LoriZig

Have you read about this unfortunate "treat?" Pork buns with CARDBOARD I just came back from a trip to China and am dearly hoping the pork bun I had was not made by this charming entrepreneur.

Don't laugh-- Vosges just came out with a bacon chocolate bar! It's supposed to be delightful and I'm dying to try it (salty + sweet goodness!!), but alas, they're out of stock! I'm going to look for the Elvis cups at CVS tonight. I hope they have them!!

I loved them as a kid, but they always made the back of my throat "itchy" (for complete lack of a better term) feeling! Am I the only one? (Probably... sigh.) I love the idea of giving them out for Halloween!

We were in Hyannis last weekend and had some delicious treats! First, we went to the Naked Oyster We were starving and had not eaten all day... so we gorged on incredibly fresh and sweet oysters on the half shell, oysters on the half shell with sour cream and caviar, Oysters Rockefeller, Barbecued Bleu Oysters (blue cheese, carmelized onions, bbq sauce and bacon, and still, the oyster shined through!), and Oysters Bienville (chopped mushrooms, onions, shrimp and topped with bacon) The oysters were all incredible, but the "naked" ones were the best. Huge, super-fresh Wellfleet oysters- the perfect combination of really sweet and the taste of the ocean. I could've eaten my weight in them had I been given the chance (or the wallet). The restaurant itself is very pretty- dark wood and wrought iron fixtures, with beautiful hand-crafted hanging lamps over the bar, designed to look like abstract seashells. I was worried when we stepped in, wearing khakis and cotton tops, but as posh as the surroundings were, the service was totally down to earth and friendly, and we were followed in by patrons in everything from beach wraps and jeans to dressier button down shirts. We also had great drinks made by the restaurant's manager, Christian. He was an absolute peach and kept us laughing while we chatted and downed our oysters at the bar. He's been there for years and really made the experience for us. Later that evening, we also had some great drinks made by a swell bartender at the Black Cat cafe on Ocean Street. The next day, we went here: Collucci Brothers Diner This is the place that they did the meatloaf "throwdown" on the Bobby Flay Food Network show. After dining on said meatloaf, mashed potatoes, wonderful gravy and fresh, perfectly cooked zucchini, I can honestly say that Flay never had a chance. It was by far the best meatloaf I have ever had. And I might as well come clean... in addition to the meatloaf, we also had to try their other house specialty: Italian home fries made with sweet Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, onions and cheese. The potatoes were super crisp on the outside (not at all burned) and perfect on the inside, and sprinkled with cheddar cheese and piled high with really sweet red peppers and onions, with some sausage hiding here and there. Heart attack on a plate, but man it was good! The diner is smaller than it looks on tv, the staff was really friendly and obviously proud of their fame and food (and Red Sox!). There are so many other places I wanted to try! We'll just have to go back!

I know I'm late on this, but, I've had some very tasty (albeit somewhat pricey) meals at Bella Vista, but it's been about 2 years since the last time I dined there (Chris, have you been there recently?) It sits right above the main staging area of Waterfire and the outside seating especially, would offer a great view of the goings-on. If you're willing to walk just a few blocks, the Trinity Brewhouse is one of our favorites for delicious microbrewed beer and reasonably priced, delicious pub food.

I only caught the tail end, so I'll definitely tune in again to see what I missed, but I immediately thought of the Julia Child SNL skit! Great minds think alike? Sugarcookie- you're right on about first episodes, as well.

Oh, do I have a recipe for you! We make this whenever pork roast is on sale. Pulled Pork in a Crock Pot -boneless pork roast (about 2 pounds) with the layer of fat removed Rub: -1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper -1 tablespoon dark brown sugar -1 tablespoon paprika -2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt -1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper Mop: 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper 1 tablespoon coarse salt 2 teaspoons vegetable oil Mix together the rub ingredients, and rub all over pork, pressing to make sure it sticks. Throw mop ingredients into Crock Pot, and add the roast. Cook on low for 8 hours, turning once. Take out of pot and shred with forks. Mix with a little bbq sauce and serve on buns.

