Just a few (or a lot) of my favorite foods

One of my besties wrote this post today and it inspired me to write my own.

I have lived in many places and been to tons of restaurants. And while I am not very adventurous with my cuisine choices, I have found a lot of delicious foods. Basically what it comes down to is, I know what I like, I'm a creature of habit and if need be, I could survive on one or two of my favorite foods forever.

When I think about it, most of my favorite foods go hand in hand with great friendships, conversations and adventures. I will include those things with my list.

Here we go...

Get me going/Breakfast: A large Coffee, Sweet and Light (Dunkin Donuts, anywhere but CA) & Swedish Pancakes (Country Inn, multiple locations in CA)
I never truly appreciated DD until moving to Philadelphia, where I started getting my morning obsession at the train station with my good friends, Katie and Rebecca. I miss DD like no other, and always check to see if one will be close by before travelling. *In exactly 6 weeks, I can have DD in Maryland. :)
The Smiths Introduced me to the wonderful world of Country Inn and their Swedish Pancakes (crepes) and I have never been the same. We have breakfast (our family and theirs) every Christmas Eve morning and Joe and I go for breakfast whenever we get the chance.

Pizza: 2 or 3 (or 4) squares from Bobs' Pizza (Indiana, PA) would always make my day. With the slogan 'Atsa My Pizza, how can you go wrong. A favorite in both undergrad and grad school, as the squares were only about 55 cents a piece. A delicious bargain if you ask me!

Cheesesteak: Steak and Mushroom Cheese steak from Boston Style Pizza (Merion Station, PA) Leslie introduced me to this place when I first visited Philadelphia. I think there's a rule that if you like in Philly, you have to eat a lot of cheesesteaks. Good rule, huh? Well, Leslie and I did just that. We've tried both the famous Genos' and Pat's, but when it came down to it, we loved the 'steaks at Boston the best. Maybe it was just because the delivered. :)

Salad: Cesar Salad with Tuna from Boston (Merion Station, PA). Katie and I swore by these salads when we were roomies and would sometimes have them more than on time a week. It may sounds like an odd combo with the tuna on top, but trust me (and Katie) that these salads are amazing. They go great with an episode of Lost, too!

Sub/Hoagie: Turkey Diablo from Primo Hoagies (multiple locations in PA & NJ). There is nothing like a hoagie from the east coast and they really don't get much better than this place. With numerous locations in PA and NJ, I have been to 3. They're amazing. I credit Erin Johnson to introducing me to this wonderful hoagie. She and I share a great love for this place. I even got Katie to jump on the bandwagon while we were in her town of Cape May, NJ. * With any luck I will have a primo hoagie while visiting Erin in MD in 6 weeks.

Quickie snack/meal: Anything from Sheetz (Indiana, PA) Food from a gas station? Yes, please. Sheetz is amazing. If you've ever been, you understand. If you haven't been, go! They have everything. They carry all the normal things you'd find at a convenience store and much, much more. You can custom order everything from breakfast sandwiches to mac and cheese on their handy touch screens. I have spent many a late night (2am after the bars closed) to early mornings (before class) enjoying the wonder of Sheetz. Sheetz is a.maz.ing. If you live near one please go for me, since I cant. Oh, except for in 6 weeks, when I'm in Maryland. Have I mentioned this trip yet?

Soft Pretzel: Original Salted with cheese dip from Pretzel Boys (Philadelphia, PA). You can find pretzels everywhere in Philly. And you better believe I have tried them all (or just a lot). But this place is hands down the best soft pretzel I have ever had. I discovered this place while watching the food network's show Throwdown with Bobby Flay, which was taped at Drexel University, where I was currently working. I decided to give them a try and immediately fell in love. They are the perfect combo of crispy outside, with super soft innards. I passed this love on to Erin, who also loves them and make a pit stop to have one when driving from MD to PA.

Cupcake: Neapolitan Cupcake from The Icing on The Cake (Los Gatos, CA). This is where we got our wedding cupcakes from. They have the most amazing cupcakes, no matter the flavor. All I wanted from our wedding was for people to walk away talking about the cupcakes (is that sad?) and how amazing they were. It was a success. They are truly the best of the best. The Neapolitan cupcake is a yellow cake with a combo frosting being half chocolate and half strawberry. They're to.die.for. I cant wait to go back on our anniversary and have more. Though I'm sure we wont wait that long.

Comfort Food With a Twist: Lobster Mac and Cheese from Continental Midtown (Philadelphia, PA) This restaurant was of of Kelly Jones' restaurants when he worked for Starr Restaurants and it was by far my favorite. I have been for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and almost always with Leslie. We shared all the same favorite items, and there were many, but my ultimate was the lobster mac and cheese. It was melt-in-your-mouth amazing. The ambiance at this restaurant is just so fun and we always had the best time going. This will be a must go location the next time I'm in Philadelphia.


I will end with one more and although something many people can have whenever they want, I cant because we don't have them in northern California. Basically, when things are hands off, it makes them that much more delicious

Fast Food item: Chicken Sandwich from Chick-fil-A (Anywhere but Northern CA). Mmmm, I can taste it now. It's fast food perfection. A lightly breaded chicken breast on a bun with nothing but one or two pickle chips. All-you-need-goodness. We used to have one at the Sunnyvale Mall, but I had no desire to try their chicken. I was strictly a McDonald's nugget girl, so whenever Laura went to CFA, I went to Sbarro instead and turned up my nose. However, CFA left the Sunnyvale Mall, and it wasn't until my freshman year of college (at the Monroeville Mall) that I discovered the greatness. Now, i just have to wait for trips to Southern CA, Las Vegas or the east Coast to get my fix. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to have some yummy Chick-Fil-A in 6 weeks when I'm in.....yep, you guessed it, Maryland!

And in case you were wondering, I'm not going to Maryland to ONLY eat, though I do plan on doing a lot of it. I need to introduce Joe to all of these wonders, especially Sheetz and Primo's.

I am however going to Maryland to meet and attend my new Godson, Jack's Christening. I'm so thrilled and honored to be a part of this special boys life.

**I will make sure I tell baby Jack all about the wonderful foods he will get to enjoy when he's old enough.**