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Antics like this are exactly why I listen to NPR... and exactly why I bailed out of a radio news career. Broadcasters today are not information people, they're entertainment people, and the vast majority of them aren't interested in educating themselves, or their audiences, about the subject matter with which they're working. For a topic like cooking and food, and related sociology, it's far, far above their heads. Moreover, those who employ them want only to entertain, not inform, and don't require much of them. That's why NPR stations, together with Lynne Rosetto Kasper, et al, are people we should support. They're the only place a focused topic like ours will receive any serious attention.

Last year I made small pizelles for everybody, and needed some fairly rigid packaging to protect them. I used one of the Ziploc holiday-colored containers, and just tied ribbon around it like a package, and put a bow on it. Simple, but pretty.

I know very little about this religion, but if you're "supposed" to get up early and eat before daybreak, and then you're "supposed" to fast... I guess I'm questioning whether all of these aspects are mandated. If so, I would have very little sympathy for anyone who chose to follow part of the mandate, but not all of it. Getting up early and making sure that your body is properly nourished makes sense, and takes discipline, just as fasting does. Maybe you can suggest to your students that they prepare at least a small meal for themselves the night before, get up and eat it before sunrise, and perhaps nap again before class.

I freeze soups all the time. I do it in the Glad or Ziploc containers, and pull them out of the freezer just before leaving for work. If I have something else (like a book) in my lunch bag that should be protected from moisture, I put the container inside a plastic bag. Upon arriving at work, I transfer the container either to the fridge, or to a spot under my desk where I won't accidentally kick it. Nuke it at lunchtime, and you have hot homeade soup. The FoodSaver idea is a good one, too, that I will probably start to employ, now that I own one. I am headed toward owning a LOT of these containers, and then having to store them as they are used and washed, and that is not a good thing. The vacuum bags would help with that. I do make a lot of cream soups, and I don't add the cream until just before serving. The recipes usually call for about 2 tablespoons per bowl. If you can keep food in a refrigerator at work, you could store a carton of half and half, or a carton of sour cream to use to finish off the soup after you've heated it.

Here's the link to the business already up and running in Wichita. I think they've been in business for about 18 months. I believe the chef's name is Michelle, and I'm sure she would answer any questions if you wanted to write or call her.

I don't think you're stupid and gullible... and I think your curiosity is warranted. Do let us know what you think, once you've prepared and eaten the bird, in as much detail as you'd like. Stupid and gullible would only apply if you couldn't tell any difference between the expensive bird, and any other bird, but continued to sink that kind of money into it because of snob appeal or some other equally ridiculous reason. Myself, no, I wouldn't pay that for a turkey, mainly due to financial constraints, but if I had the funds available, I might try it. But I also might not, because I don't know people to invite to dinner who would appreciate it. Most of my friends and relatives are people who would be quite content with a butterball, as long as there's plenty of gravy.

I just noticed that on the website for my hometown paper, a second business of this type will be starting up soon, apparently part of a franchise or chain. A local advertising agency will be handling the account for this company. The company's website is here. I hadn't realized a national chain of this type existed.

Yes, I have tried it. I tried it mainly to steal information and ideas about do-ahead prep at home, and I did receive several good ones. Our local business of this type seems to be going strong. We found we really liked only about 1/3 of the things we brought home, and those items were things like chicken, salmon, and beef that were seasoned and frozen, ready to thaw and pop in the oven for dinner. Other entrees, such as stacked enchiladas, meat loaf, and manicotti, we either didn't care for, or prefer our own recipe. We're unlikely to return, but I continue to subscribe to the e-mail newsletter to keep an eye on what's going on. Since I love to cook, there's really no reason for us to take advantage of this service, unless our lives somehow change drastically. But the experience did start me thinking about how I could prep ahead of time, to save cooking and cleanup time after work, and that has been a definite plus. Although it may seem that it's not a big deal to plunk a few pieces of chicken into a pan, season it, and put it in the oven, it actually can speed up meal prep quite a bit to have it ready to go, right out of the fridge, and I do it often. The thing to remember is that not only is the prep done, the cleanup is already done. It really can make a big difference, especially when I come home hungry, tired, and frazzled. I can do the side dishes, etc., while the meat is cooking. The meal is on the table faster and easier, and the cleanup is minimal. I referred a client to this service, and he's grateful and excited about it. He's a single dad, raising two teenage kids, and it's a godsend for him. The kids like the entrees, and he doesn't have to learn to cook. The kids can pop dinner in the oven, and it's ready to eat when he gets home, even if he's worked an extra-long day. I believe he told me that he does have the service actually put the dinners together, but I've encouraged him to take the kids and spend a couple of hours together getting their dinners ready.

