Toasted

So happy for you and your family! Best wishes to you all.

Isn't that the "Real Meal" oven? It's definitely different from the traditional "Easy Bake". Is it still powered by the 100 wt. light bulb? The Pommes Anna looks yummy, btw ! The most creative thing we've made in the E.B is a tiny grilled goat cheese and basil sandwich- which took about 20 minutes and got eaten in two bites. Still, my children love this toy for some reason, even though I'd be happy to let let make things in the real oven. Must be the cuteness factor!

While watching this I tried to imagine what it would be like to go to Steven's or Dave's house for dinner. I think Steven would make you hang out on his door step, oblivious to the pouring rain, in order to "educate you" on the food and wine planned for the evening. Now Dave would run out with an umbrella the second your car rolled in. He'd towel you off, get you a drink and settle you in front of the fire before he runs to the bathroom and cries because the brioche is slightly burnt. Steven might finally let you in but you'd sit there, uncomfortable in you wet clothes and without food or drink until he finished impressing the next guests. Now, once Dave has had a good cry, you're going to be catered to and pampered for the rest of the night. This guy has a good heart and a sweetness to him and I think that's why he won the award. Steven, on the other hand, would insist that your stomach stop grumbling because it's making it hard for the others to hear about the food they are about to eat, some day, even though it may be cold, and half of the guests are dead from hunger, YOU WILL LOVE IT! YES YOU WILL! Even if you say you don't like it and write down on little cards that you don't like it, well, you're still Wrong! Steven's food is always awesome people and if you don't love the food then you just don't deserve to eat all. It's not Steven's fault, it's your fault for just not "getting it".

Ok, soooo, I'll never eat tapioca pudding again! Seriously, I am so easily grossed out that if anybody says the littlest thing about a food it's all over. I'll either never eat it again or not for a long, long time. Creamy eyeballs people? Put that on the menu. I need to throw up now.

In my part of CT (South Eastern) 20% with no regard to the tax, is the usual, unless the service is really bad. It's just expected around here. I think it's more a habit than anything else. A few weeks ago I brought some friends to a well known, fairly expensive restaurant in the area. The food was great but the waiter was horrible. Cork in the wine glasses, thought it was funny when he mixed up the order......it went on and on...water glasses not filled, dessert menu not offered, a long wait to get the check...Anyway, it was my treat even though another friend wanted to get the check. I grabbed it away from her and saw that she was going to give 20% even for the rotten service. I paid and left about 7% and then asked my friend later about the 20%. She told me that she always leaves 20%, no matter what.

Sounds great. I'm going to make those portabellos for dinner tonight. Thanks.

No, just no.

Sounds great to me! Now how do you make those cheese baked olives? The cubes of cake and fruit have me drooling. I'm thinking mango and chocolate carmel cake cubes with some white chocolate drizzled over or maybe some rasperry puree-so many options. So hit us with the cheese baked olives when you get a chance, K?

Polenta on a stick. Make the polenta (put anything you want in to it but make it extra firm) spread out into a pan and refridgerate overnight. Cut into squares and skewer on to sticks. Spray with olive oil and broil it in the oven until brown or grill it. Serve this with: marinara sauce, pesto, gorganzola cream sauce (my favorite) or all in little dipping bowls. Really good and perfect for cookouts as well.

I picked up some of the veg. demi-glace gold at our local Stop & Shop. I still haven't decided what to do with it. If anyone's looking- I found it in the soup section next to the bullion cubes.

High Chef- I had a headache for a week- could be nicotine withdrawl, I don't know. Moody and pissed off, yes I can relate but it's getting better. As of tonight, I haven't smoked in a month, and I am determined never to smoke again. Drink a lot of water and start walking- it really helps. Good luck everyone.

The only one I subscribe to is saveur. I love the photos and learn so much by reading it. Sometimes I pick up Food & Wine at the store if it looks goood, same with Vegetarian Times. I'll only buy a food magazine if I honestly think I can find a great recipe in that issue. Otherwise, it's a waste of money. I live in a town that has a used book store with an amazing selection of used cookbooks. Most of them cost less then half that I would pay for a cooking magazing. BTW: If you don't save your magazines maybe you might like to consider donating them to the following places: your local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, nursing or elderly home, incarceration centers, high schools, etc. Most of these magazines are at least $3.00-4.00 dollars in the US and many people can't afford them. My friends and I swop magazines back and forth until we're done and then collect them all and donate to one of the organizations above. Just being able to flip though these magazine inspires the people who cook at these facilites to make better food, even though they rely on donated goods. It's good for everyone.

