Pop Tarts

Who would think dinner conversation would spark a memory about Pop Tarts? Honestly, I cannot tell you the last time I had one. However I can tell you the first time.

Pop Tarts were just one of those things I never had as a child. My parents never bought them for us and we never asked for them. I guess I turned out o.k. since I made it through my first 18 years of life before I ever set lips upon the Kellogg's boxed breakfast fare. Rewind to the first day of college classes... I can recall the class (Hotel Operations), the building (Cantwell Hall upstairs), the professor (Tim Sullivan), the time (8:00 a.m.), and the day (Tuesday). After a thoroughly entertaining class- seriously, it was- I realized I had some time before my next class and so did a classmate. Edie was kind enough to ask me to head back to her dorm room to hang out for a bit before our next class. Since breakfast was pretty early and it would be a while until lunch, she offered me a Pop Tart to tide me over. Well, I can't say it was a life altering moment in terms of something I could not live without, but I certainly ended up with a memory out of it nonetheless.

On the rare occasion I pass by Pop Tarts and their generic counterparts in the breakfast foods/cereal aisle and think, "You know, I could really go for one right about now." I've declined in the name of better nutritional choices, but maybe if I could just buy one individual Pop Tart once in a while... I did kind of favor the blueberry frosted ones. Maybe, though, they wouldn't taste as good as I remember. Perhaps I'll just keep thinking about them and leave things be.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite Pop Tart? Toasted or non-toasted? Frosted or not? Name brand or generic? Never had one? Can't live without them?

Germany for lunch

As we cooked and ate dinner tonight- schnitzel, spaetzle, and red cabbage- I couldn't help but think back to this past July when we were visiting Jeff and Melissa in Brussels for two weeks. There was a day hanging around for which we had no plan, so after some option weighing we decided to go to Germany for lunch. That's right, we drove to Germany basically to have lunch. Sure we walked around the cute little town of Monschau and bought the obligatory gummy bears, but it sounds so much cooler when you say you're driving to another country to eat. When in Germany... eat schnitzel! (And yeah, it was realllllly good!)

Prost!

Trader Joe's

Oh my... how have I just recently discovered this foodie heaven? (Well, actually, there isn't one within an hour of me, so that's probably the reason.) Anyway, I sought some advice on what are some "must buys" from TJ's and now I'm seriously addicted. Not having a cooler made it a bit difficult as I had to pass up many delicious looking refrigerated and frozen goodies, but I managed to find some new addictions: reduced-guilt guacamole, dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds, curry and masala simmer sauces, to name but a few.

What does this have to do with food memories? Here you go: I am now able to relive delicious memories of some of the places I've been by enjoying foods I can't normally find in a regular store.

• Cookie Butter: I got a "lead" on this product, so I just set out around the store looking for something I knew nothing about. I assumed it was some kind of special butter used to make cookies. Was I wrong! I bought the cookie/cocoa swirl version. Think Nutella (minus the hazelnut flavor) swirled with speculoos cookie flavored peanut butter (minus the peanut flavor). You have to try it to really understand it... it is divine. And I've only ever eaten it as a dip for pretzels (or my finger). Speculoos, I think, is the national cookie of Belgium. It's a spicy little biscuit that is basically in, on, or on top of almost anything there. You can't swing a waffle in Belgium without hitting something to do with speculoos. Now I need to go back to Brussels...

 

•  Fleur de Sel Caramels: Having just traveled briefly to Normandy, France this past summer, I was already seeking the deliciousness of the caramel lifestyle they live in Honfleur. (Think speculoos as above, but the caramel version.) Since Trader "Jacques" harvests their "Fleur de Sel" (flower of salt) from the French coast, I felt I had to give these caramels a try. While they are made with a few more ingredients (like corn syrup and coconut oil, for example) than their French cousins, they are a decent stand-in. Now I need to go back to Honfleur...

• Cheddar & Horseradish Potato Chips: If you've been following me, you know my obsessive addiction with odd potato chip flavors. Well, add this really spicy one to my list. I could just see this on the shelves at the Tesco in London or at the local pub. Add a nice pint and you've got yourself a cozy (or "cosy") evening, English-style. Now I need to go back to London...

As you can see, I'm obviously going to be busy traveling a lot in the near future! With so many places yet to visit and many delicious ones to revisit, choosing where to go will be extremely challenging. But it's a challenge I'm willing to taste, er, take!