My Favorite Foods From A-Z

Okay, so I waited until almost the last minute... shame on me... One of my "things to do" as a member of the Etsybloggers Team is to participate in a "blog carnival" by writing a post on a specific topic. This time around, we could write about how "Back To School" time affects our life or we could write about our favorite food (and include a recipe for it if we actually made it).

Since I don't have kids in school, and my grandchildren are all preschoolers, and I live in a neighborhood that is basically adult/over 50, "Back To School" really doesn't have much of an effect on my life. But to pick ONE favorite food? Eeek... I just love food too much -what a dilemma! But wait, I know... I could pick ONE favorite food for each letter of the alphabet. That should count, right? (And I'm covering my butt by posting a recipe for one of my all time favorites). So, here you have it, my (very abridged) list of favorite foods from A-Z!!!! Enjoy :)

A – Atomic Cake (1 layer chocolate, 1 layer banana, 1 layer yellow with strawberries and smothered in whipped cream)
B – Baba Ghanoush (Middle Eastern Eggplant dip/spread)
C – Cucumber and Onion Salad with Sour Cream
D – Dumplings with homemade chicken gravy
E – Eclairs with real traditional custard filling
F – Funnel cakes with just a light sprinkling of powdered sugar
G - Gyros
H – Hot Dogs – Chicago style (and forgive me you purists… with ketchup too!)
I – Italian Beef Sandwich with peppers and mozzarella (Chicago style!)
J – Jonagold apples
K- Kielbasa (Polish Sausage)
L – Lasineciai (Lithuanian Bacon Buns – There’s a recipe below!)
M – Macaroni and Cheese
N – Nachos – with guacamole and sour cream
O – Olive Tapenade (an olive spread that is incredible!)
P – Pizza (THIN crust preferably with Italian sausage, olives, mushrooms and green pepper)
Q – Quinoa (a wonderful protein rich grain dish!)
R – Rye Bread with caraway seeds
S – Spinach dip
T – Tortellini (spinach and cheese are my fav)
U – Ugli Fruit
V – Veal Scallopine
W – Watermelon
X – Xoriatiki (Greek Salad)
Y – Yankee Pot Roast
Z – Zeppolis (Italian Fried Dough Balls)

Lithuanian Bacon Buns (Takes some work but is SO worth it!)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb Bacon, finely chopped
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
2 Cups Milk
1/2 lb Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Salt
1 Pkg Fresh or granulated yeast
5 Eggs, slightly beaten
6 Cups All-purpose flour

Directions

Put chopped bacon and onion in skillet; cover with water. Cover pan; simmer until water evaporates. Put complete mixture (don't drain) into a loaf pan and cool in refrigerator while you make the dough.

Heat milk and butter until lukewarm, not hot. Add sugar and salt. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of this lukewarm liquid. It will become frothy as the yeast begins to grow. Add the eggs to the dissolved yeast mix. Stir in sifted flour; beat vigorously. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled (2 hours). Punch down; cover and let rise again.

Cut dough into four sections. Roll each section on lightly floured board until 3/8-inch thick. Cut circles with cookie cutter. Put a healthy (ok, that's a bit of an oxymoron) teaspoon of cooled bacon mixture in center of each; fold sides over. Put seam side down on lightly greased cookie sheet; let rise again until doubled. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly tanned; brush with mix of egg yolk and 2 teaspoons water. Continue baking until golden brown, 10 minutes.

Serve hot or reheat. Makes 5 dozen.