Leftovers for me: brown rice ziti homemade tomato basil sauce homemade Italian-herbed chicken breast Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower with sea salt a piece of raspberry fruit leather large DD iced French vanilla with skim milk and Splenda

Ah, yes- avocadoes! The richest sandwich I've ever had was an egg salad/avocado sandwich. It was delicious, rich and protein and calorie-filled. Which brings to mind salads made with mayonaise: - Chicken salad made with thigh meat - Egg salad - Ham salad - Crab salad - Tuna salad melts - Adding olives to salads and other dishes is another way to up the calories, fat, and general yumminess. I also started thinking about breakfast foods: - Stuffed french toast (stuffed with a cream cheese/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture) - Omelets/fritattas/quiches made with cream and butter, and stuffed with cheese and meat - Pancakes - Sausage, ham, bacon - Cereals with cream and brown sugar

I've been thinking about your post all day and am so impressed with everyone's suggestions. The only additional things I could come up with are rather simple, but I tried to think of things that were comforting and with some decent nutritional value: - Whole milk yogurt- like Brown Cow, with the layer of cream on top. - Whole milk yogurt smoothies made with frozen fruit, bananas, peanut butter and honey. - Homemade macaroni and cheese - Cubes of cream cheese melted into sauces and soups - Cooking things in bacon drippings or schmaltz - Prime rib - Mashed potatoes with butter, cream, and smoked gouda (rich but the smokiness gives it a little edge) - Pasta with melted brie and roma tomatoes - If they love fish, salmon I don't know if any of this will help, but I wanted to at least try. Best wishes to your friend and to all of you who are helping others.

I find that I keep coming back to this thread to look again and again at the fabulous meat-on-sticks picture. I love No Reservations so, so much. My husband and I have watched each episode twice so far. Even the repeat is way better than anything else on tv. Bravo to all involved.

That might just make me subscribe to the Sunday newspaper again!

I don't even think that woman can be considered a chef, cook, or even a food celebrity. Anyone who takes store-bought angel food cake, slaps bright Tiffany blue frosting and some fake pearls on it and calls it dessert doesn't deserve to have a book out. Feh. I love: Tony Bourdain - He'd make boiling water interesting. Alton Brown - I love the science lessons and goofiness. Mario Batali - Oh the food this man makes. Ming Tsai - I've caught him a couple of times on a local (MA) cooking show, and I really love the food he makes and respect his modus operandi. Julia - Does this even need to be said? I don't love, but do have a soft spot for: Emeril - he was my husband's first inspiration to start cooking, plus I met him once and he really was lovely Paula Deen - I know, I know, but watching her on her wedding special just charmed me. But I still think her sons are creepy. Yan - One of the first chefs I ever watched on TV. I always had to order take-out after watching one of his shows. I appreciate but am annoyed by: Ina Garten - and I do a damn good impersonation of her laugh. Unh-huh-huh-huh-huhhh. Rick Bayliss - I just can't watch him. Or even look at him. I respect his wealth of knowledge but I just can't deal with the guy himself. Bobby Flay - That spectacle on Iron Chef made me wince at the thought of it, for days. The cockiness bugs me. That said, he seems more dorky lately than anything, which I like, and his food looks/sounds really amazing, so there's hope. Rachael "Ra-Ra" Ray - yes on the EVOO thing and let's add to that her constant bleating laughter and her miraculous idea of keeping a bowl out for garbage while you're cooking. That said, she has her moments, seems like she's genuinely nice, and I like some of her ideas. I can't stand: Todd English - dear G-d, why is this man so successful? Creepy, cocky, and thinks he's a gift to women everywhere, when in reality he's just keeping the local health department in business. Rocco DiSpirito - oh, please.

Oga's is wonderful from soup to nuts (figuratively speaking). One of my best friends and I, sushi addicts both, embarrassed the heck out of my husband there once, our exclamations of delight were so numerous and possibly, um, loud. John Harvard's in Natick is a small NE chain, but the food is really good pub style food and their site-brewed beers are always delicious (root beer too!). If they have the butterscotch pudding on the menu, by all means partake! Plus, there's a nice patio, although the view is of the parking lot. In Worcester, I highly recommend Boyton's pizza, right across from the WPI campus. I recommend ordering the seafood pizza and any combination with eggplant. It's a student hang-out, so it's noisy, but I've never been disappointed in their terrific pizza.