What makes you smile?

If you could eat anything right now what would it be? Would it be savory, spicy, sweet, cold, hot, crispy or creamy?

We all have our favorites or should I say comfort foods. It may be Grandma Kate's seven layers of lasagna noodles with mounds of cheese and a tomato sauce brimming with basil, garlic and parsley. Then again, it may be the red velvet cupcakes your mom made for you every birthday. The one with cream cheese frosting with just the right amount of colored sugar that went crunch at first bite.

My personal favorite is a very simple plate with cheese, olives and bread. It is so basic, yet so complex. Growing up I waited with anticipation for Italian foods from a small Italian deli my mother would shop every Wednesday. The bread, cheeses and meats were wrapped in white paper and the price marked with a grease pencil. That deli is still open today and brings back many memories. I rarely get the chance to shop there but when I do cheese, olives and bread are always in my tote. My favorite bread has to be the cheese bread. It always fills the house and your head when toasted. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. And other times, the cheese is the centerpiece. Hands down, my favorite is the sharp provolone. It has a strong bite and a smell even stronger. If I told you how strong you would not eat it. In the end, taste is the finial factor, not the smell, in regards to cheeses.

Every now again it is good for the soul to veer off our health diets and indulge in that one special food that feeds more than our stomaches but feeds our senses and makes us smile. So, what will it be? What makes you smile?

May 6 No Diet Day
May 11 Eat What You Want Day