Culinary Resolutions for 2006

[ScorchedPalate]

Let's see...

I will find... a talented architect to remodel my kitchen.

- Working on this one.

I will read.... cookbooks from the library before I buy them, to keep my media budget sane.

- Check! I am loving this.

I will taste... , at least once, anything that's put in front of me, no matter how 'weird'.

- Definitely had a chance to put this into action in Thailand and Japan.

I... will fill my new garden with as many edible plants as possible.

- Tree removal starts next week, planting sometime in March. <little skipping happy dance>

We... will finally take our long-awaited culinary tour of Thailand.

- Did it, loved it. Can't wait to go back.

[Ling]

Oh damn...I should start eating my vegetables.

[I_call_the_duck]

In 2006, I will eat more fish.

Nope.

I will make pastries more often.

Nope. Too much junk in the house I need to get rid of first.

I will learn to use my pasta machine.

Nope.

This is the year I will try a new recipe at least once a month.

I tried THREE!!

I will taste more types of offal.

Does once count?

I will use my convection oven.

Nope.

I will give dinner parties.

HAH!

My kids still won’t exist as I will not procreate.

Check.

When eating out, I will call other things besides the duck.

Who am I kidding?

Three for nine.

[jgm]

In 2006, I will eat at three or more new restaurants in town.

This is going to take more work than I thought.

I will make at least one recipe from every cookbook I have, and every magazine I buy. (That ought to keep me busy.)

In progress, but getting a little behind.

I will find my canning recipe book. It has to be somewhere. Doesn’t it?

Stay tuned. Maybe the dog ate it.

I will learn to decorate cookies like a pro, so I can make the very very coolest monster truck cookies for my nephew, with that new monster truck cookie cutter I have.

Attending my first Wilton class tonight!

I will teach my dog nothing, no matter how hard I try.

Success!

I will read the cookbooks I got for Christmas last year.

One down, several to go.

This is the year I will try at least six vegetables I’ve never tried before.

That's about 1 every two months. Technically, I'm up to speed.

I will taste several kinds of salt to see if I can tell the difference between them.

Something to look forward to.

I will use that specialty cake pan I nearly womped that lady to get, in Williams-Sonoma on the day after Thanksgiving, when it was 30% off.

I'll get back to you after Thanksgiving.

I will give more thought and planning to my daily menus.

My doctor's given me six months to clean up my act.

I will stop being afraid I will die before I get to try all the foods I want to try, and just cook as much as I can.

Note to self: this needs work. Cooking the same stuff all the time won't get me there.

We don’t appreciate the abundance we have, so I will eat more slowly and more thoughtfully, and pay closer attention to what I’m eating.

Oops! Starting tonight.

My kids don’t exist, so I can spend all my restaurant money on myself and my husband!

As soon as I find a place worth spending money in.

[gini]

In 2006,

I will eat anything new and different including food of which I can't pronounce the name.

Working on it. But I have yet to trying anything really outrageous.

I will make a real effort to stop eating cowtails at work.

Check! Now I just eat chocolate.

I will find new recipes to make and consume.

Check!

I will learn how to make cheese cake that isn't ricotta based even though that's the only kind I like.

Not so much. I need to get on that.

I will teach my honey to be somewhat efficient in the kitchen.

Check! Last night he made me sauteed scallops with shallots and walnuts over watercress. It was outrageous! He used a stick of butter .

I will read a cookbook that I don't already know how to make the recipes in.

Not so much. I guess I'm not a cookbook person. But I shall try!

This is the year I will try to actually bake something sweet, including carrot cake.

Does creme brulee count?

I will taste wine and understand its complexities before downing it.

Not so much. I did do a tasting of 4 different sakes recently though.

I will use an apron.

To the chagrin of mr. gini - again a no - although I'm pretty sure he's not thinking of the splatter-proofing capabilities.

I will give D less of a hard time in the kitchen and remember that I'm not a caterer anymore, I'm just a home cook.

Check! Now I just go away and let him cook. He hasn't slit his hands open or set the house on fire yet. puh, puh puh (that means, I hope that doesn't really happen!).

I will cook as much as possible and stop ordering takeout from the same places.

Check! Except we have gone to a few totally outrageous restaurants nevertheless.

We will run to offset all the food we will eat - perhaps even that marathon we've been training for forever.

Sort of check. We ran just over 30 miles in January. That's about a mile a day which isn't great - it needs to stop sleeting to help us effectively do this.

My kidsconsist of one 31 adult man who cannot cook. He will learn or die trying in the next year.

He's doing great!

[MarketStEl]

In 2006, I will eat nothing that resembles Mc Ds or like fast food (This does not include pizza, dirty water dogs or the whizmush from genos)

[...]

I will find places to shop for fresh, affordable ingredients outside of my local supermarket.

←

"Whizmush from Geno's"?

Are you really in New York, or 90 miles further south on I-95?

If the latter, there are plenty of people on the Pennsylvania board willing to help you keep the other resolution of yours I've quoted above.

