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Remembering Chattanooga Restaurants From Days Gone By

April 5, 2017

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I’m remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They’re gone, but not forgotten!

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Over the last several months, I’ve been thinking about my “why”. This stemmed from a conversation that Philip and I had back in October with the owner of Bob’s Brick Oven (whose name, not surprisingly, is Bob). Bob told us about a book, Start With Why. We ordered the book shortly thereafter. I haven’t read it yet (my stack of books to read is large) but the bottom line is: when you know why you’re in business, you’ll be able to build your business.

So what is my why? Chattanooga. That’s why I started this blog. I didn’t start it as a recipe sharing site, I started it to share about Chattanooga restaurants. I’m definitely not going to stop sharing recipes, but I’ve definitely drifted away from my why a little bit. So…I’m working on focusing a little more on Chattanooga…not just Chattanooga restaurant reviews but Chattanooga tourism and nostalgia.

For starters, let’s talk about Chattanooga restaurants that have closed. Boy, there are a lot of places that we miss. For the sake of knowing what I’m talking about, I am going to focus on restaurants that have existed in my lifetime (1978 to present?). However, if you remember restaurants that existed before then, please comment below and keep the discussion going!

Roy Pepper’s Porch
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
This is one of the first places that I remember going on a regular basis with my friends. I don’t remember anything about what I ordered…all I remember is flowerpot bread. Ask anyone who used to eat there and they’ll mention flowerpot bread. Yeast bread served in a flowerpot…so delicious. If I had better memories of it, I’d replicate it, but that’s been 20 years or so ago. Before it was in its last location next to Walmart (now Hobby Lobby) on 153, it was located near Northgate in the Greenleaf building. I remember my parents going there and not taking me; my mom said they didn’t serve food I’d like. I wasn’t a picky kid, so I am pretty sure my parents just wanted a date night.

Town & Country Restaurant (photo from Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Confession: I never ate here. Seriously. Town & Country was around forever…in fact, the little plaza where Taco Mamacita is located is called Town & Country Square. Located where Walgreen’s is now on the corner of Frazier and North Market, Town & Country opened in 1947 and closed in 2005. We tried to go there once, but it was a Sunday and they were closed. They briefly reopened in a hotel on 23rd Street, but I think that was short-lived. Since I never ate there, I don’t even know what they served (comment below if you remember!), but I did find a copycat recipe for their blue cheese dressing on Epicurious.

Durty Nelly’s

This was the first place I ever had fried pickles, and if you are a regular Chattavore reader, you know that fried pickles are my obsession. Some Chi Omega sisters took me to this Irish style pub, located where Taco Mamacita is now, when I was a pledge, and I was hooked. Not only did I love their food, which included plenty of standard bar fare as well as some Irish favorites like boxty, I loved the dark wood decor that made it seem calming and intimate even though it was a bar. Maybe this is why I love the Honest Pint so much? I was very sad when Durty Nelly’s closed, though I can’t remember exactly when that was. Based on my internet searches, I’m thinking it was somewhere between 2008 and 2010.

J.J.’s

This little hamburger stand that was located next to Soddy Lake (now Shuford’s BBQ) was definitely the spot on this list that was most significant in my life. Again, I don’t remember when it closed, but it’s been in the last decade. From as early as I can remember, JJ’s was a regular staple for my family…we’d get burgers, crinkle cut fries, chicken sandwiches, onion rings, BBQ, and baked potatoes from there on a pretty regular basis. They also had great soft serve and milkshakes. Shuford’s is great, but it’s not JJ’s, because nothing can ever replace your childhood nostalgia.

Hungry Fisherman
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
My family’s favorite spots to eat when I was a kid: Red Lobster and Hungry Fisherman. Do you see a trend here? My dad loved going to the Hungry Fisherman because he could get raw oysters there (?). I was happy as long as I could get popcorn shrimp and a baked potato, and I remember their hush puppies being quite good too. I loved sitting on the wooden bench seating and just thought that the restaurant was the coolest place, especially since there was a pond around it and you could feed the ducks. I never knew it, but apparently Hungry Fisherman was a chain associated with Shoney’s. The restaurant was sold in the 90s and later became Trip’s Seafood, which closed long before the building, located off the I-75 Ringgold Road exit, burned in 2013.

