I often think of my Perfect Food Day. A Perfect Food Day is exactly what it sounds like - a day in which you eat all your favorite things: from breakfast to dessert. Read on to see all the other Food Week participant's ideas of a Perfect Food Day.
All images linked to their source. A few belong to some of the blogger's whose Perfect Food Days you'll read about below, but most of them are just awesome food-ish artwork.
Emily (short story design) - Smoked salmon Benedict for brunch at Alice's Tea Cup. Instead of an English muffin, it comes on a scone. An out-of-this-world delicious scone. That's basically enough food for the entire day, so for dinner I'd go a little lighter with a meal at Westville. I get the market plate, a selection of 4 veggie sides from their list of 20+ daily options. There's no way you could fit dessert into this day, but if we're talking fantasy-land, I'd squeeze in an ice cream sandwich from the Coolhaus truck. Best. Ever. Trust me.
Melanie (you are my fave) - Crepes in Paris for breakfast. Pizza in Rome for lunch, followed by a hefty serving of gelato. And some amazing Thai food on the beach for dinner followed by a really rich chocolate cake made by Ina Garten herself.
Gemma Correll - Pancakes for breakfast, tacos for lunch, Indian curry for dinner. Also, some dim sum as a late night snack. During the day, I'd need crisps and sour cream dip to snack on and probably some sort of chocolate. It's quite possible that I'd be horribly sick after all that, but, hey, at least I'd be happy.
Megan (Commas and Clauses) - I'm gonna be real with you and skip all the foodie crap, because a good "food day" to me means all of my usual comfort foods: a few helpings of my pesto pasta (with chopped up Boca burger and a cup or so of grated parmesan... yum), a Lunchable or two, a half gallon of Mighty Mango Naked Juice, and a whole box of fudgsicles (the chocolate variety pack). And then I'd stop by Wawa for a hoagie and a milkshake, because I obviously wouldn't be full by then.
Elise (Pennyweight) - It'd start with breakfast in bed from my sweet husband - he makes a killer scrambled egg hash, followed by a chipotle chicken burrito from our favorite neighborhood Mexican joint and a perfect margherita pizza and local brew from City House here in Nashville. Add some mate chai tea in the afternoon at some point, and you've got perfection!
M. Fay (Amateur Couture) - Breakfast: the largest mug of la pina colada tea from Gung Fu, a vegetarian scramble with avocado, sweet potatoes and asparagus, and toast swimming in homemade raspberry jam. Lunch: a giant salad with Italian greens, toasted pecans, Roma tomatoes and feta cheese tossed in balsamic dressing. Dinner: ricotta gnocchi with peas, fresh herbs, white pine pesto sauce and parmesan (stomach growling). Dessert: macaroons and shortbread cookies I can dunk in another cup of hot tea! I'm big on dunking and dipping.
Jen (Honey Kennedy) - Pre-breakfast: espresso and croissant or pain Viennoise from Miss Manon in Paris. Breakfast: Sharing a few yummy small dishes from Navarre. Pre-lunch: chocolate chaud from Alma and a shortbread cookie. Lunch: cold noodles from Green Village. Pre-dinner: fancy cheese and fruit plate and an espresso. Dinner: sharing lots of Lebanese small dishes. Dessert: red velvet cake from Navarre and cardamom gelato from Alder Pastry. Cocktails: bartender's choice at Sambar and then on to The Violet Hour in Chicago for the same. 3am post-cocktail food: a good NY slice.
Maggie (Folkloric) - My ideal food day is one where all of my meals feature homemade food that is perfectly in season. So as autumn approaches, I am looking forward to a day of, say, freshly baked pumpkin muffins for breakfast, a slice of savory tart for lunch, and a hearty vegetable soup for dinner (with some fresh apple cider and perhaps a pear crisp for dessert). Such a day makes me feel in touch with the passage of time and season and my place in it.
Liza (Length x Wit) -
At first I thought I would start with brunch, but I'm usually so full from eggs florentine or breakfast tacos that I don't eat for the rest of the day, so that doesn't really work. Therefore, instead of something rich, I'd begin my perfect food day with a yogurt/granola/fruit parfait and a cappuccino. I'd probably also do something light for lunch so I can really savor dinner - an English muffin topped with ricotta and either spices or honey, a nectarine, and some chocolate-covered almonds.