I agree with the sentiments expressing a desire for detail. I live in an area of the country where it's difficult to get 'exotic' (for lack of a better term) ingredients, and I do need to know whether it's crucial to have a specific ingredient, or whether something else can be substituted. Also, I get frustrated when I see things like "Use only the best-quality olive oil." How am I supposed to know whether the Colavita on my grocery shelf is good enough? I'm not a widely traveled person, so there are many things I've never seen or heard of, but would love to try. I suggest that your specifics be explored in a sidebar-type box, or in an ingredients or methods discussion in the back of the book. The more details the better. If I can make superfine sugar in my food processor as opposed to purchasing it; that's great. But if a purchased product has attributes that I cannot reproduce at home, I would likely do whatever's necessary to find and purchase the product. Don't be afraid to use brand names! I recently made a much-revered cake from a book by a well-known author. She doesn't include any information about the expected texture of this cake, probably because the recipe duplicates a product widely sold in the New York City area. Unfortunately, I do not have access to it. My cake, which had very expensive ingredients in it, turned out mediocre at best... and I'm left to wonder whether I did something wrong --or maybe several things-- or whether I'm just not as crazy about this cake as everybody else is. The more you educate me, the more I'm going to treasure your book. I've never minded being accused of reading cookbooks like novels.

dls - Thanks! Wow! Okay, now another Kansas food memory. When I went to college at K-state in Manhattan, JD's Pizza had an unusual and yummy blue cheese dressing. I saw a recipe for it years later, which of course I've lost, and I remember it consisted of vegetable oil, blue cheese, and whipped cream. It was incredible with lots of black pepper sprinkled on it. Anyone have that recipe?

Yes, that is the recipe. I checked it with the one in Kathleen Kelly's "Favorite Recipes." Kathleen was the food editor at the Wichita Eagle for many years and I really, really miss her. Her cookbook contains an interview with Angelo Fasciano, who described the process in virtually the same words printed in the linked recipe. Unfortunately, Doc's garlic salad recipe is not in the same cookbook...

Other possibilities that I can think of, might be a New Orleans theme, in tribute to all of the wonderful things people are scared might not come back after Katrina. Something like this might have considerable emotional appeal, and might bring in more money for the organization. Also, and you may not have enough time to do this, but how about a sort of "Food of Christmas Past" idea, including things like plum pudding, goose, and other things that many people have always heard about but probably not tasted?

Williams-Sonoma currently has a two- part cake pan on their website, that makes a pumpkin-shaped cake. I'm not posting a link, because once the season is over, it likely won't work anymore. But if you go to their main page, www. williamssonoma.com, as of today you can see it there; if not, try searching for "pumpkin cake."

While I am excited about Sara going to PBS, I also know that my local station purchases very few cooking shows. Clearly, what is needed is the eGullet channel.

We've seen them on the shelf at the grocery store. I took one look at the calorie count, and put them back on the shelf. Snacks like this often become an addiction with me, and I just don't need another addiction!

A couple of stabs in the dark: Can you find a few people to bake for? Making a little money from your baking would allow you more money for quality ingredients. I think there are plenty of people out there who would love to have high-quality, home-baked items but don't want to do it themselves. To increase the convenience factor, you could even sell frozen cookie dough to these individuals, so that they can have warm cookies, straight from the oven. You might also look for a small business or bed and breakfast who might want that service for snacks or gifts for clients. If you know any professionals in the food industry, and if they'd be willing to help you out, you might explore the possibility of purchasing ingredients from them. My heart goes out to you; I work in a family law office and I see situations like yours often. I would expect your situation to be temporary. Things should improve significantly within a year or two.

Does PF still make the butter cookies with the jam in the middle? I haven't seen these in AGES and I miss them terribly. If they're still made, anybody know where I can get some????

eGullet has finished --or rather continued-- what the Food Network started, then abandoned: a wonderful, free education about good food and good cooking. Only in a college classroom have I elsewhere in my life, been prompted to expand my horizons. I've been exposed to new ideas, new foods, new subjects, new loves, and new understandings. I have learned that there is a difference between food snobbery, and food excellence. It's hard to articulate exactly what the difference is, except to say that I'll never be able to eat bottled salad dressing again. Canned vegetables don't work for me anymore, either. I have learned about vegetables I never knew existed, and have gained the courage to actually try some of them. I have developed a new fearlessness in cooking. Whatever happens, help is just a few minutes or couple of hours away. I have learned that tuna that sells for over $5 a can, is one of life's rare pleasures. Before eGullet, it would never have occurred to me to even try it. And sorry if this sounds schmaltzy, but if anything ever happened to the Internet, and I permanently or semi-permanently lost my daily eGullet fix, I would grieve as if I've lost my home and my best friend. Last but not least, I have learned, thanks to other's mistakes, such esoteric but important information as to not change tampons or go to the bathroom after handling habaneros without gloves. I have yet to ever chop a habanero in my life, but I do believe I am prepared, should it ever come to pass. And the look on my mother's face when I told her about it was priceless, so priceless. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for that one moment.

