LindsayAnn

I eat tons of popcicle type treats. I love Whole Fruit Bars, Bomb Pops (also knows as Firecracker bars...you know the Red, White and Blue Bars which are flavored Cherry, Lemon Ice and Blue Rasberry and so refreshing!), Minute Maid Fruit Bars (which have tons of Vitamin C, and Come with grape, oranage and cherry and are fruity delicious!). I also Love Ice Cream of course, and just picked up a gallon of mint chocolate chip, you know the white icecream that is mint flavored with the black dark chocolate shavings in it I freeze fruit too, usaully bananas and grapes...both are wonderful to munch on frozen and even better when they just start to thaw a bit. I also love making smoothies. I blend whatever is around, frozen fruit with fresh fruit, juice and once in a while yogurt..and if I am only using fresh fruit I add ice. My favorite combo is Watermelon/Orange or Cantelope/watermelon. The melon textures make for wonderful smoothies...its the crispness and large water content of these fruits that work so nicely. Also, banana also works with strawberries or bluwberries or oranges too! MMMM GOOD

Currently waiting for pancake batter to thicken so I can start on my PMS din din. This is a very odd craving for me, but nevertheless here it is, and satisfy it I must. On my menu: Buttermilk pancakes - will cook to golden brown mmm mmm Bacon - fried of course!!! Scrambled eggs, cooks in left over bacon grease Cannot wait!

Ah, I love amusement park food and the like (festivals, boardwalks, etc...) - I love water ice and italian ices, frozen lemonade, soft pretzels with tons of cheese on the sauce to dip the pretzel in, hot dos with mustard and dill relish, sometimes sour kraut too, candy apples, cotton candy...mmmm

Gosh guys - not so sure that I can keep this to just one! As far back as I can remember I loved my mothers tacos...I can make really good ones, but my mom still keeps me in her dust. Quite simple - ground beef (the good stuff, not the dry lower fat versions), browned to perfection and seasoned to taste with salt, peper, garlic, onions, and some others (sesasoning salt, etc...). Taco shells (corn, hard shells), baked in oven until crispy, with a golden brown tint. Freshly shredded sharp cheddar, colby jack, and mild cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, black olives, sour cream, refried beans, fresh salsa, guac. if we were lucky....essemble yourself, with each ingredient having its own bowl. Taco nights were the best! My moms pizza steak on the grill then under the broiler...this is her spin off of great steak with pizza toppings on top (sounds weird, but its great!). Steaks are grilled to a little under rare, then topped with fresh tomatoes in thier juices, garlic, onions (minced), and shredded mozzerela and provolne cheeses. Place under the broiler until steaks are rare or medium rare(whatever you prefer) and the cheeses are bubbley and ozzing, browned on the top. SO good! My mom's famous casserole. I make this all the time, and my fiance loves it too. Better heated up as leftovers even! Very simple. Take egg noodles and cook till al-dente (or a little under al-dente actually!). Then drain and season with salt, and mix in a large bowl with sour cream and cottage cheese...I dont know measurements as I do this so often I just know when its right by now. Then brown ground meat (again, not the super lean kind) season with salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic. and...once done, drain excess grease and place back on stove, add a can of tomato scauce (maybe not whole can..you need to eyeball this too). stir until combined and moist but not dripping wet with scauce. Now in a casserale dish (one about 6-8 inches wide by 5 or so inches deep...this can be off because you can do as many layers as you would like). Now, layer in this exact order: first a layer of the noodle/sour cream/cottage cheese mixture, then a layer of the ground meat/tomatoe scauce, then a layer of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and repeat. Sometimes I do one layer of each if my dish is not very deep, and others times I use a deep dish and do 2 layers of each. Make sure you start with the noodles, and on the very top end up with the shredded cheese. Now, in the oven (at about 350 degrees), bake the dish until the cheese is melted and a little browned around the edges. This is the ebst dish ever. If you are interested in this recipe, and want to make it let me know, I can get the measurements of each ingredient from my mom so you can make it...but after you taste this you will love it as will any picky eater out there, and after you make this a few times you will ditch the measurements as you will be able to tell by the look/moistness of each component of this dish...as I have!!! This was always my birthday dish!!!

Plawless - I love what you are doing...if You find the time, please post more pictures - they are wonderful and help your readers better understand and visualize the wonderful fresh food you are creating. And, your daughter....simply beautiful. What a cutie - watch out for her when she gets older - the boys will go CRAZY!