For dinner, I think I would either do my vegetable chili or a giant salad. I like the preparation aspect of both those meals - the chopping and seasoning. With chili, there is a long wait time involved, so you get to smell your meal gradually become more irresistible. A homemade salad is my favorite meal when it's warm, so right now I'd choose that one for my perfect food day. I jam a lot of stuff into my salads: greens, beans, some kind of fruit, a hardboiled egg, some avocado if I can, a touch of stinky cheese... yum! I usually don't do a dressing either - some vinegar and a touch of olive oil, maybe, but not too often. Contrary to what my favorite restaurants may suggest, I actually don't eat that much meat at home.
And now the sweet part! I love love love dessert, so the way to end my perfect food day is a bit of a conundrum. Cake, blueberry cobbler, chocolate chip cookies, cake, sea salt caramels, cake... yes, I am a sucker for cake. However, since I'm eating at home and we are on the cusp of fall, I think I will go for pumpkin pie. I don't like whipped cream toppings (I know, I know...), so I'll take mine straight up with a cup of decaf tea. And then I'll go curl up on the couch and enjoy digesting!
Dabito (Old Brand New) - It starts off with an ice cream cookie sandwich (I call it my breakfast sandwich). And then dim sum for lunch. Followed by more ice cream - brown bread flavor from Scoops. And how about some macarons at Bottega Louie, too. And for dinner, my mom's delicious noodle soup. Actually, a super perfect day would be anything from my mom's kitchen.
Hannah (banana meet-cute) -
My "Perfect Food Day" is something that I'd never thought about before, so I really had fun thinking about this! I would start the day with breakfast at one of my fave neighborhood cafes - probably going for some kind of eggs smothered in Hollandaise at Mixed Business. I love that place, but it's pretty popular so there's usually a wait - there certainly wouldn't be any waiting on "Perfect Food Day" though! I'm sure I'd be ushered straight in.
Lunch would have to be yum cha, as I am obsessed with dumplings and cannot get enough of them. I could not have a perfect food day without sitting at a table full of both steamed and fried dumplings, and pork buns, and washing them down with pots of jasmine tea.
One of my best food related activities would have to be picnic-ing so for the rest of my "Perfect Food Day" I would head to Edinburgh Gardens, my favorite Melbourne park. There is always a great vibe here in the summertime and it's full of friends hanging out on picnic blankets, snacking and people watching. I would be bringing cheese, bread, dips, seafood (such as shrimps and mussels) and plenty of cold cider. I love party food like cake, cupcakes and profiteroles, so the day would have to end with those being served - yum!
Allira (So on and so forth) - It would be spring, there would be a never-ending supply of baked goods covering the perimeter of a picnic rug and... I would be smack bang in the middle of it!
Jen (hellojenuine) - I love food but I really hate cooking, so a perfect food day would involve me not having to make anything myself! I just so happen to live with someone who actually enjoys cooking: my boyfriend (Alan) is also vegetarian, and makes such yummy dishes that shop-bought stuff ends up being disappointing. A perfect food day would involve a nice little breakfast (currently going through a lot of bagels, I'll switch to porridge when it gets colder), a tasty lunch at a good cafe and then something ace that Alan makes for dinner (I'll help by cutting up veg and washing up). I am definitely a dessert kind of girl (if creme brulee is on the menu, I'll order it) and a perfect food day would be punctuated by lots of cups of tea.
Kate (Lovelorn Unicorn) - For a perfect food day in spring-summer:
- Breakfast: chocolate cereal with blueberries and raspberries and English breakfast tea.
- Lunch: balsamic mushrooms on sourdough with parmesan and good coffee.
- Dinner: tomato and sweet corn pie (this recipe is fantastic) with a side of grilled asparagus with butter and lemon, plus a glass of NZ pinot gris and good company.
