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hummingbirdkiss, that is one of my girlfriend's family recipes! Although theirs is with frozen cubed hash brown potatoes. And, I have to admit, when I first saw the recipe it looked awful, but it is actually pretty good. The Swedish meatball recipe posted earlier is definitely one of the most disgusting things in the world. It reminds me of how my sister and I would make "mixtures" with our mom's spices and condiments when we were little. I really think some cookbook writers put together the weirdest stuff they could think of as a joke to see if anyone would really make it. My apologies to anyone who likes this recipe.

My girlfriend's grandma sent us a bunch of their usual family recipes, most of which are really good (mmm...beef stew). However, this one had us scratching our heads. Chicken Surprise 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 bottle Russian dressing 1 jar apricot preserves 1 package onion soup mix Mix all in a casserole dish and bake at 350 for one hour. Come to think of it, scratching our heads may have been a bit of an understatement of our reaction.

First off, percyn, chorizo corn bread? That sounds like one of the most delicious things ever thought of. May I be so bold as to ask for the recipe? I really think I have to make that as soon as possible. Ok, a couple of recent dinners: Last night was a simple roasted chicken. I've tried a ton of different ways of roasting chicken (basting, not basting, brined, cheesecloth, etc), but I think Thomas Keller's method from the Bouchon cookbook is the best way (the one at the beginning of the book). This was served with a chive twiced baked potato; the cheese on top is drunken goat. And then some mediocre (at best) bread. We also have an apple pie. This one was a little anemic, but oh well. Still tasted pretty good. Tonight's dinner was one of the last from our closest farmers' market (very sad when it ends). Bone-in sirloin with gremolata over a roasted butternut squash puree. Then steamed broccoli with toasted garlic breadcrumbs and pecorino romano. This time we had some good bread! The wine was a borolo.

Thanks, eynkiora! Based on the other pictures I've seen on this thread, that's a huge compliment. The fun play on the colors was my girlfriend's idea. I only wish we could have found green mozz and white tomatoes to go with the red basil.

monavano That mac and cheese looks so freaking delicious, not to mention the roast chicken. The zucchini may come in third, but it looks great too. A couple of recent farmers' market dinners (gotta love tomato season, it's always sad to see it go. First one is an appetizer. Your typical caprese with green zebras, red basil, and fresh mozzarella from the farmers' market. The next week was a salad of several different kinds of tomatoes (can't remember what), shaved zucchini, feta (definitely the best feta I've had), olive oil, and balsamic. Sorry about the poor picture quality. Last night's dinner was great. Monster bone-in ribeyes (from River Rock Farms at the Brookline Farmers' market) with a port/red wine sauce over sauteed kale with garlic, and potatoes sauteed in duck fat then tossed with parsley and chives. The potatoes didn't get anywhere near as brown as I would have liked, but they still tasted good. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with duck fat.

I will forever be loyal to the Spice House in Chicago. I don't live in Evanston anymore so I have to order online, but they have the greatest spices. Paprika (regular and smoked), cumin, and red pepper flakes are the ones I go through the fastest. It seems like I always have about a tablespoon left of each. They seem to pop up in so many types of cuisine, and they all taste great. Spices are a problem for me, though. My spice rack keeps growing and growing, and in a kitchen with severly limited space, that is starting to cause some issues. A small price to pay for good food.

They did it again! They highlight (briefly, but it was still there) the relationship between Casey and Tre, and then Tre gets the boot. It's ridiculous, this has happened the last few eliminations. If the producers keep up this trend, the rest of the show is going to get really annoying. I don't need to see an emotional attachment between two contestants, one of whom is eliminated that episode, just so I care about the show. Just show the cooking! Anyone else with me on this?

Has anyone else noticed that whenever the show highlights a new friendship, one of those contestants gets kicked off? I'm thinking of Joey/Howie, Lia/Casey, and Dale/Sara. It's a pretty annoying way of introducing unwanted (at least by me) drama into the show.

feedmec00kies, I'm right there with you on the vegetable chopper things. My girlfriend's stepmom got here one of those onion chopper boxes, which we have never used (I think it ended up shipped off to one of her brothers going to college). I've never had anyone tease me about my dice, but I definitely cringe every time I read a recipe calling for chopping veggies in a food processor.

What do you think is the most useless kitchen utensil or product? Be creative and don't hold back. Mine would have to be the shaker tops that are put on basically all spice jars. All these things ever do is get in the way. I'm looking forward to everyone else's thoughts.

I have no idea what any other Boston eGulleters think about it, but I love Petit Robert Bistro in Kenmore Square. The food is great all around and the prices are outstanding. For lunch, definitely head over to Parish Cafe, they have the best sandwich lineup of any restaurant I've ever seen. Publick House in Washington Square is the best pub around, for both food and beer, although it fills up quickly. Happy eating!

little ms foodie, I actually left the cartilage in the wing during cooking. I love cooking meat on the bone, as I think this provides much better results. Once cooked, the skate just slides easily off the cartilage. Give it a try sometime! Peter the eater, definitely give skate a try. I know some people aren't huge on the texture, but I love it. Your sweetbreads look awesome, they are without a doubt one of my favorite foods of all time. You're lucky to be able to find them in a store, I've always had to order them. Let us know how your skate turns out

Dinner last night was skate in brown butter with steamed asparagus with fleur de sel and lemon. This is definitely one of my favorite meals to make, and it is even better when I don't feel like doing as much work in the kitchen. Shelby, that hot dog looks so good. I just might have to take a trip down to the the Common today and find a hot dog cart.

In my opinion, Lou's is the best, followed by Uno. I've never really liked Giordano's as I find their crust to be too dry.

Chufi, that sheep looks soooo good. What cut is it?