IowaDee

Here's a couple I can remember my grandma singing in her kitchen. Can she bake a cherry pie Billy Boy? Mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread Would Drinking rum and Coke-a-cola count? or Mares eat oats and does eat oats?

Me too. In fact the locals call them "pully bones" because that's what you do to make a wish. At Thanksgiving, some local markets sell packages of nothing but pully bones Just imagine a window sill filled with drying bones!

I bought the set one book at a time. Then the publisher offered to send the final four or five as a group. My first winter in Iowa was fast approaching and having the books seemed like the ideal solution to cabin fever.. This was way back in the dark ages when money was very tight so it was a splurge It was Birthday and Christmas combined when all of them arrived. I still have them, faded spines and all and consider them some of the best reading around. The sad thing is that my parents also had a complete set and in the heat of cleaning out their home, they ended up going to Goodwill. I still pick up the odd book at thrift shops and yard sales. There is always someone who will appreciate having it.

Baru 66 might be a good choice. Not cheap by Iowa standards but damn good food I hear. Family members living in Des Moines agree.

While growing up, meals with my parents were the worst part of the day. It was when they brought up each of my failings and short comings and their general disappointment in me. I would have welcomed the chance to swallow a pill and call it dinner., Now all things about planning and shopping for a meal is a great pleasure and eating it is wonderful. Sharing with the right person makes all the difference. And, yes, even those stress related ulcers healed!

And way, way too cute to ever even consider eating!

What oven temperature should these beauties be baked at.? Anxious to try them and thanks for sharing.

I too read Quesadillas and enjoyed it. Also like the author's other book. Down the rabbit hole. Not so food related unless you're interested in the diet of a Liberian pygmy hippopotamus but still an interesting book.

He was the reason I found my way to this wonderful place. I will always be in his debt for that. May his family take comfort in all the kind comments that will appear here.

If you Google it, you will learn all about it. The name involves large amounts of drinking at a long-gone tavern. Sounds like whatever they were drinking might qualify as a regional item! No reason we can't have a beverage per state as well.

My favorite place in Arkansas is called Toad Suck. Don't suppose that would make a great dish but you can't beat the name. I too am enjoying this a lot, thanks for starting it. Be sure and let us know the winning state.

In his book Paddling the happy isles of Oceania, author Paul Theroux mentions that Spam is a favorite all across the region. He claims that he was told that members of former cannibal groups swear that it tastes more like human flesh that anything else. In the good old days, humans destined for the cooking pots were called "long pigs."

I'm about three miles from the Missouri line so I'm cheating here but I do think Bud Beer defines the State for me. Go Cards! And St. Louis has some damn tasty BBQ. And if you want good Italian grub, just visit The Hill.

Has anyone mentioned the Hot Brown as iconic to Kentucky? Or maybe the Mint Julip is better? Why not both at the same time?

I read that in 2001 it was declared the official state snack by the governor. Green Jell-o being the favorite.

Has anyone mentioned Utah and funeral potatoes? The residents also eat more Jello than any other state.

So you're taking away "my" tenderloin? Well, I always have The Butter Cow to fall back on

Imagine moving to to Iowa in the early 70's and trying to describe an artichoke. Even hoping to find an avocado was dicey! To me, both are iconic California foods.

Iowa is the home of Eskimo Pies and the Red Delicious apple. Also known for Maid Rite sandwiches, tenderloins as big as your head and get ready, corn cob jelly. It is also home to some of the best ice cream in the world and produces huge amounts of it. I used to think it was the home of grey food coloring because so many dishes were just blah. Things have started to improve in recent years. Once in a while I even see a small bottle of Tabasco sauce on the table at a local eatery.

Yes, I do need help. The way I say always causes people to say "God bless you". after I do.

We moved to small town Iowa from big city California many years ago. I was in the one and only market looking for tortillas. I asked where they might be and said the word as I always had. A woman next to me corrected me by saying that the word was tortilla and the" till " rhymed with "fill" Later I found out that she was the Spanish teacher at the local high school! . Watcha gonna do?

Maybe she has another site for people who like to watch bulimics? Sorry that's terrible but was my first thought.

Oh God, I love those cookies too! My latest favorite is T.J's fig butter. Lightly toast a piece of cocktail bread and melt a slab of stinky cheese on it. Add a dollop of fig butter and meet a version of heaven. Extra good when washed down with champagne, but what isn't?

chocojones.....?

I probably shouldn't even mention this but wow did I score big. We have an Amish owned scratch and dent store here. They were selling 27 ounce cans of Hatch chilies for 85 cents each. Damage was so minor you really had to look. More like a scuff than a dent. Did I buy anyway? You bet I did, every single one.