Waycrazy’s

This BBQ restaurant was, in my opinion, pretty much the best around. There were two locations – one big restaurant located on Signal Mountain (where Double Barrel BBQ is now) and one in Soddy-Daisy, where Burger King is located now. This was another place that my family frequented, and one of my best friends worked there in high school. I don’t remember exactly when it closed but I think it was early in my college years. There was briefly another location on Bonny Oaks. The Signal Mountain Road location closed in the mid-2000s. By the way, when I was a youngster, there was another restaurant, named Ellen’s, here. We loved that place. They had great tacos!

Fehn’s

This is another restaurant that I never tried, but it was around for years! Fehn’s first opened on the Tennessee River in 1930 (!) and later moved to a location on Highway 153, where Rib & Loin is located today. They were famous for their chicken and fish dishes, homemade salad dressings, and desserts. Fehn’s  opened in Dayton as Fehn’s 1891 House in 2004 and closed 10 years later. By the way, the former Fehn’s 1891 House is now the location of Screen Door Café.

Fifth Quarter

Another place that I never tried (sorry, many of these places closed before I was old enough to seek them out on my own!), Fifth Quarter was another chain associated with Shoney’s restaurants (who knew that they had so many offshoots? There was also a Shoney’s Inn located on Brainerd Road). Fifth Quarter was a steakhouse, located on Brainerd Road near Spring Creek Road. They boasted a gigantic salad bar. The restaurant closed sometime when I was still in school, but I couldn’t find the exact date. Also, I never knew this, but before Fifth Quarter, that location was a restaurant called The Sailmaker that featured wait staff dressed as characters from pop culture. The Sailmaker became Fifth Quarter in 1982.

The Loft

This was definitely a Chattanooga institution, and I remember how shocked I was when The Loft, located on Cherokee Boulevard, closed in 2003. It had long been “the place” to go for fine dining in Chattanooga, before Chattanooga really had much in the way of fine dining. Philip worked there for a very brief stint as a busser in the mid-nineties, then the owner yelled at him and he was out. We ate there once, using gift cards given to us by the realtor who assisted us with the purchase of our house. I remember that the chairs were cushy and high-backed, and the menu was steak-heavy. The building housed a gift card business for several years and plans were announced last year to demolish the building to build apartments.

Po’ Folks
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
This is a blast from the past, amiright? Po’ Folks was located on 153 near Northgate Mall (around where Pep Boys is currently located) and served up exactly the type of country vittles (just call me Ellie Mae) that you’d expect from a place called Po’ Folks. Fried chicken, chicken & dumplings, biscuits, cornbread…it was kind of like Cracker Barrel, except, well, not. At the time that it existed in Chattanooga, Po’ Folks was owned by Krystal, which at the time was a Chattanooga-based company. I remember going here with my family and eating fried chicken drumsticks, and I also remember attempting to pull coins out of a stump in the waiting area. I’m pretty sure they were glued in, and I don’t even remember what the prize was if you managed to pull it off. What I do remember is that I loved that place. Po’ Folks closed in Hixson sometime in the eighties or very early nineties, but there are still eight locations in Florida and Alabama.

Brick Oven Grill

This was my first real foray into non-chain Italian food and man, I loved this place. Philip and I used to eat at Brick Oven Grill, located where Fuji is now located on Highway 153 in Hixson, on a fairly regular basis. I loved their pasta, salads, and bread – so much that this is where my family went for lunch after I graduated from UTC with my master’s degree in 2005. They closed not too long after, making me very sad. There was a second location in Cleveland, and when I started working on this post I held my breath in hopes that it still existed. Sadly, it does not.

Lamar’s (photo from the now defunct Lamar’s website)
Thanks to a suggestion from a reader, I'm remembering Chattanooga restaurants from days gone by today. They're gone, but not forgotten! | nostalgia post from Chattavore.com
Ah, Lamar’s. This is actually the restaurant that inspired this post, thanks to reader John who suggested a post about Chattanooga restaurants that have closed. He specifically mentioned Lamar’s, which closed rather abruptly in early January of this year. Lamar’s was an iconic presence on MLK Boulevard, known for their supposedly out-of-this-world fried chicken, generous alcohol pours, and velvet walls. I never made it there, even though I had good intentions of going. Now, it looks like I’ll never get to go, unless some miracle occurs (I’ve heard they’ve “taken breaks” before…not sure how much truth there is to that rumor).

Keep the conversation going! I know there are lots of places that I missed and lots of places I didn’t even know about. Please comment below and tell me your stories and memories remembering Chattanooga restaurants. If you have photos, please email them to me at mary@chattavore.com!

