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I'm preparing to host a dinner for my sister and her boyfriend in honor of her birthday. I would really like to have a wine pairing, but I personally know very little about wine, so I thought I might enlist the help of the talented eGulleteers. I need something in the low-mid price range, too. If anyone could offer some advice, I would be so grateful! Here's the basic layout of the menu, in terms of flavors: Avocado, Radish Tomato, Red Wine Vinegar, Olive Oil, Bread Scallop with Orange Beet, Green Apple, Olive Oil Salmon, Polenta Pea, Mint White Grape, Vanilla Blackberry, Cantaloupe Vanilla, Pear, Almond Hazelnut, Chocolate, Blackberry Thank you so much!

I made some brownies just yesterday! I use an adaptation of Alton Brown's recipe, and, if I may say so myself, they are absolutely delicious. Nice and chocolatey, and I plan to freeze my next batch so that I can have warm, fudgy brownies for a few weeks without having to buy pound after pound of flour.

I look forward to new posts by Shauna at Gluten Free Girl (who has taught me so much about celiac), and Adam at Amateur Gourmet is always fun to read. I also like Orangette, 101 Cookbooks, Chocolate and Zucchini, and the Domestic Goddess.

Two nights ago was majadara-- caramelized onions, lentils, and basmati riced cooked to creamy deliciousness with rice pudding for dessert (sister got her wisdom teeth pulled and couldn't chew). Last night was pistachio soup (inspired by the March Gourmet) and a radish-cucumber pickle, with brownies for dessert. I have some onion confit going on 24 hours right now, so that will probably be my dinner with a little bread and some salad.

I like a mix of .5-1 Tblspn each natural and dutch-process cocoa powder, with 1-2 Tblspn sugar and a pinch of kosher salt for every 1-1.5 c milk. I mix .25-.5 c of the milk into a slurry with the other ingredients as I heat the rest of the milk, then mix it all together. Delicious, and very rich.

Rosemary. I just plain don't like the taste! Give me thyme or basil ( ) any day. And veal-- I don't like the taste, the texture, anything... It's been awhile since I've tried it, so I'd be willing to try it again, but no guarantees.

Well, I bought the Benriner! I love it, but I still have to get used to the julienne settings, definitely-- I don't quite have them figured out yet.

I really need some advice, quickly if possible, about buying mandolines. I've pretty much narrowed it down to either the Super Benriner ($50) or the adjustable Kyocera ($30). I think it may be worth it to get the Benriner and have the julienne blade, but I'm not positive... Does anyone have experience with both brands? Thanks!

Culinary Artistry by Dorenberg and Page, for the third time... Gear for Your Kitchen by Brown, second time and Working the Plate by Styler... and those are just the food books. Firstly, I hope I did the links right... took me long enough. Secondly, is it a sign of addiction that I take CA and WtP with me every time I go on vacation? I NEED them, goshdarnit!

This confuses me a little... I buy water bottles because a) they are easy to carry around and not worrisome to lose, and b) the water tastes better. What's wrong with that?

There are two different things referred to as cinnamon-- 'real' cinnamon and cassia, which is what most Americans know as cinnamon. However, I doubt this would have much bearing on the topic at hand because 'real' cinnamon is milder not spicier than cassia, and has a gentler sweetness. I would go with cassia/cinnamon oil, as others have said, as the culprit for 'spicy' cinnamon.

Well, I know a little bit... Potassium nitrate (KNO3) is often used in salt substitutes because of it's salty flavor; it is naturally occurring though (I believe) most compounds produced for commercial use are produced in laboratories. But, I suppose, seawater is an aqueous solution of NaCl, KNO3, and... MgSO4, I believe. (Word names would be sodium chloride, potassium nitrate, and magnesium sulfate (not anhydrous...heptahydrate?), aka salt, saltpeter, and epsom salt) They would "use geyser steam" (WOW! ALL ORGANIC!! I must buy this stuff now) to evaporate the water, leaving behind crystals of the three compounds.

Ah, reading that link helps out a lot... Still, a big part of me thinks it must be illegal to mislead the customer by making them think that they are eating actual salt. In reality, that "low sodium" sea "salt" is just salt plus magnesium and potassium (probably potassium nitrate). Very misleading.

I'm looking for a good, reliable online source for spices... as far as I know, there are no spice shops around where I live. (if anyone knows any around DC, that would be preferable) I've been looking into www.thespicehouse.com Does anyone have any experience with them? If not, are there any other good (relatively inexpensive) online vendors I should look into? Thanks!

YUM!!! that sounds awesome!! do you have a tortilla press? ← Nope, unfortunately no tortilla press.. made do with my hands and a little bit of contortion, though! Yours sounds fantastic too-- I want some of that ice cream!