"Food For Thought" OR "Thoughts on Food"

On Thursday, I asked for reader questions.   

Suanna asked:

"What is your favorite food and is there a particular reason you like it? Does it bring back a special memory when you think about it?" 

I love food and I love to eat.  There are only a handful of foods I could name that I don't like (asparagus, squash...)! 

Growing up, my favorite food was a grilled hamburger.  Hamburgers remind me of summer break, warm weather, cookouts, and lazy days.  I still love a summer cookout with my dad's grilling, my grandmother's potato salad, and homemade ice cream. 

In recent years I've fallen in love with sweet potato casserole (recipe here)-- not the kind with marshmallows, but a buttery melt-in-your-mouth version with brown sugar and oats.  It is a staple on our big extended family Thanksgiving table, but I also make it for our small family Christmas dinner and a handful of time throughout the winter, too.  It is the epitome of comfort food to me. 

I also love fresh fruit.  I love strawberries and cantaloupe cut into bite-sized pieces and chilled.  I eat watermelon straight from the rind.  Maddie and I can polish off an entire watermelon between the two of us! 

Hands down, my favorite veggie is broccoli.  If I place a bowl of broccoli on the dinner table, I have to fight Benjamin and Gavin for it!  That's a good thing, even though it means less broccoli for me.  We've discovered (in our house, at least) that the true broccoli lovers prefer the bushy parts and the broccoli haters can only tolerate the stalks. 

I think my ultimate favorite food, though, is pizza.  It's hard to find a pizza that I don't like.  I love homemade pizza, (most) frozen pizza, pizza chain pizza.  It's all good.  I prefer lots of sauce and a moderate amount of cheese, and my ideal pizza includes grilled chicken, sausage, and green pepper.  Our family tradition is to order pizza for Christmas Eve dinner.  We also make homemade pizza together on the weekends so pizza conjures up a sense of contentment and family togetherness. 

What is your favorite food? Does is bring back any memories to you?