I loved the cheese scause McDonalds offered for a while for french fry dipping. It was some kind of Wisconsin Cheddar...that soft gooey cheese in the little plasitc container...you'd peel off the top and it was already warm and melted. I would eat the left over cheese plain...with my fingers. My dad used to bring my older brother and I there. I was about 11 or 12, my brother Brian was 13 or 14.

I had two, yes two bagel dogs from Einstein Bagels...delicious. Ddesert was a drumstick! MMMM SO GOOD. I am lazy today yes I know. And my breakfast, also from einstiens - blueberry bagel with loads of cream cheese!

Man am I dispointed. I ate purchased Activa a while ago, ate two within a few days and noticed nothing...but I am going to try again. Maybe I just missed the change, or manybe I didnt give it enough time! Starting on these, once again, today!

Alright ladies...my boyfriend (sorry to mention the 'B' word in here) are leaving for vacation in about 5 hours (cab to the airport at 4 AM!!!). Going on a 7 night cruise to the Eastern Carribean. I will be sure to post my food experiences when I return. I am looking forward to good food, good seafood hopefully! My most anticipated things that await me though, are the two nights that the ship host's the MIDNIGHT BUFFET...so many chocolate deserts that any PMSing gal would be in heaven. Meats galore...and lots and lots of pasta, cheese's and so much more. NOW GET ME ON THAT BOAT P.S The boat has 13 restaurants, including a few buffets, all the food is free! Paid for with the cost of the vacation. Even room service, free 24/7! I am going straight to heaven right now!!!

Welcome, LindsayAnn! Italian ices can be found in the Taylor Street neighborhood, just west of downtown near the University of Illinois campus. Particularly wonderful on warm days. Enjoy. Always glad to see another Chicagoan on the board! ← Thanks Lady T! Hmm I will def. be heading to Taylor street to check that out. Hehe...before I signed on here I was in Wrigleyville on Southport and stoped by Anthony's italian ice and got a large take home container of watermelon ice. MMMM so good. Right before that stop I was at the drive thru of Taco Bell...grrr 3 soft shell chicken tacos and 3 hard shell beef...gotta have a lil soft and chewy and a lil crunchy. AHHH the red tide....always know when she is near...unfortunetly! Thank you all who have welcomed me! So glad to be a "participating member"! Now...I must go fund the jar of peanut butter!

[Moderator note: The original PMS: Tell it Like It Is. Your cravings, Babe topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the preceding part of this discussion is here: PMS: Tell it Like It Is. Your cravings, Babe (Part 1)] Ah FINALLY! I have been reading a variety of eGullet topics as of late, but have been especially dedicated to this PMS post! You gals are halarious! I jsut finally figured out how to upgrade my membership to "participating" mode, and can now comment! Horray for me! I also get cramps with my monthly little devil, I mean friend..hehe With the lovely cramps, I often crave peanut butter, fats, crunchy foods (think fried foods, chips, etc) and ALWAYS red meat! Love those burgers, steaks....mmmm Fried chicken is always a good bet...as are taco from..ahhemm...taco bell. I know I know its bad, but I love that place. A weird craving I experience is Italian ice...go figure! I wish we had water ice here in Chicago (Like the magificient kind from Phili!)... These last few days I have been PMSing and wanting those chinesse rice noodes, the fried ones that chinesse restaurants serve as appetizers (or at least used to serve, I haven't seen those for ever!!!)...I buy em' at the grocery store though, and dip little fingerfuls into sweet and sour sauce, such a great combo...crunchy little salted fried things in a sauce that's sweet and sour all at the same time...DELISH! I often crave frozen grapes and smoothies too...hehe Today, I had the following (a little guilty bout it too!) breakfast - Starbucks Grande Carmel frapachino w/ extra whip and a rice crispy treat Lunch - three slices Dominos cheese pizza...with loads of parmasion cheese on top for extra measure Snack between lunch and dinner - hugs hershy kisses, left over egg drop soup and sweet and sour chicken (with rice mind you) from last night, 2 pks fruit snacks...I know that's gross too! Din-Din - salsberry(sp!?!?!) steak with macaroni and cheese, a cantelope and watermelon smoothie made by ME!!!! And half my boyfriends burger that I found in the fridge loaded with onions, avacado, cheese and bacon....mmmmmm