Favorite things: Part 2 of who knows how many…

J has a thing for Anthony Bourdain. And since he’s developed a thing, and I like to be in close proximity to J, you could say that I have developed a thing for Anthony Bourdain. I like that he drinks a bit too much, and smokes (although I think he’s quit now. BOO!) and says exactly what’s on his mind and visits places and eats things that I am actually interested in.

And then, last week, he went to Provence, France.

You see, J and I talk some big talk about moving to Europe after the kids are grown. Or maybe we’ll just visit enough as to make people think we live there. We’ll just couch surf our way through our friends who have made the jump over the pond.

Anyways, in our big talk about Europe, we bicker (lovingly, of course) over where we would live. Granted, I think a villa in the lake region of Italy is great, but I also want beaches, and plains, and pubs and castles. Anthony Bourdain convinced J that hanging out where the Impressionists did might be a good idea, although he’s not sure how I would handle all of the vegetables. I think I will have a bigger problem with the anchovies in Italy, but, hey!

Bless that man, Anthony Bourdain.

It’s no surprise that we watch Anthony Bourdain and Alton Brown, and all the other foodies on weekend cable. In J’s family, food was a big part of life. Food is a big part of our life. The move to Columbia and the new job has also allowed us the time to get back into the food appreciation game. After ten years, I can finally make J’s homemade alfredo. Shrimp and grits, friend chicken, gnocchi, baking cookies with the kids—all of these things have come back to us.

Many other bloggers post recipes. I would love to do this as well, but there are two things stopping me. If I were to post recipes on my blog, you might assume that they were my recipes, and that I actually cook on a regular basis. This would be a boldfaced lie. Most things worth eating in our household come from my husband’s kitchen forays, not mine. Second, to post recipes-- even with disclaimers stating that they belong to my husband-- would in itself be problematic. J doesn’t have recipes, you see. Which makes teaching me how to make alfredo quite the accomplishment. Unless you understand things like, “You want to add that until it makes this color,” or “Um, I measure in glugs, not tablespoons,” or “Heck, I just throw in whatever.”

What I can do is post pictures of the yummy things we eat! This will have the added bonus of irritating the kiddos and amusing my husband. I also get to perfect my cell phone photography.

So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite things to eat around this time of year: (Warning: If you do not enjoy the consumption of pork products, you might not want to read further. I’m 95% carnivorous!)

The favorite quick dinner/lunch/snack in our house

It involves my kind of ingredients: french bread, stinky cheese, and salaminis from the Hill...

Of course, you cannot forget the coppa, the best cured meat ever! Also from the Hill.

If you are unfamiliar with the Hill (the Italian section of St. Louis), I suggest you make your way over there if you are ever in town. Good shops, good bakeries, good restaurants, cute houses! Of course, it's my husband's favorite place in the world-- his family lived there for quite some time!