The Random Approach to Memory Lane ~ Saturday Seven

List the foods that are always left in the fridge when everything else has been eaten.

I'm writing along with friend Lizz of Am I a Funny Girl? again this Saturday and she's pulling prompts from a book of lists randomly.  And yes, this certainly looks random!

Though, random can get a gal thinking.  I don't think our fridge is ever really empty.  We might be out of essentials or items that will bring complete dishes together, but definitely not empty.  So, for once, I thought I would follow Lizz's rules and list seven guests our fridge always has:

1) Mustard!  Lots and lots of mustard. 

You know what I think is really funny?  Growing up, I couldn't stand mustard!!  I used to tell people that even eating a mere speck of mustard would give a person a fatal disease called, "Mustardania" (I used immense creativity in naming that, don't ya know! ;>) and so I just couldn't eat it.....I didn't want to die of such a horrible disease!  And now?  I {heart} mustard!  Yes, I know, I'm easily amused, but it does make me laugh.

2)  Sauerkraut.  I wasn't too fond of this either growing up, but now pork chops are just not the same without it.  My boy wants sauerkraut on almost any sandwich that's made with almost any kind of left over meat these days.  Ask him what he wants on his sandwich and the answer is almost always, "{Insert whatever kind of meat or hot dog here}, mustard, sauerkraut, and lettuce" and sometimes he adds ketchup and slices of tomato to that list.  And after his first bite, he tells his Dad (maker of said sandwiches), "That sandwich is DA BOMB!"  Cracks me up!

3)  Pickles.  Now, I love a good dill pickle.  But, my kidlets are pickle junkies, I kid you not!  Until we started removing things from our boy's diet  (gluten, casein, soy, and as many preservatives and dyes as we can), I had no idea how much *junk* is in pickles!  Go into your standard, run of the mill grocery store and look at the five shelves stocked full of a zillion different kind of pickles and read the labels.  They are mostly filled with ingredients that I cannot pronounce, aka preservatives, and dyes.  It absolutely amazed me!

4)  Horseradish.  Fresh, grated, and/or creamed.  I'm not a fan of uber spicy foods from either peppercorns or chili peppers, but I do love some horseradish kick!  Try adding some to your next meatloaf.  Horseradish looses its pungency when heated, so it's not spicy at all, but definitely flavorful.  I also love to add it to mayonnaise and/or mustard when making a sandwich.

5)  Milk alternatives.  Our boy likes rice milk, and that's what he usually drinks, but I'm not so much a fan of the stuff.  I keep coconut milk and the delish almond milk for smoothies and some baking.  Almond milk is offered in several varieties and our favorite is the unsweetened vanilla.  If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out!

6)  Lemon juice.  I almost always have lemons on hand, but I keep some lemon juice as well for when I run out of the fruit itself.

7)  Cheese.  I know.  Cheese?  After the casein free milk alternatives?  What I lump into the cheese category, also includes his cheese alternatives!  And while we often run out of one kind or another, there usually is some kind of cheese in there.

They (you know, those "they"s out there) always say we have strong memories tied to food.  But, never would I have thought that the prompt, "List the foods that are always left in the fridge when everything else has been eaten." would take me down memory lane.  Yet, it did just that.  And I'm glad I followed!

What food memories do you have?  What foods did you grow up not liking that are a staple for you now? 

I'm still smiling thinking about my son's "DA BOMB" sandwich and since we're approaching the lunch hour here, I think I'll go make him one now.  Hope your weekend is a great one!