Toasted

My 9 year old son loves gorganzola pizza. He and his 8 year old sister also love articokes, brussel sprouts, very spicy indian and thai food. It's great that they're so adventurous although it's killing me to have to share the pizza.

Woodburner- I think it depends on where you go and at what time. I happen to like Panera Bread because our experience in our local site has been quick and consistant in terms of the food quality. I like that they have fresh lemon slices for sodas and ice tea and also to squeeze in the black bean soup that I always order. I stay away from their muffins and some of the bagels but for the most part, I'm happy with the food and the service.

I think I may be giving birth to a Southern girl from reading too many of Mayhaw Man and Vartmit's posts. All I've craved through this whole pregnancy is cheese grits! Ok, so not on the relish tray but I'm bringing a big mess of them in a pot to give those yankee relatives of mine a taste of something good.

I'm just a little surprised that Mayhaw man hasn't found a little space on that tray to pile some grits on.

Yankee here! Same relish tray with the addition of radishes. We stuff the celery with a combination of blue cheese and cream cheese and sprinkle paprika on the top. Other than that, it's all the same and I bet we all have the same tray!

My husband suddenly realized about six months ago that he hates spinach. Fine, don't eat it! But don't freaking tell the kids about how disgusting it is because now they feel completely justified in refusing to eat it too! God, I am so pissed off about this. Other than this, we generally get along in the kitchen because he doesn't cook or clean up or put anything thing away ever. I know this makes him sound like a total jerk but he's great in all other ways- really!

I love those little tots! Bake them and add them to the top of a Shepherd's pie instead of mashed potatoes. Or top a veggie pot pie with them. Yum!

However if you do want to make a tasty seitan dish here's one: Not Beef Stew 2 cups diced seitan 2 cups diced onions 1/2 cup sliced celery 1 cup diced carrots 1 cup cubed potatoes 1 bay leave 2 or more cubes Knor vegetarian vegetable cubes 1/4 cup flour 2 Tbsp. or more Gravy Master (it's vegetarian) Vegetable oil water Saute seitan in about 2 Tbsp. veg. oil. When brown, add flour and cook until seitan is coated in flour and looks a little crispy. Set aside. In a large pot saute all vegetables in about two tbsp. veg. oil for about 5-10 minutes. Add seitan, 2 veg. cubes, bay leaf, Gravy Master, salt and pepper, and about 1/1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil and then let simmer, stirring occasionally for about an hour. Taste for seasoning and add more Gravy Master, salt and pepper or another veggie cube if needed- also more water if it's too thick. Add 1/2 pkg. frozen green peas if you want. I usually serve this with rice, or noodles, or sometimes polenta.

Still in shock here! Dragged the kids out of bed in the last inning to see the win. We could hear neighbors screaming in joy and beeping their horns. What a night. I'm making a big pot of our favorite black bean chili and some polenta fingers baked with chilis and chedder cheese for the victory dinner. The menu has nothing to do with the team or Boston, it's just a good combination.

It all sounds good to me. Iceberg lettuce, baco bits and Catalina dressing is one of my favorite cominations. I also like to mix it with other lettuce for crunch as well as a little height. I hate flat salads.

The worst was the 3-hour glucose tolerance test while pregnant. A whole bottle of nasty orange crap, and nothing else to eat or drink for 3 hours. I was very surprised that I hadn't hurled by the end of it. ←

Like Cusina, we usually get over a hundred kids each year. For the past two years I've been handing out snack packs of chips such as doritos, smart food popcorn, etc. That way the kids can bring them to school with their lunches, unlike the candy which isn't allowed in school. I get the individual bags at BJ's ( like a Cosco or Sam's club in different parts of the country) and save a lot that way. It's more expensive than candy but the kids and the parents really seem to appreciate it.

Ha! It's not just me and what do you think I'm eating right now? Someone asked if you could substitute other flavors of Doritos and I'm sure you could but then you'd probably add some black olives and your own homemade mayo, maybe some micro greens instead of the iceberg lettuce and then the whole thing would be shot to hell. My advise is to stick to the orignal recipe and eat it out of the bowl with the big wooden spoon. With the shades drawn, of course.

I love giving and receiving gift baskets but I've found that by the time I've filled them I've spent way more money on them then I expected!. My in-laws are quite elderly and love getting the Fruit of the Month club selections and sharing it with their friends so we just get them that every year. Last year we received a one time shipment of the most amazing bread ( I think it was from ME.) and I would love to get some of that again.