[MarketStEl]

Okay, my resolution checklist:

In 2006, I will eat ethnic dishes I've never tried before.

Not yet. Check back with me in another two months or so.

I will make real dinner rolls--sayonara, Doughboy!--and real bread.

I haven't even made Pillsbury dinner rolls so far this year!

I will find either permanent employment, or more freelance gigs, or both--and maybe even my voice as a food writer!

Done!

Well, except for that part about finding my voice as a food writer. But the permanent employment part's taken care of as of Monday, and I've got a steady freelance job on the side.

I will learn more about wine, now that Jonathan Newman's made it more affordable to do so.

I continue to scope the Chairman's Selections at my neighborhood State Store superstore regularly, and have found some really delish bottles. But I still find it hard to identify all the various fruits people say wine tastes like--nothing has stood out like that lemony flavor in the Las Brisas white I bought last summer.

I will teach myself how to prepare great meals that my diabetic roommate can enjoy.

Still on the to-do list, as is...

I will read Steven Shaw's book, and maybe even subscribe to Cook's Illustrated.

This is the year I will try all those unusual cheeses I see at DiBruno's every time I visit.

Add Salumeria and Downtown Cheese in the Reading Terminal Market to this list just for variety's sake. So far, the only unusual cheese I've tried this year is Camembert, and that's "unusual" only because I rarely buy it.

I will taste a little bit of everything the great buffet of life has to offer. Except deep sea diving--I can't even stay afloat.

Well, I did go see "Brokeback Mountain" in a theater, the first time I've been out to the movies in nearly a year, but I don't think this qualifies.

I will use more fresh ingredients and locally produced foods this year.

Working on this still.

I will give myself permission to override my innate impulse towards frugality every now and then in order to splurge on really good food and ingredients.

So far this year: Not yet.

I have much to be thankful for, including good health and good friends. I resolve to have more of the latter over for dinner, or to dine out with them more often.

No invitations issued yet. Dining out more awaits more pay.

We don't go out together much anymore. I'm of two minds about fixing this, but I'll continue to offer him the chance to accompany me to a good restaurant meal when I have the opportunity to write about a place to eat.

See above.

My kids? What kids? I've got my hands full with my partner, two cats, a roommate and a cast of friends, acquaintances and hangers-on. Feeding them is challenge enough.

This hasn't changed either.

Edited February 2, 2006 by MarketStEl (log)

[purplewiz]

In 2006, I will eat at one new restaurant per month. Preferably non-chain, but that's hard to do around here. (Carry over from 2005 because it worked so well.)

So far, so good. It turned out a couple of our friends had more or less the same resolution, so we're planning to try the new places together as much as possible. We went to a relatively new place that's always busy last month. We can't figure out why they're always busy. It was lousy. We give them 6 months unless something drastically changes.

I will make one new recicpe a month, preferably from one of the cookbooks I own that I've never cooked out of. (Also carry over from 2005.)

Ahead of schedule. Three new recipes last month. Sadly, not out of the cookbooks, but hey, new recipes are new recipes.

I will find a job. *sigh*

Still unemployed . I have done a lot of updating on my resume, and it just needs a little more editing.

I will read more.

I'm working on it.

This is the year I will try several new vegetables that I don't know what to do with yet, assuming I can find them anywhere around here.

Not yet, but I'm starting to realize that this one hinges on whether I can FIND any new vegetables that are unfamiliar to me. The Whole Foods here doesn't even carry any Asian/Italian eggplants anymore, and our Asian markets are pretty much bereft of produce. But if I can find 'em, I'll buy 'em and figure out what to do with 'em.

I will taste everything I can.

Sure have been!

My kids will continue not to exist.

←

And so they have .

Marcia.

[MarketStEl]

I will find a job. *sigh*

Still unemployed . I have done a lot of updating on my resume, and it just needs a little more editing.

←

If you think professional help would be worthwhile, and can afford what they charge, I might be able to assist if you ask for me.

--Sandy, yes, that's my steady freelance gig

[bavila]

Two months down!

Here's where I stand:

-Hold a crawfish boil (to double as a fundraiser for Katrina relief) in the Spring, and a tamalada in the Fall. Boil will be in May. Tamalada in November?

-Join a CSA. Done. First pick up scheduled for March 24. Yay!

-Corollary to above: bring kids to work on CSA's farm. soon?

-Grow some kickass tomatoes. Summer, and this year from plantlings. Forget seeds.

-Do some anthropological or historical food reading. Must dig through mountain of books on the bedside table and dig out Marcelle Bienvenu's Stir the Pot.

-Try salsifry. This might prove to be challenging. Any suggestions on finding some?

-Eat and learn to better prepare loads of veggies. I've mostly been roasting. Need to play with temps and times. Also doing some sear and steam combinations.

-Raise the bar on my home cooking/ingredient purchasing across the bar. Hmmm...not much new here, except maybe organic eggs. Should look into spices from Penzey's.

-Get a stand mixer!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I am so cash poor. Don't know when this will happen.

