My Fave 5 Indulgences:
1. Chocolate: Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a chocaholic from WAY back. I prefer dark chocolate. It could be a Ghirardelli brownie (their box brownies are amazing), a slice of Harris Teeter double fudge cake, a square or two of high-quality dark chocolate (recently tried Ghirardelli's dark chocolate with caramel). And occasionally, I will go back to my milk chocolate roots and have something like the Butterfinger Eggs that are out right now for Easter.
2. Pizza. Before I started my journey in 2003, I had a 1 Domino's Pizza per week habit. Cutting out that alone probably led to some of my weight loss! I made healthy pizza at home and, at times, really enjoyed it, but I still fall back on Domino's when I want that good old-style pizza flavor.
3. The Outback Special. Two of my friends from the DC area and I have a special place in our hearts for The Outback. It's where we most often met for dinner back when I was there and it still is when they come here to visit. I get the Outback Special, which is a sirloin steak, with a baked potato (no salt on the skin and butter on the side) and the Tangy Tomato dressing on my salad. We all 3 get the same thing. It is just one of those friendship things.
4. The Pigskin Burger. The Greene Turtle is a sports bar chain here. I am NOT a sports bar kind of gal (I don't even like sports), but the food and service here are good enough to keep me coming back anyway. They specialize in sandwiches, esp. burgers. My favorite is a burger with ham & cheese on it called The Pigskin. I have it with BBQ sauce, fries and an iced tea. I was a big fan of Roy Rogers Double-R-Bar burger back when RR was a big chain in the DC area (they're all gone but one now up there and we have none here). The Pigskin reminds me of the Double R and that's what led me to choose it the first time.
5. Slow-roasted meat: Christmas before last, I had a neighbor's BBQ beef brisket at the community holiday party and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I got his recipe and it's become an every-few-months indulgence for me. Also, I created my own recipe for slow-roasted spicy pulled pork based on the carnitas served at a local Baja Mexican food place here. I have them on a tortilla with brown rice & pinto beans.