 

 

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats By Mary // Chattavore 178 Comments

Eating Mindfully: A Learning Process

May 25, 2016

Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it's a process that I'm slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle. | chattavore.com

Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it’s a process that I’m slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle.
Eating mindfully is not something that comes naturally to me, but it's a process that I'm slowly working through to help me lead a healthier lifestyle. | chattavore.com
One of the best things about being a food blogger is that it gives me a reason to constantly try new restaurants and new recipes. Conversely, this is one of the downsides of being a food blogger too. My life revolves around cooking, baking, and looking for new restaurants to try.

Until 2014, this wasn’t really a problem. As a teacher, I was in constant motion, moving around my classroom and leading groups of children up and down the long hallways of the school. I was also a runner (though I hated it) so that helped too. Then I got a different job, as a behavior analyst. These days, I spend my days either sitting in meetings, sitting in classrooms talking to teachers, or sitting in my car, shuttling myself from one place to another (I drive hundreds of miles a month for my job).

It didn’t take long for my weight to creep up once my habits changed, and it didn’t take much for me to figure out what happened. I changed my activity levels but I didn’t change my eating habits. It’s problematic. I thought about going Paleo, but ultimately I decided that it wouldn’t work for me because (a) my blog readers don’t come here for Paleo recipes; and (b) I just don’t think I could do it. Then I realized something: I’m a member of the clean plate club. I can match my husband, who is 8 inches taller than me, bite for bite. Ummmm, this might explain a lot.

I am not overweight, and I don’t have a problem with the way I look. That’s not what this is about. What it’s about, though, is realizing that such a rapid weight gain is not healthy and that if I continue at this rate I will be overweight and will be setting myself up for health problems. Something had to change.

A couple of months ago I ran across a book called How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too by Josie Spinardi. In the book, Spinardi talks about the deprivation mentality; that is, when you spend your life dieting, when you stop dieting (or if you accidentally “slip up” and eat something that you’ve been avoiding on your diet) then you are very likely to binge on those forbidden foods. Now, this didn’t apply to me…I’ve never believed in deprivation and have always allowed myself to eat the things that I wanted to eat in moderation. (Sorry for the dark photo…it’s a screen shot from my Kindle)
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No, my problem is that I’ve kind of slipped out of the “moderation” mindset and just started eating as much of whatever as I wanted, whenever I wanted. The book talks about eating mindfully…stopping to think about what you are eating, taste what you are eating, and take note of how it makes you feel. When you are no longer hungry, you stop eating. What? That’s awfully simple. You eat whatever you want, till you aren’t hungry, and if you aren’t depriving yourself then you probably aren’t going to feel the need to binge on typically “forbidden” foods.

After 3 weeks of eating this way, I’ve lost 5 pounds. Eating mindfully is still a process. Sometimes food just tastes so good that I don’t want to stop eating it. Sometimes I know that this is going to happen, so I decide ahead of time how much I’m going to eat (half of a sandwich, for example). After I’ve eaten that much, I really think about whether I want to eat more because I’m still hungry or because I just want to keep eating. If it’s just because I want to keep eating, the other half of the sandwich becomes the next day’s lunch. No need to pack another lunch. Eating mindfully is a lunch-packing WIN!

I love fruits and vegetables, so eating “healthy foods” is not the problem for me. Eating junk food is also not the problem, per se. It’s eating too much of the junk food – even the homemade junk food, which most of mine is, that’s the problem. With this method, I still get to eat whatever I want…just less of it. It’s a win-win. I highly recommend Spinardi’s book (which I purchased for myself and did not receive any compensation to endorse)! (This post does, however, contain an affiliate link for her book. This means that if you click that link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. The cost to you will not be affected. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!)

Have you tried eating mindfully? What’s your strategy for maintaining a healthy weight and diet?

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: writing By Mary // Chattavore Leave a Comment

Eating In: Lessons from a Month-long Restaurant Fast

May 11, 2016

We spent the month of April eating in. I learned a few things, some surprising, others not so much. Here's what I discovered during my restaurant fast. | chattavore.com

We spent the month of April eating in. I learned a few things, some surprising, others not so much. Here’s what I discovered during my restaurant fast.

We spent the month of April eating in. I learned a few things, some surprising, others not so much. Here's what I discovered during my restaurant fast. | chattavore.com
We don’t go out to excessively, but since part of my work in this space is writing about restaurants, we do it on a regular basis-usually on Saturdays. Sometimes we’ll grab something quick on a weeknight when I just can’t bring myself to cook (it happens to the best of us). So, eating in is our usual M.O., but I decided that I wanted to see how long we could make it. A month seemed like a reasonable goal, so we went for it.

