Musical menu: Lots of songs with food in the title -- but they aren't always about food

Food and music. They just plain go together.

When was the last time you went to a cookout and there wasn't music playing somewhere, either outside by the grill or in the living room or kitchen? And what restaurant do you know that doesn't have music piped in?

Practically every music festival in the world these days has loads of food vendors; heck, at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn., the gourmet food trucks on site during the three-day event have been written up in national publications.

But songs about food, as in genuine food that you can eat, that's a bit different. Sure, there are tons of songs with food in the title except, in many cases, the food doesn't mean food, it means -- ahem -- something anatomical. Pretty much every time Led Zeppelin uses food in a song title, it's a sexual euphemism.

And there are songs like the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino that reference places with food names. Then you've got songs where the food is a nickname for a person: Labelle's "Lady Marmalade," "Dixie Chicken" by Little Feat, "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones.

Still, there are some songs that are just about the food -- eating it, cooking it, loving it. Here are a few, plus recipes for the item mentioned in title.

"Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffett

Easy one. It's truly all about the burger in this 1978 ode to grilled meat or, as Buffett puts it: "Heaven on earth with an onion slice." The song is such an icon of American music, Buffett partnered with Outback Steakhouses in 2002 to open a chain of restaurants named after it.

Perfect Bacon Cheeseburgers

3 pounds 80/20 ground beef

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, such as Tabasco

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 kaiser rolls

Softened butter, for spreading, plus 2 tablespoons

6 slices cheddar cheese

6 slices cooked bacon, halved

Place the beef into a medium mixing bowl. Add the cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Mix well. Set aside.

Slice the rolls in half and spread each half with softened butter. Place the rolls face-down on a skillet over medium heat. Lightly grill the rolls until golden. Let the rolls cool on a plate.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Form the beef mixture into 6 patties and place in the skillet, in batches if needed. Allow each to cook about 4 minutes on the first side, flip them and place a slice of cheddar on to melt.

When the patties are done in the middle to your liking, place them on the base of the halved buns. Top each with 2 pieces of the bacon and top with the other half of the rolls.

-- Ree Drummond

"Savoy Truffle" by the Beatles

Found on Side Four of the White Album, the song was written as a tease by George Harrison to his friend Eric Clapton, who had serious sweet tooth. Many of the sweets mentioned in the song are real, including Savoy Truffle, and are taken from a box of Mackintosh's Good News candies that Harrison had in his house at the time. But as he warns in the song: "You'll have to have them all pulled out after the savoy truffle." The "them" being pulled out are your teeth.

Savoy Truffle

3 squares of Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

2/3 cup of confectioners sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

cup Baker's Angel Flake Coconut

1 tablespoon high-quality brandy or cognac

Cream butter with egg yolk over low heat and whisk until smooth. Slowly add sugar to butter, then add vanilla and brandy.

Melt chocolate in double boiler Pour chocolate into butter blend and mix until smooth. Chill butter mixture until firm.

Shape butter mixture into one-inch balls and roll in coconut. Store in refrigerator.

-- American Alliance for Medical Cannabis

"Coconut" by Nilsson

A little bit of nonsense written by Harry Nilsson for his 1971 album, "Nilsson Schmilsson," the song made it to No. 8 on the charts. We won't make you "put d'lime in d'coconut and drink 'em bod'up."

Coconut-Lime Shrimp Skewers

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon freshly grated lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk

2 pounds large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh lime wedges for squeezing

1/2 cup toasted, sweetened shredded coconut

Wooden skewers

In a medium bowl, combine ginger, garlic, lime zest and juice and coconut milk. Add shrimp, tossing to coat, and chill, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in water. Prepare a grill for high heat (450 to 550 degrees). Push 2 or 3 shrimp onto each skewer in a "C" shape (through each end of the shrimp); cook, turning once, until flesh has just turned pink and is slightly charred, about 3 minutes on each side.

Arrange skewers on a serving platter and sprinkle evenly with salt, a squeeze of lime juice, and coconut. Serve with extra lime wedges on the side.

-- myrecipes.com

"Green Onions" by Booker T. & the MGs

The origins of the title for this 1962 instrumental hit is a tad fuzzy because the story keeps changing. In one interview, organist Booker T. Jones said it was recorded as a B-side for a proposed single called "Behave Yourself." When asked what to call the new song, Jones said: "'Green Onions' because that is the nastiest thing I can think of and it's something you throw away." But in 2013 on the NPR show "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!" Jones said the band's bass player wanted to call it "Funky Onions" because of its groove, but Jones thought "that was a pretty crass title. So we decided to call it 'Green Onions' after the smell of, you know, the green onions."

Jasmine Rice with Green Onions, Peas and Lemons

1 3/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups jasmine rice, rinsed well, drained, or long-grain white rice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shelled fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Combine 1 3/4 cups water, rice, and salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand covered 15 minutes. Fluff with fork. Cool.

Cook peas in medium saucepan of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Drain.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add all but 2 tablespoons green onions; sauté 30 seconds. Add rice and sauté until heated through, stirring to break pieces, about 4 minutes. Add peas, lemon juice, parsley, and lemon peel. Sauté 2 minutes to blend flavors. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with remaining green onions.

-- epicurious.com

"My Bologna" by "Weird" Al Yankovic

Based on the Knack's "My Sharona," it's the first parody song from Yankovic that received national attention, thanks to the syndicated "Dr. Demento" radio show. The original version was recorded in 1979 in a men's bathroom at California Polytechnic State University, where Yankovic was a student. Yeah, it sounds just as crudely made as you'd think and was re-recorded for Yankovic's first official album in 1983.

Fried Bologna Casserole

8 slices bologna

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, chopped

4 cups warm mashed potatoes

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the bologna slices in the hot skillet until browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe excess grease from the skillet, reduce heat to medium, and stir in the butter and onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir the onions into the warm mashed potatoes.

Spread half of the mashed potatoes into the prepared baking dish. Layer with half of the fried bologna, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Bake uncovered in oven until the cheese is bubbly and the center is hot, about 30 minutes.

-- myrecipes.com

Contact Shawn Ryan at sryan@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327.