10 Foods that Altered my Brain Chemistry this Year

This is a recipe from one of my favorite authors, Shauna Neiquist. Her book Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life around the Table with Recipes is truly a love letter to my heart. She shares stories of family relationships, friendships, and the meals that bring us together. Her words touch me in the deepest parts of my soul, and I beg you to read any of her books.

Bread & Wine also offers a collection of Shauna's favorite recipes, one of which has become a staple of mine. It's simple and delicious, with only 3 ingredients: bacon, goat cheese and dates! The flavors complement each other perfectly and is the perfect app for any party.

Recipe:

There are things in life that you never knew you needed until you tried it, and the everything doughnut from Blackbird Doughnuts is one of them. I'm a big fan of things that are different, especially flavors that you wouldn’t think work together. The everything bagel doughnut was exactly what I needed and more. The dough was light and fluffy, stuffed with whipped cream cheese and topped with everything bagel seasoning. It was salty and delicious. I don't love when desserts are too sicky sweet, and this doughnut was the perfect combination of sweet and salty.

I just had to try the viral pink beet pasta sauce, and it didn't disappoint. The color of the sauce was exquisite, and the flavor was divine. I didn't expect to love a sauce with its base as beets; I come from a very Italian family and I love my red sauce and lots of cheese... but this meal was absolutely delicious and a whole new take on pasta. 10/10 would recommend.

I didn't think it was possible to love ice cream more than I already do. Murphy's Ice Cream completely changed my entire brain chemistry. The sea salt ice cream was something I couldn't even imagine in my wildest dreams. It took my craving for salty and sweet and delivered it in the most perfect ice cream.

Au Bourguigon du Marais specializes in recipes from Burgundy and is known for their beef Bourguion (duh, it's in their name). My cousin stumbled upon the restaurant in her research and made a reservation for my uncles’ birthday.

It didn't matter that it was 101 degrees Fahrenheit in Paris that day, we were going to have a steaming hot bowl of beef Bourguion. We were exhausted from walking around Paris all day, and literally sweating into our bowls because of the heat, but it was spectacular. It was the most delicious meal on that entire trip, and I dream of it during our cold New England winters. We left stuffed with bread and wine, with a smile on our faces.

A comida vibe is a comida vibe is a comida vibe; if it's good, it's good. When traveling from Utah to Colorado we stopped at a rest stop for lunch and to take work calls. There was a hotdog vendor there, and I ordered the Chicago style dog. Damn. That hotdog was the most unexpectedly delicious meal ever. I have no idea what magic that husband-and-wife duo sprinkled on my hot dog, but it was amazing. Honestly, I still think of that hot dog every now and then and wish I could have just one more bite.

I love raw fish. I don't care what anyone thinks, I love it. It's one of my favorite foods. The best poke bowl ever was from Truffle Poke Bar in San Francisco. They had the widest variety of toppings I've seen from a poke place, and the secret sauce was the truffle aioli. I'm drooling just thinking about it. That truffle aioli elevated the poke to the next level.

Trader Joe's is by far my favorite grocery store for the prices and options. I always leave with way more items than I originally had on my list. Last week when wandering around the isles I found onion chips. It's just a bag of dehydrated onions with a bit of salt and are somehow the most scrumptious snack ever. You must go to Trader Joes this instance and spend all your money on onion chips.

After seeing them on Instagram I always wanted to try mango flowers on a stick. Finally in Santa Barbara I was able to try one for myself: instant serotonin rush. Oh, my word, it's the best thing I've ever had. First off, mango is my favorite fruit, and the

mangos in California are way better than anything we get on the east coast.

Then Mr. Mango Man who prepares them works his magic; he slices that mango like its butter, creating the most beautiful flower shape. From there he squeezes lime, drizzles it with chamoy and sprinkles a dusting of tajin. It's a whirlwind of sweet, spicy and salty. The combination of flavors is out of this world, and my absolute favorite.

I'm a New England gal to my core; give me some clam chowdah and an iced cup of Dunkies. However, until recently I never had lobster... I know, it's a sin, but I used to be allergic to the blessed shellfish. Over the past few years, I was able to introduce shellfish back into my diet (shrimp, lobster and crab).

2022 was the first time I tried a lobster roll... and there are no words. I wish I could describe to you the pure bliss of enjoying a hot buttery lobster roll from a little shack in coastal Maine. You just have to try it yourself.