Overall, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Naturally, the first week was the most difficult. I didn’t do a very good job of planning my lunches and ran into several days when I didn’t have time to sit down somewhere and eat. I was tempted – very tempted – to run through the Wendy’s drive-thru to order off the value menu. I didn’t, though, and I did a better job after that of packing things that fit the schedule that I knew I was going to have for the week. No time to stop? Nothing that needs a fork.

Two weeks in, we had to make a choice. Philip ran over something on Hixson Pike and we ended up with a flat tire. We had been planning to get new tires soon anyway, so we took our car to Sear’s to get new tires. So…we were stuck at the mall for five hours. No joke. We had eaten before we got there, but we knew we were going to have to wait a while longer and we were feeling pretty hungry. So…we ended up eating out. Yep. I really only made it two weeks…and then another two weeks. I decided that I couldn’t be too obsessive. I would have cooked if we had been at home, but we weren’t. No big deal.

I learned that it’s a good idea to keep frozen pizzas and frozen taco meat around. On those nights that I just don’t feel like cooking, in the past we might have gone to Zaxby’s or El Metate, but during our month of eating in, those places weren’t options. A frozen pizza can be a life saver when you just can’t bring yourself to pull out a hundred ingredients to make a meal.

Eating in for a month is what encouraged me to jump in and start using my pressure cooker (aka Instant Pot <–affiliate link). With my pressure cooker, I can just throw some things into the pot, run downstairs to work out, and have dinner ready when I get done. Like I mentioned in my pressure cooker pork shoulder post, it’s like having dinner in the slow cooker…except I don’t have to think about it at 7:30 in the morning.

After the first week, it actually got way easier. For week two and week three, I really didn’t think about eating out (except during the tire incident). Since going out to eat wasn’t an option, I knew that we were going to have to make dinner at home and didn’t even let my mind drift there.

By week four of eating in, though, I think I was getting a little antsy. Even though I was perfectly happy with cooking, I think not having the option of going out to eat started getting a little old. I was thinking about chicken fingers and fries (I mentioned Zaxby’s earlier in the post, I know…I’d been craving Zaxby’s since before we started the challenge). It wasn’t too bad, though, and I made it.

Someone asked me if I lost weight during my month of eating in. I did…I lost five pounds. I have been working on “mindful eating” after reading the book How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too (<–affiliate link), so overall I’ve been eating quite a bit less. I never really thought I was eating that much, but it turns out that being a member of the Clean-Plate Club is the reason that I’ve gained weight. ? But anyway…I don’t think that my weight loss was a direct result of eating in, but it definitely didn’t hurt.

What’s your longest “eating in” record?

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click through a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. This does not affect the cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: writing By Mary // Chattavore 1 Comment

Top Kitchen Tools in My House

April 27, 2016

I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com

I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house!

I am a kitchen gadget fanatic.  Try as I might to cull the ever-growing craziness that flows from my kitchen cabinets, counters, and shelves….it’s a losing battle.  I can’t stop, and when I get rid of something, I have to replace it with something else.  There are a few that I probably don’t use enough to really justify keeping them around, but when you are DIY-er like I am, you can stand to have a stash of useful tools.  Still, there are some I use more than others.  Here are the 10 top kitchen tools in my house, including small appliances.

