BeeZee

if there is great debate about what makes a great "X", it intrigues. When there's acknowledgement of dozens of variations, a long history...well that is my current fascination, mole sauce. I have some time off the next 2 weeks so a chance to try some of those long set-aside recipes.

No matter how much coffee goes up, I'm buying. I only drink one cup a day, black, and it is important to me. Other things, I'll just buy less frequently or figure out how to "extend" them. Example...hubby loves Sabra hoummus, which is $3.69-$3.99 for a tub and he can easily eat 2 of them a week. If I make some homemade (which isn't the same flavor/texture, but he likes it) and mix the two, I effectively cut the cost in half.

one of the companies I used to do business with had someone bring in warm, fresh soft pretzels from the bakery in South Philadelphia on Fridays...mmmmm

we used to go to my grandparents' house for dinner on Sunday...obligatory stop was Wall's bakery for 7 layer cake. They were from Austria and sub par cake was not an option. And I also get nostalgic when I see a bakery using plain white boxes with that red and white cotton string to tie them up, it reminds me of that time...

Huge pet peeve of mine. Sets my teeth on edge when I see a description "...to perfection" (ie, "roasted to perfection").

I do something similar to Melissa with 3 ring binders. The reason I like that format (vs keeping them on the computer) is that when I'm planning a menu I like to pull the potential recipes out and scatter them on the kitchen table so I can evaluate the whole menu, appetizers to dessert. That way I can re-shuffle and winnow down to the finalists.

Cinnamon and nutmeg, sometimes a pinch of cardamom. For the liquid, I often do half water and half milk (cow/soy/almond - depends on what I have). Dried fruit, chopped if larger. Drizzle of maple syrup or honey. Sometimes I just mix in a spoonful of preserves for fruit flavor/touch of sweet.

don't discount "nature vs nurture"...I love cooking and my sister hates it. She likes eating, but the process does not interest her. I think some kids just have a natural interest and/or affinity and if they have parents that appear to have fun preparing food, they will naturally gravitate to the kitchen.

one of my first jobs out of college I worked at a strange company which was run by the family, the queen bee was the 70 year old matriarch. They refused to supply any kind of coffee setup, saying that you should drink it at home. She scowled at all of us with our thermoses that we were forced to bring in with our brew of choice, but couldn't stop us. Ah, memories.

Very critical to the assembly...squeeze that spinach very thoroughly (after defrosting or cooking the fresh leaves), you need it as dry as you can so you don't get spinach water messing up the lovely crispness. Tiny pinch of nutmeg in the mix is nice (optional).

Apple Jacks. Half of the box, or probably close to it. They didn't taste as good as I remembered, they don't have those little cinnamon-y hard bits on the outside any more. I just kept shoveling them into my mouth despite that. Blech.

My sister, who was mostly vegetarian for many years, found that when she had to take steroids for a medical issue she got mad cravings for rare beef.

For me, it depends on the cheese. One of the most edible items back in college was grilled cheese made with (I believe) velveeta or something like that. They got an incredible crust on that bread. Served with tomato soup, it was eagerly looked forward to in the dining hall. When I was a little kid, it was Kraft singles...so my grilled cheese sandwich benchmark is gooey cheese. Toasted cheese, I prefer a cheese that maintains some structure, like swiss or provolone. Bread is toasted first, then cheese on top and back in to the toaster oven to melt. And I agree with Kerry Beal, that tends to be a breakfast thing for me.

Steven, do you ever get to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ? They have bento supplies including little bottles for sauces.

I'm same as Munchymom...my stomach takes 2 hours to "wake up" and I can't get anything except black coffee and maybe a 1/2 of a banana down in the morning. Since I drive around quite a bit for work (sales) I keep a protein bar in my pocketbook so if I'm hungry in the car around 10am I eat. I just don't wake up hungry and as a kid wasn't really into breakfast either. Maybe it has to do with blood sugar levels and how variable they are for an individual.

have a sales meeting for a couple of days in October, staying in Hotel Palomar - a short walk away...when I'm not trapped in endless droning meetings...I'm already gathering co-conspirators for a gelato run (or two).

I used to get a grilled cheese sandwich with chutney, that sweet/spicy flavor with cheese is good. Also recently had a 3 cheese panini which included mostarda, also tasty.

I have the small Cuisinart unit with the freezable container...it really does need to be frozen for a minimum of 24 hours in the coldest part of your freezer. Frankly, I think 48 hours is better if you can, your freezer may not be cold enough. And I also chill the ice cream mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes before pouring it into the frozen container to churn. My first batch was one of their basic recipes as well, had no problem. The good news is, the mistakes still taste good!

If you have a Trader Joe's market near you, they have several unique nut combos that incorporate spices. Since their stock rotates in and out, hard to tell you what to look for, but they are featuring one now that has dried rosemary if you like that flavor. And they seem to have cashews featured in a lot of the mixes (which is a good thing in my opinion).

Just had some of that flavor 2 days ago...didn't taste any spinach, very faint artichoke, but also found it too oily. I like the hoummous with pine nuts the best.

A sail sounds lovely. Did you pack a lunch or dinner? 7/4 doesn't have to be bbq. I have fond memories of my time in D.C. and planning the picnic dinner to accompany the National Symphony concert on the Capitol lawn before the fireworks. No bbq. Always my mom's potato salad, with eggs AND bacon. We bring supplies to make lunch out on the water...couple of types of bread, sliced roast beef and turkey, coleslaw, tomato, chips...snacks when back in dock at the end of the day...no dinner after all that! My parents have a nice boat with a refrigerator so we can load it up with good stuff.

Hubby and I were sailing on the 4th so we lit the inaugural flame (so to speak) on the new grill on 7/5...tuna steak and sweet white corn grilled...salad of chopped tomato and avocado. A nice summery meal after a late afternoon round of golf.

3 months later...I watched what I ate a little more carefully, increased fiber intake, and have taken a natural plant stanol/sterol supplement every day. Cholesterol dropped from 210 to 203, not huge, but a move in the right direction. My "good" cholesterol level is good, so I'm fine for now.

When I was a kid and getting interested in cooking, my parents let me make baked alaska for them and another couple they had over for dinner. My first foray into something that seemed "exotic"...obviously not terribly complicated, but I remember being pretty proud of the result. For a kid, the concept of putting something with ice cream into the oven is pretty dramatic.

My favorite healthy snack these days is Lundberg's brown rice cakes. Good base for various toppings, and they actually have a little flavor, not totally styrofoam-like.