, and they ended up a little dry. I’ve made them before following the recipe exactly, and they are much moister and fluffier, it’s worth the yogurt. I do highly recommend these. Kinako is probably foreign to most people, but it’s not a scary food. I’d compare the flavor to a nut butter and it smells a little sweet. Anyway, it’s good and you shouldn’t be scared.

Also the last pancake was a monster.