Toasted

Steven, so sorry about the munchos situation! I can relate, my nephew's came to visit, fell in love with the UtZ potato chips and couldn't get them in NY. I ended up going to the web site and sending them about sixty snack bags of the chips. If they ever discontinue Smart Food Popcorn I will die.

Glad that you had a good experience there. I've been there twice and the last time the dead flies in the salad bar put me off. Seriously, two dead flies in the salad. Yuck.

I don't have any suggestions. Just wanted you to know that I've been reading and enjoying this thread. I think you're doing a great job. That bean salad looked delicious. Reminded me of some of my favorite comfort foods such as: macaroni salad, potato salad, and of course, cole slaw. Thank you for sharing this experience with us.

Loved Red, White and Drunk all Over. A great book for anyone who wants to learn about wine. Funny at times and always interesting.

Fennel, sorry but I hate you. Eggplant- if you need so much work to be edible then I'll just dip my shoe in tomato sauce and call it a day. Parsnips- they just don't understand. You are so tasty in stews and when roasted. Someday they will love you. Maybe.

Great and thanks for sharing this recipe. I'm making it this weekend. I'm a big fan of the Pillsbury biscuits so I'm sure I'll love these.

I just do heavy cream, crumbled blue cheese, minced onion, lemon juice and s+p. Add as much cream as needed to make it thin enough.

I would of walked out too. Who has the time for this crap? I'm spending my money to enjoy a nice meal out and get screwed. I don't care who's fault it is, I won't be back. Name the restaurant or not. People still go to Olive Garden and Ruby Tuesday's even though the food is disgusting. I really don't think it will matter.

What? Eat the Bunny? No more Easter eggs for you! Don't eat the Bunny. Keep it in a nice big cage unless it's being supervised. My husband is still "emotionally scarred" by his mother chopping the heads off of his pet geese when they got too old. Oh, and probably by eating them in a soup that very night. So sad.

I just finished White House Chef by Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman. Great book. Facinating to learn about how they do the big State dinners. Lot's of inside info about the running of the White House as well. Now I'm reading Sound Bites by Elex Kappanos. Kind of a quirky book about what Elex ate while touring the world with his band, Franz Ferdinad. This is a quick read. Short chapters, some interesting, some not. I very much recommend Climbing The Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey. Great recipes and stories.

Instant gag reflex. Can't have it in the house. Besides, our Scobby Do air popper is too cute not to use.

Yup, which is really too bad, because she'd been such a good sport through the whole thing. Ah well...she's a great cook...she'll live to smother many a chicken in butter. ← I think she's a great cook. Has anyone tried her mushroom soup recipe yet? I made it the other night and it's wonderful.

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus. You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her. It's too bad she chose to do that. I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

Bad Wrap? How about a life long scar from that stupid edge? I have one on my thumb from when I was 12. I'm sorry Saran Wrap, it's been over for me for a long time. Plus, it doesn't really stick that well anyway. I guess I'm just a big fan of tin foil for most things. There are so many microwave containers out there anyway. I guess I just don't need you anymore.

Like many, I only knew him from his posts on Egullet. I'll miss him. The best to his family. Melissa

I have this thing for McDonald's hashbrowns. I just love them. My method is to bring them home, melt some velveeta in the micro, and dip the hashbrowns in the "cheese" bite by bite. Is this gross or as yummy as I think? Oh, never mind, it's yummy- as long as no one else is around to see me eat it!

Great blog, the kid's are adorable. Thanks for sharing your life with us. Happy New year!

Isn't tonight a rerun? I think the next one airs on Jan. 3.

Thank you for the pictures of your children, friends and pets. So beautiful! I love that your son wears candy canes in his ears, very festive and economical because you could just eat your earing if you get a candy craving. It's kind of like a candy necklace but for your ear. Weird and yet very cool. Best to all of you and happy New Year.

Kalamata olives, walnut oil, garlic, parsley, a bit of fresh rosemary. Grind up in the food processor and serve with pita chips, chunks of bread, or raw vegetables. I like to use a dark bread for dipping myself.

Mia seemed and looked very tired. I think she just gave up. It's too bad because I liked her a lot. I don't think she would have won but she could have stayed in there longer. Oh, and can they give it a break with the "throw me under the bus" thing? Getting old. Old I say.

I would dump them. Why waste good butter or olive oil?

This is really fun! Do you go to different grocery stores? Yes, either Big Y or Stop & Shop or both depending what's on sale. I also shop a couple of times a week at our local health food store and at BJ's if I need a lot of canned stuff. I don't use coupons but I do use the value cards. What do I usually buy? Juice, produce, yogurt, Diet Coke and tons of it, pasta, cheese, beans, tofu, bread. Meat or produce? We're all vegetarians The reject bin? Love it! I buy all the marked down produce I can get and make broths to freeze and and oh, all sorts of things. I usually use a list but never stick to it. We have two fridges with freezers, a big pantry and extra storage shelves in the garage. Do I enjoy shopping? I love it which is why I could never do one of those order-online- delivery things so popular today. My only peeve is that I usually have to shop with my two little one's which can be distracting at times.

Absolutely. It has a greasy taste to me. Totally ruins the coffee.

I didn't know what the drink was but I love that crazy glass! Thanks for blogging, this is very interesting reading.