Sara (Matchbox Kitchen) - My perfect food day would not be possible without teleportation, but while I'm dreaming... I'd start off with brunch at a cafe in Brisbane, Australia for the best eggs florentine of my life (unfortunately I do not remember the name of the place). Then I'd walk around the Ferry Plaza in San Francisco and have a sampling of goods from every single shop, finishing it off with a fresh dill pickle or two from Happy Girl Kitchen Co.. Next, I'll have dinner at Son of a Gun just to order five mini lobster rolls and a slice of peach and berry pie. Dessert would be fresh mint ice cream at Carmela and then I'd meet up with friends at Intelligentsia Pasadena for a late night beer and/or coffee.
Anabela (fieldguided) - It would start with chocolate chip pancakes topped with maple syrup from Quebec, with roasted vegetable soup (made by my boyfriend Geoff) and crusty, buttered, toasted baguette for lunch. Seasonal fruit snacks throughout the day, and then a Japanese feast for dinner. At night, wine or fancy cocktails, possibly with oysters.
Kate (For Me, For You) - Ricotta pancakes for breakfast, bahn mi sandwich for lunch (with veggie chicken, it exists in NYC!), butternut squash risotto for dinner. Pazzo Gelato for dessert - their red velvet cake flavor to be exact.
Sara (Brown Paper Bag) - I tend to be so Baltimore-centric! A perfect food day would be deep-fried mushroom fritters and mini donuts at the Baltimore Farmers Market, picking fruits and veggies at Larriland Farms in the afternoon, then potluck dinner with my close friends (where there is always an overabundance of delicious food/drinks). I would bring a pie with my picks from Larriland!
Jena (Modish) - My perfect food day would involve my fave food groups: bread, butter, pasta, beans, cheese and chocolate. I'd have a flaky croissant and mocha for breakfast, buttery pasta with a heap of fresh parmesan for lunch, a big bean/rice/cheese chimichanga with sour cream and avocado from our favorite Mexican food cart for dinner, and for dessert, a cannoli from our neighborhood bakery dipped in chocolate with pistachios - oooh, wee!
Erin (butter and brass) - I grew up in a house that believes in cooking - my mom especially. She values leftovers, something I'm slowly learning to appreciate. The kitchen has always been the place where we gather when I'm home. For me, a perfect food day would be there, flipping through stained copies of classic cookbooks, rolling out croissants with my sister, picking green beans in the garden with my mom and learning how to make her rhubarb sauce for the twentieth time, giving my dad a taste when he comes in to spy, and wine, lots and lots of wine.
Katie (thank you, ok) - For breakfast, basically anything involving smoked salmon. For lunch either a salad of some sort or Soon Tofu, a favorite Korean dish of mine. And for dinner, either a meat and cheese platter (with wine, obviously) or a meal at any of my favorite restaurants would suit me just fine.
Mariah (Size Too Small) - I'd start my perfect food day off with my mom's french toast, smothered in butter, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. For lunch I'd head over to The Kitchen and grab a salad plate, a coke and two chocolate chip cookies and then around 5pm I'd love to have a little appetizer - artichoke dip and a gin and tonic. And finally, I'd finish up the day with Mexican for dinner - enchiladas, flautas, chips, queso and guacamole... and of course Haagen Dazs strawberry ice cream for dessert (in a waffle cone).
Diana (Miss Moss) - Breakfast would be poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise sauce, avocado and a slice of toast with 2... maybe 3 cups of coffee (preferably an excellent flat white). Lunch would be my mom's macaroni and cheese - no one makes mac & cheese like her. Supper would be a platter of tapas - bread, olives, cheese, salami, ham, hummus, baba ganoush, dolmades... basically any bite-sized Spanish / Greek / Lebanese food. I could live on it.
As for me, I'd eat a croissant (flown in from France) for breakfast, along with an enormous bowl of raspberries and a crisp Macintosh apple. Plus - an iced latte from Dunkin Donuts. I wish I supported a local coffee provider, but I freaking love Dunkin Donuts. Lunch - a couple of fish tacos with some limeaid, or maybe a margarita. In the afternoon I'd have some crab cakes, just as a snack. For dinner I'd somehow end up in England for some fish and chips. And cider. For dessert... well, right now I'm really craving some fried dough, but also maybe some form of cheesecake. And then maybe some lobster mac and cheese for a late night snack. I'm just realizing that I'd be eating a lot of sea food. I'm fine/ecstatic with that.
