Bacon - When fried in my prized Lodge 15” cast iron skillet (I seasoned that baby myself), bacon becomes the King of All Cured Meats. By itself, on a salad or as a main sandwich component, bacon brightens my day. Of all the pork products (and there are many I like), I love, love, love bacon. Soooieeeee….PIG!

Dad’s Barbecued Brisket – Better the next day in a sandwich (I honor the sandwich as the center of a great meal, but that’s a separate blog), Dad’s brisket was the best. I have his recipe, and follow it, but it’s just not the same. I tried adding the secret ingredient – no, not love, it was lots of swearing while drinking beer – but my brisket does not have the je nais sais quoi of Dad’s version. Maybe it’s because Daddy was a Budweiser man, while his hoity-toity daughter only drinks microbrews.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting – I realize that most prefer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, but I adore the delicate interplay of the yellowy, buttery, yumminess of yellow cake with the lusciousness of chocolate frosting. Best done in two layers (I’m not a big sheet cake fan, but it will do in a pinch), yellow cake with chocolate frosting reminds me of sunshiny days filled with unicorns and rainbows. Yep, it’s that good.

Pie, Particularly Pecan Pie – Pie has restorative powers. I’m sure of it. Having a bad day? Have some pie. If you are baking pie, don’t mess around with pre-packaged pie crust in your refrigerated foods aisle. Break out the Crisco, get two knives or a pastry cutter, and go to town. Seriously, let ‘er rip. Homemade pie crust is super-cheap, super-easy, and it enhances those above mentioned restorative powers. Save your fork, there’s pie!

Frito Pie – A different kind of pie, but it’s still pie: it’s Frito Pie. Great for any football game, Frito Pie is also a must during March Madness. My recipe is the best, of course. The secret ingredient is Hormel canned chili, no beans. Swearing and beer are fun, yet optional.

Spinach Salad – I thought I would throw a curveball and add my favorite salad to the list. In a restaurant and don’t know what to order? Get the spinach salad. It usually includes bacon, which promises a double-whammy of tasty-goodness.

Peking Duck - Duck is one of those meats that makes my spine tingle. I know, I know, that might not make sense to you, but consider that to me, a good Peking duck makes me feel as though I am tasting God’s (probably Buddha’s) handiwork. Add bao (delicate little white buns, a testament to the spectacular refined carbohydrate) with the sauce of your choice, and you can improvise – you guessed it – your very own Peking Duck sandwich. Other than amazing French charcuterie, it does not get better than that.

Or maybe it does. After all, I left off a myriad of options, from chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and pan gravy to white miso (shiromiso) soup to black cod kazu style to pate to pizza…the list ends, but I’m not sure where. Maybe it shouldn’t end, this personal stimulus plan of mine.

If you’ll excuse me, I have some quality snack time planned with a Diet Coke and some Cheezits.