>Apparently this is a big hit, so I’m putting down the recipe for you all to have and enjoy. Just be forewarned: I don’t usually cook from a recipe, so these measurements are approximate. Feel free to put your own spin on it! The name is really misleading, because I technically didn’t stuff anything. It’s more like a French Toast Sandwich, but whatever…

Here’s what you’ll need:
8 slices Texas Toast (or another thickly sliced bread)
4 large eggs
2-3 tablespoons of milk (although, I was out of milk, so I used coffee creamer!)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 brick cream cheese – room temperature (you can put it in the microwave on defrost for a few minutes to soften it up if you don’t want to wait)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1-2 cups cut strawberries – depending on your taste

Crack the eggs into a bowl that is big enough to dip your bread into. Beat the eggs with a wire whisk, add milk and cinnamon, and beat some more. Dip your bread into the egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides of the bread. Lay the bread on a griddle that has been heated over medium-high heat (make sure you spray your pan with cooking spray!). Keep an eye on your bread, and flip the slices as they become golden brown. Burnt toast isn’t as good (and it makes your smoke alarm pretty upset too).

In another bowl (or your stand mixer if you have one) mix the cream cheese and sugar together until the mixture comes to a nice, smooth consistency. I love my stand mixer for this, but if you don’t have one, just be patient – it will come together before you know it.

Once your toast is done, take two slices and spread the cream cheese mixture between them – like you’re making a peanut butter sandwich. I like a lot of the cream cheese on mine, so I used probably around 2 tablespoons for each sandwich. You use what you like. Sprinkle the powdered sugar over the french toast, and top with strawberries.

This would be really good with blueberries, raspberries or cherries too! You don’t really need syrup on this, but if you want to add that, it’s up to you. Ooooh…it might be yummy to try adding cocoa into the cream cheese mixture, making a chocolate cream cheese french toast….I’ll have to try that one next time!

>Okay, so I’ve never been to Playa del Carmen, but I am dreaming of what I think it might be like. Winter is just around the corner here in Indiana, and that means one thing: SOUP’S ON! In the last few years, I have really grown to love cooking soups in the fall and winter. I sometimes follow a recipe, and sometimes do not. The other night, I didn’t, and this is the magic that happened:

“Dreaming of Playa del Carmen” Chorizo Soup

1 lb. chorizo (casing removed)

Meat from one whole chicken (I bought a rotisserie chicken, skinned it, and tore the meat off)

1 medium onion, chopped

2-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bag of frozen corn

2 cans of black beans, drained

2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)

4-6 c. chicken stock or chicken broth (to your liking)

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Sautee onions in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and add the garlic when onions are translucent. Add chorizo, and break up into crumbles as it cooks. After chorizo has cooked through, add Rotel (with liquid), black beans (without liquid), corn and chicken. Add salt and pepper and chicken stock. Simmer for about an hour, and enjoy!

>Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognize everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

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 here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (does alligator count?)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
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
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
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
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
86. Hare (does rabbit count?)
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

I’ll try anything once, but apparently I haven’t tried much! Enjoy the fun…