10) KitchenAid food processor.  After using a basic, no frills Cuisinart for years, I ran into this one dirt-cheap at Tuesday morning.  It has a mini work bowl, a dough blade (that I’ll admit I never use, since I make all my dough in my stand mixer), and shredding/slicing disks. I use it for salsa, pesto, hummus, pastry doughs, etc., etc. Plus when I have a ton of cheese or cabbage to shred it makes my life so much easier.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
9)  Vitamix. I had a pretty nice KitchenAid blender before, but when Philip came home with this baby I was beside myself. I use it mostly to make smoothies, salsa, and dressings, but you can use it for any number of things…including making soup. Like, from start to finish. That’s how fast the motor runs – it heats the food up eventually. You can even get a special container for grinding grains (I haven’t made it to that point yet). The Vitamix is pricey, but I have heard of people who have owned theirs since the seventies. If you do a lot of blending, this will be your kitchen workhorse.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
8)  My KitchenAid stand mixer.  Not only can I mix things in it…but when I have über thick bread doughs that are too exhausting to stir by hand, I use it for bread dough.  I also make ice cream in it, and use it to whip cream.  Oh, and I grind meat with it (using a special attachment).  I have the grain mill attachment but I’ll admit that I don’t use it much, and one of these days (when I’m a lot wealthier!) I’m going to get the pasta roller attachment.  By the way, the one in the link is very similar to mine, but a little bit bigger and a little more expensive.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
7)  Instant Pot. This is a new one. I got it for Christmas last year and I am pretty much obsessed with it. It’s a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, a rice cooker, a saute pot, a steamer, a yogurt maker….it’s pretty much amazing. I’ve been working on developing some pressure cooker recipes, so I can’t wait to share them with you. I am so glad I asked for this handy-dandy tool…I use it at least twice a week.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
6)  A kitchen scale. I know a lot of people probably think that I’m crazy, but I use my kitchen scale every single day. I use it for cooking, baking, and weighing out nuts, chips, etc. to pack in my lunch (I’m really not obsessive about portions, but it’s really easy to over-do it).

5)  Metal half-sheet pans.  I have three and I want more.  I buy them for like $9 at the restaurant supply store.  They’re strong and sturdy and a much higher quality than the much more flimsy and much more expensive ones that you can purchase at Target, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, etc.

4)  I have ten different mixing bowls in nine different sizes and I use them all frequently, sometimes simultaneously. And I need more, to be perfectly honest with you.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
3)  Wooden spoons and spatulas.  Lots and lots of wooden spoons and spatulas.  Actually, most of mine are bamboo, which I love because I can stick them in the dishwasher.  They’re super sturdy and they’re great for stirring in my nonstick cookware.  I use them every single day.

2)  My Shun knives.  Philip bought me a set for my birthday several years back and completed it with a slicer last year.  They are sharp and gorgeous and decorate my wall on the magnetic strip better than any purchased art could.  I am totally obsessed with honing them.  The odds are good that I’ll never have to purchase another set of knives.  They were expensive but totally worth it.  If you don’t have good knives, know that they’re worth the cost to have good, sharp knives (dull knives are a real danger in the kitchen!).  Do it!
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
1) Lodge Cast Iron.  Lodge is manufactured 50 miles from my house, so I feel like I’m supporting local business when I buy Lodge (and I usually buy it from their factory store, located right by the manufacturing facility, so even better!). I have the skillets in four different sizes, from 6 inches to 12 inches, a 6-quart Dutch oven, and several gratin dishes. It’s the best stuff in the world…indestructible, conducts the heat well, etc. There’s no better vessel for making a burger or a pan of cornbread.
I have more kitchen gadgets than I can count, but some get more use than others. Here are the top kitchen tools in my house! | list from Chattavore.com
It’s quite a collection I’ve amassed over the years.  These are the things I use daily or weekly…my top kitchen tools.

What are your top kitchen tools?

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click the link and make a purchase, I will make a small commission. This does not affect the price to you. For more information, please see my disclosures. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: lists, writing By Mary // Chattavore 10 Comments

Guilty Pleasure Foods – Chattavore Top Ten

March 30, 2016

We all have guilty pleasure foods that we can't resist. This is a list of foods that I can't keep in the house, or I'll eat all of it. What are your guilty pleasure foods? | list from Chattavore.com

We all have guilty pleasure foods that we can’t resist. This is a list of foods that I can’t keep in the house, or I’ll eat all of it. What are your guilty pleasure foods?
We all have guilty pleasure foods that we can't resist. This is a list of foods that I can't keep in the house, or I'll eat all of it. What are your guilty pleasure foods? | list from Chattavore.com
1.  Kettle Chips

Topping my list of guilty pleasure foods is kettle chips. If I’m going with chips (besides my homemade microwave chips), these are definitely my first choice.  Preferably Kettle Brand, but I’ll really eat any kettle-cooked chips I can get my hands on. In my mind, they really aren’t all that bad….they only have three ingredients (potatoes, oil, and salt) and they taste so good they couldn’t possibly be bad.  The problem is that once I start eating them I can’t stop.  My justification is that “I need to get them out of the house”.  Because it’s obviously better to eat them all at once and have them gone than to eat them a few at a time…right?