I hope you won't be discouraged. Pie baking is an art to be perfected. I've been baking pies since I was 11; some turn out well and some don't. When they don't turn out well, I always mentally go back over what I did, and I can always identify what I should have done differently. Consider using a pastry blender to blend the dough. The one I have is from Pampered Chef (I'm not necessarily recommending this brand; but if you can find one of their catalogs, you can see exactly what I'm talking about.) It isn't the type where wires are joined together at the handle. The working part is cut from a single piece of metal, and the working area would be described more as blades than wires. It's more rigid than the wire type, so the dough is worked more efficiently than it might be otherwise. I actually learned to make dough by cutting through the mixture with a fork held in my right hand, while spinning the bowl in 1/4 turns with my left hand. When my arthritis is flaring up, I use the pastry blender. I keep cutting through the dough until particle size is fairly uniform, and the particles are slightly smaller than peas. My grandmother taught me that after the liquid is added and the dough forms a ball, take it out and knead it gently in your hands about 5-6 times. This is a gentle folding motion, and nowhere near as strong a motion as you would use when kneading bread. This is what helps my piecrusts hang together well. If you want to refrigerate the dough at any point in the process, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Don't let it dry out at all! Also, the type of flour, and the humidity in your kitchen will control how much liquid you use. Toss the dough gently while adding liquid. I hope some of this will help. In my opinion, a good crust is more technique than recipe. I'm not sure I understand your objection to using tapioca or cornstarch as thickeners. When used in the proper ratios, they work well and don't detract from the texture of the filling. But it takes experience to be able to gauge the amount of moisture in your apples, and know when to adjust the amount of thickener. Technique and experience are important ingredients. Practice, practice, practice!

My niece, who is now a mother herself, was responsible for some of the best food stories and phrases in our family. Cheerios were "cho-cho's"; vanilla wafers were "Grandma Emma cookies." Those names, and others, have stuck for more than 20 years. Julie went through a phase, around age 3, in which all food had to be white. Noodles, yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes. Only white. Except chocolate --she, my father, and I are the family chocoholics. Dad has always kept a stash of chocolate bars, and one morning Julie asked for one. He honored her request, understanding that she was a generous child, and she would share with him. It was then that we became aware that chocolate was more than an occasional preference, and had reached addiction status with her. She turned the unwrapped bar over and over in her hands, and held it up to her nose and smelled it. Several times. Dad grew impatient; he wanted some chocolate! "Aren't you going to eat it?" he inquired. "Yeah," she said. "But I like to smell it, too. You know what, Grandpa? I always think of these in the night."

Can you freeze the demi itself? I'm hearing reports that various agencies have ice headed that way already, so you may be able to replenish it in a few days. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Keep us posted on how you are doing, whenever you can.

It arrived in this morning's mail! Flipping through it, it's written more in novel/autobiography form than blog form. I'm going to enjoy reading through it and then going back and comparing it with the blog. The writing seems to be every bit as witty, and I'll be interested to see whether it's lost any of its freshness. I really admire her writing, and especially her ability to do it, exhausted, after a rough night in the kitchen --and still manage to say something that is laugh-out-loud funny. This will be a treat! I sense an early lunch happening at the office today.

I'm extremely jealous. However, since I can't be in class, I'm willing to attend vicariously. Be sure to tell us everything !

I'm going to jump in here and throw in a customer's opinion. I've never worked in a professional kitchen in my life, but I've eaten plenty of their products. This weekend my husband and I returned to a small, local restaurant. It's a soup and sandwich place, and has wonderful food. I've been thinking about it for a couple of weeks... we haven't eaten there in awhile, and their cheese soup is a favorite of mine. (Fortunately, I have other favorites on their menu, too.) The soup was a major disappointment. It was not as I had remembered. Trouble is, was it a bad batch of soup, or did absence make the heart grow fonder? I really don't see myself ordering this soup again. I have a feeling that over the past year, since I've been making it a point to eat better food, my palate has improved, and the soup just isn't something I'm going to enjoy anymore. They make a marvelous BLT, though, and I'll return for that. Customers have a lot of choices, and there's always something new. Knowingly selling an inferior product is a betrayal of trust, and a good way to send a loyal customer straight into the arms of your competition.

I know this post I'm quoting is nearly a year old, but still, I have valuable advice. The way to tell whether you really love someone, and whether they are good enough to marry, is to evaluate them on the basis of their attitude towards cooking, food, and related issues. All other qualities are highly overrated. One boyfriend insisted on watching me cook, and attempted to criticize the way I was making quiche. When I found out he didn't actually know what quiche was, I knew right away that that was the last meal I'd make for him. Bye bye, John. Another had a whole series of health problems he was working on. He called me one evening and rattled off the list of things he'd had for dinner. Which included pineapple. Sounds good, I said. "But aren't you going to say anything?" he whined. "About what?" "I ate FRUIT! I don't like fruit, but I ate it because it's healthy. Aren't you going to say anything?" "No." I said. And then I informed him that if he wanted to be healthy, he knew what he had to do, and if he didn't care enough to do it, I saw no reason to expend the energy to pat him on the head. Sayonara, Bill. One very funny, pretty good looking guy had the oddest habit I'd ever seen. He would not eat hot (temperature) food. If I brought food to the table hot, he'd either sit and talk to me until it cooled down to room temperature, or he'd get up and put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Get lost, Daniel. See what I mean? My husband's only real fault is that he won't eat avocadoes. More for me.