I want a bread machine and a good one this time- I only use it for making pizza dough but I miss the old one a lot. Also, some good knives and Santa I promise I won't put them into the dishwasher like I did last year. You can even send the elves to check up on me! Oh, maybe some measuring cups and some nice spoons, the kids drag everything out to the sandbox and then I never see them again. Oh yeah, some truffles, hate to sound greedy but my risotto has been suffering. I'll stop there Santa and I swear I've been very good, well, not good but not bad either.

I am a big fan of the Goya products, especially their canned cooked beans. They seem less mushy then all the other brands of cooked beans. I also agree that they're seasoning mixes are good and a great value as well.

If the Sox win there will be no eating because we will all be too drunk and horse and tired after screaming all night in the streets. Babies will be dragged out of their cribs long after bed time to view the miracle on tv. No one will be able to work the next day and basically, most of New England will just shut down for a few days while we relive the glory. After that, I'll think about whipping up a dish or two.

Boo Berry is good plus it turns the milk blue which I kind of like. My guilty pleasure is Dorito Salad or as my friends call it: " trailer trash Crap" 1 head iceberg lettuce chopped up 1 small jar mayo 1 jar taco sauce 2 cans drained pinto beans 1 large onion minced 1 large bag Dorito's all smushed up A couple of tomatoes chopped up Combine all ingredients, pull down your shades and enjoy while reading about all the fancy food people are making on EGullet! Best eaten with a big wooden spoon in the same bowl you stirred it up in. Enjoy and you did not get this recipe from me! Oh, the shame!

I think you are being unreasonable. To let a snag on a sweater ruin what sounds like a great meal on an anniversary sounds kind of petty to me. Snags happen, if it hadn't happened there it would have probably happened somewhere else. It wasn't very long ago that we were on a very tight budget so I hope you won't mind a little shopping advice? Go to consignment shops or even the Salvation Army for your clothes. You can find the greatest stuff ( yes, designer stuff!) for such low prices it makes you crazy that you ever payed full price for the clothes in the first place. A sweater is replaceable (yes, even a really cute one) but a special anniversary is not. They comped you the dessert, imo, let it go.

Thanks for all the suggestions re: the lasagna. I got all the ingredients today and am planning to give it another go tomorrow.

How can I figure out how much sauce to put on lasagne? I have a great recipe for butternut squash lasagne with ricotta, mozz, and parmesean cheeses. The sauce is a bechamel. I have made this a couple of times with the results being either too "saucey" and sliding all over the plate, or too dry. Any suggestions? Oh, and I've tried making this with both cooked noodles and the no-boil kinds.

A couple of weeks ago I had a party and served black bean and corn enchiladas, mexican rice, sauteed summer squash with roasted red pepper and a watermellon and mint salad. Sour cream, quacamole and green onions were served on the side. Even the non-vegetarians enjoyed the meal. The good thing about the meal was that everything excepted for the squash was prepared ahead of time so I got to enjoy the party too. We had a couple of vegans so I prepared some of the enchiladas without cheese which worked out well.

Unfortunately some women have morning sickiness all through their pregnancy. I am about 20 weeks along now and still get horribly sick when I smell banannas or certain kinds of chips. During the first six weeks I lived on cottage cheese and fresh fruit salads- nothing else even remotely seemed appealing. Now I'm back to eating a more varied diet most of the time so I think the worst is over.

On main st. there is a restaurant named the Mohegan. They offer everything from steaks, fresh fish, and vegetarian items. The last time I went there I had a great veggie burrito. There is also a take out restaurant to the left when you get off the ferry in the Old Port that has falafel and veggie chili.

Until I started reading Egullet I didn't know men could cook! Seriously, all of my women friends and myself do all of the cooking except for the grilling- that's when the men come out! My man can do some microwave heating up, maybe a box of kraft mac&cheese but that's it. He's just not interested. He used to be resentful of the time I spent on Egullet until I made some of the fabulous onion confit and added it to pastas and on the homemade pizza I make. Now he understands that it's "a good thing" and leaves me alone. My two older kids (7 & 9) are my prep cooks and help me a lot. We have made many meals together already. I'm sure my man could cook if he really wanted to but it's just not his thing.