2.  Salt & Vinegar or Dill Pickle Lay’s

Actually, I don’t think that they make the dill pickle variety anymore.  It’s been ages since I bought a bag of Lay’s potato chips.  Not because they’re “bad” but because the flavored varieties usually only come in gigantic bags.  It’s dangerous to have these in the house.  I used to buy bags of chips for Philip to parse out to take in his lunch, and every time we would have salt & vinegar or dill pickle chips, I would eat them until my mouth burned and the corners of my mouth started to crack from the salt and the acidity of the vinegar.

3.  Nacho or Taco Doritos

Okay, does anyone see a pattern here?  Chips are my weakness…my trigger food…my kryptonite.  They are literally the only food that I just can’t. Stop. Eating.  My number one guilty pleasure, for sure. I love Doritos.  Love them, love them, love them.  I know they have approximately 18,000 ingredients.  You know what?  I don’t care.  I love the fact that the orange cheese powder coats my fingers. It’s like second snack.  I cannot cannot cannot purchase these in a large bag to bring home with me.  I only eat them in a restaurant (say, Subway or Firehouse Subs) where I can purchase a small bag and not see them again once I have finished my meal. By the way, I recently discovered that my cat loves them too. Weirdo.

4.  Boxed Cake Mix

I don’t do it very often.  It’s hard to justify.  But when I make cake balls, it’s much easier to just mix up a cake from a box and stir in some canned icing.  I love to scrape all of the excess batter out of the bowl and straight into my mouth (I married someone who doesn’t care for this practice-what?  Who doesn’t like cake batter?!?!-so more for me!).

5.  Homemade Cream Cheese Icing

This is a guilty pleasure that I share with my mom and my sister.  If you’ve ever had cream cheese icing out of a can, you know that there is no comparison to the homemade stuff.  Cream cheese + butter + powdered sugar = perfection.  If I could get away with it, I would make an entire batch just for eating with a spoon.  I think that would probably evoke the evil eye from my husband, so it’s doubtful that this is ever going to happen.  Plus there’s the whole problem of needing to fit into my jeans….but can you imagine a world where you could just eat cream cheese icing with a spoon and never gain an ounce?  That’s the way it’s going to be in Heaven.  I’m sure of it.

6.  Bacon

Duh.  I don’t know that I can really call this a “guilty” pleasure because I really don’t feel all that guilty about it.  I probably should, though.  Bacon is a perfect food.  It’s salty candy.  And it’s practically religion in this house.

7.  Crusty Bread Dipped in Olive Oil

So, bread and olive oil may not seem like a “guilty pleasure” food to many of you, but when you consider the volumes of it that I could eat, it might.  I can throw this stuff down.  Carb and fat overload, I tell you.  And let’s be honest, wheat bread generally doesn’t make the cut for this purpose.  Oh boy.  This is my favorite thing about going to Tony’s (where they serve garlic-studded ciabatta with an olive/canola oil mix).

8.  Peppermint Patties

I remember my grandmother buying these when I was a kid. These days, they’re in my freezer at all times. I buy the minis and eat them, one at a time, each night. I don’t eat a lot of candy but this is a 50-calorie indulgence. Like bacon, I call this a guilty pleasure but honestly I really don’t feel all that guilty about it. I ❤️ peppermint anything. I tried to make my own peppermint patties and it didn’t go so well. I’ll keep buying them, thanks.

9.  Cheese

I’m pretty much an equal opportunity cheese lover, as long as it’s a cow’s milk cheese.  Goat and sheep milk cheeses have not quite grown on me yet.  I won’t lie, since Philip and I started eating less meat, I pretty much eat cheese every day.  I do portion it carefully, but still.  The sharpest cheddars are probably my favorite, especially when I make a grilled cheese and some of the cheese falls into the pan and burns.  I love to eat those little burnt cheese crusts.  Mmmmmm.  Chips and queso?  Well, think about that one….two of my weaknesses rolled into one.  Stick a fork in me…..

10.  Firehouse Subs Cherry Limeade

Really, Firehouse Subs anything (I usually order the steamer, with pastrami and melted cheese…gah). But there is something about that giant cup of high-fructose syrup sweetened non-carbonated cherry drink with a bunch of limes squeezed into it. Philip and I are both addicted and we can look right past that sugar rush to slurp down this syrupy sweet but still a little tart goodness. If you ever see me looking like a kid who’s been slurping cherry Kool-aid, you’ll know where I’ve been.

Can any of you commiserate with me on any of my guilty pleasure foods?  Do you have anything to add?  Tell me your guilty pleasure foods – inquiring minds want to know!

Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: lists, writing By Mary // Chattavore 21 Comments

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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