Hello! Not drunk and I haven't smoked! The last two days were tough though, I actually feel more cravings recently than I did in the first week. Not sure why? As for my tastebuds: I think I over-salted most of my food. I've gone a little wild with my extra-not smoking money and have fresh herbs on hand all the time. It really makes a difference in everything I make. I'm looking into getting a small green house thing so that I can grow my own herbs and have them around all the time. Any suggestions of how to build one or website to buy one would be so appreciated. About wine: I've been drinking Banrock Station Merlot as our "house wine" for the past few months. Now I think it tastes too "plummy" and I'm sick of it but I like the price. Any good Merlot suggestions under ten bucks? Thanks again for the support. Everytime I log on and see a post from someone who quit is inspiring and keeps me going. Please keep posting, it helps more than you know.

Thanks Poutine, you said a lot of helpful things. This week has been hard for me and my weight gain is kind of scary. . Unlike other people, I want to eat and cook all the time. It keeps me busy! I'm also turning into a wino so look forward to drunken posts coming soon! Just kidding but yum, more suggestions for the red wine would be more than welcomed. I went to a wine tasting last weekend and couldn't believe the variety between the wines. Many of the wines tasted flat and/or/corked. I think the hostess got some of the bottles at the discount srore. thanks for yuour email. Melissa LaFemina

What I meant to say before my one year old slammed the keyboard was: Right- I felt the same way, completely psychotic and kind of stoned for the first few days. It gets better. I'm going on three weeks, cold turkey, no drugs, no gum, no cheating, and I feel ok now. I'll admit that I was a Bitterella for a while- I was mad! I felt like a baby who had it's binky taken away (kinda true if you think about it) However, the financial payoff of quiting is great: I just bought some wonderful truffle butter yesterday, and some makeup from Sephora, and some amazing shoes, all because I don't smoke anymore. Next week will be a month for me and I would love any suggestions for a great red wine under $50.00. Something that will go with pasta or polenta. I really want something special to test my "new" taste buds! Thank you for all the support. Melissa

Right

People, chime in! Let us know how it's going- good or bad- no judgement.

Cigarette free for three weeks! I feel great and no longer seem to need my allergy medicine. My new thing is coffee. Really good and expensive coffee from a place in Mystic called "The Beanery" I think. I never really understood why some people were so obsessed with coffee but now I know.

I would explain a little about wine glasses. Which ones to use for white or red wines. A lot of people don't know this. I just think wine tastes better in the right glass. Planning ahead is important. Clean your house the day before, pick out your outfit and get the flowers for the table. I want to enjoy my parties and spend time with the guests so I make everything that I can ahead of time. The most important part is to have fun! It's supposed to be fun so invite fun people, especially for the first few parties while you get the hang of the whole thing. The more dinner parties you give, the more comfortable you'll feel. The best parties that I've been to have not been the ones with the best food, but rather, the parties where the hostess and host just seemed really relaxed and so everyone else could relax too.

No snow but it's very cold. I can't believe the kids are playing outside. I just made smashed potatoes with leftover roasted garlic and tons of butter. We'll have that with my own vegetarian gravy over tofurkey slices on toast and a side of roasted brussel sprouts. My little daughter already made oatmeal choc. chip cookies so we're all set for dessert. I might make some rolls or bread too- I'm in the mood for cooking today.

I'd like to see a cranberry orange combination with some tiny dark chocolate chips.

Some of my favorites: Gorganzola with pear (pear is first sauteed in butter with chopped shallots) cool and then roll up in filo. Cabbage and potato seasoned with sour cream and caraway seeds, Parsnip and carrot mash with shredded swiss cheese, sweet potato with toasted crushed walnuts and dried cranberries, broccoli rabe with lots of garlic and cooked, sliced vegetarian italian sausage. Sometimes I top these with seseme seeds, the gorganzola one can be drizzled with a little honey/orange juice mix. So many varieties- perfect for a vegetarian main dish.

Right, Screw the fiddleheads! I could not, not live without Diet Coke. Diet Pepsi? You put the die in cola, oh, yes you did! Diet Pepsi is like a Bud light which means= all the bubbles but none of the flavor. In other words: Vile! Just my opinion as always.

I can't find it but wasn't there a thread about this? And people claiming that by bringing in our own food we were "stealing the movie theater's profits"? I can never find anything so Google Masters: Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, how many people have actually lived on a beef farm? Raise your hands! Ok, I have. My inlaws raise beef and we lived there for a few years in one of the rental houses while we went to collage. Some true things: they separate the calves from the moms at a certain age and put them in different fields. I think I came close to turning into an alcoholic from hearing those calves cry out to their mothers for days. It finally stopped when they were literally whipped into a meat truck and driven away. People don't want to hear about this and would love to "kill the messenger" but it's true. Spend some time on a farm and then report back before you flame me, ok? As for the duck thing: I know they eat all sorts of crap but trying to use that to rationalize stuffing a tube down its throat? No, still not cool. It has to hurt or at the least be very uncomfortable. Good for you that they're not verbal huh? Ok and then there is this whole other argument that because we're at the top of the food chain we can do whatever we want. Think about it and think about history. People used to treat other people as animals, things that were just there for their own uses. Slavery anyone? See, now we know that it was wrong but it took a while didn't it? Just food for thought people.