-In highchef's words, go "full circle". Visit New Orleans and inject a bit of cash into the economy. Get fed well in the meantime. Done. We only made a day trip, but spent as much as we could (leading to aforementioned cash poverty).

Happy Mardi Gras all.

[Kouign Aman]

I'm coming late to this thread, so here are resolutions and results together (T = 2 months)

I will make... a family dinner (simple weeknight meals) at least 3 nights a week, including dishes other than spaghetti, roasts or fried rice as the main courses.

Up to an average of 1.5, but no new dishes. Sigh. Lots of great e-gullet ideas tho.

I will find... a good & accessible source of interesting produce

Poway Farmer’s market not especially interesting or accessible. Will have to try 99 Ranch, local mex marcado

I will learn... something about using herbs and spices for other than baking.

no progress to date.

I will teach... the angelmonster to wait calmly while mama cooks, and to “steal” food from the garden (HRH is already hell on tomatoes! )

uhmmm…. Not yet

I will read.... the Time-Life cookbook Foods of the World series again (after I unearth them from the moving boxes from lo those many years ago….)

Will garage dive again soon, searching, searching….

This is the year I will try... pan-frying meats

I bought skinny little steaks…:rolleyes.

I will taste.... at least one new type of ethnic food

I’m gonna need help from the Cheap Eatz in San Diego thread for this. Am thinking Korean.

I will use... my wok again. Its been years.

Stirfry meat marinating. Veggies in fridge. See “I will teach” above

I will give... more parties, especially dinner parties

When the season is over and Mr KA is home evenings

I... will continue to rejoice in the wonder of life, and share as many adventures with friend and family as I can. I will also eat more veggies (this is a perennial. Slowly, slowly, it works), and I will plant herbs.

!!! a success!!! Went to Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner last night. Made me think of Megan Blocker's blog re Gilmore Girls. Lots of laughter about pancakes for dinner. Eating more veggies at breakfast: breakfast burritos w peppers, onions, mushrooms & salsa cruda and sautéed kale with fried eggs. Too early to plant, even here.

We... will eat at at least one fine restaurant this year (sans HRH)

Targeting April

My kids... is singular, and will (continue to) be exposed to as wide a variety of foods as I can manage / stomach

72% Valhrona chocolate count? Salsa. Black pepper. Gotta find more kinds of veggies.

[Genny]

In 2006, I will eat because I am hungry, not because I am bored/stressed I'm working on it. 2 chocolate biscotti yesterday after I got my annual review...not so good.

I will make my friends and family know they are cherished via time spent and food lovingly prepared. Hey, I'll get another chance to feed the brood at the end of the month! 2 more weeks of them here...didn't I say no more after Thanksgiving???

I will find a use for all those interesting pantry items that were purchased many moons ago. Um, yeah, I guess I better get on that.

I will learn how to bake a beautiful cake, how to make bread and candies not yet...

I will teach my cat to make my morning coffee I'm still holding out but somehow she has conned her kitty daddy into buying her wet food...

I will read. I always read, this one is easy. I'll not use reading so much as a procrastination tool. eh, doing OK

This is the year I will try to learn to enjoy the process of cleaning my kitchen as I enjoy the process of cooking.

I will taste foods at the restaurants I'm dying to go to. Yeah! I just went to Sushi on Shea this week. The hamachi was exquisite!

I will use my leftovers in creative ways instead of using my refrigerator as a holding bay until garbage day. Doing much better here!

I will give myself a break every now and again. This is a tough one.

I am absolutely blessed with the best husband and family. I will be more thankful every day for the wonderful life I have to live. of course!

We are going to lose some damn weight by moving more. Period. End of story! Joined a gym, working out 3x/week and not losing much but not gaining!

My kids are my neices and nephew and I will try to be more involved with their lives. Yes, I'm doing this for 1/3 of them. Its kinda scary being in a 16-year-old's life.

[Pontormo]

Genny:

I have lapsed when it comes to using up everything in my fridge before it goes to waste and am glad to see you're doing better there. There's always something down at the bottom of the vegetable bin that liquifies before I get to it; this time, a cucumber.

As for my resolution to eat turnips, I finally made mine into Lulu's soup. I always make soup on the rare occasions that I buy them. However, this month down in the Italian forum, eGullet members are cooking the foods of Friuli-Venezia Giula* where turnips are perpared as a kind of sauerkraut. In Molto Italiano, Batali pays homage to Friuli by roasting them.

*Invitation to those who say they need to eat more vegetables: If you like soup, read my description of a soup I cooked last night on this linked thread. The recipe includes enough vegetables to nourish a football team for an entire week.

Another resolution that I made without posting it here was to buy at least one food item every week that I had never purchased or tried before. This has been fun, and I have been pretty resolute about it until this past Friday. The slacker way to go is trying new cheeses or bottles of wine. I feel most pleased when there is something overlooked in the produce section...or in a food store entered for the first time.

[Genny]

Pontormo,

I'm certainly not perfect on the fridge thing yet, but am getting better. I *hate* the liquified veggies! Slimey green onions are so gross. Keep trying!

I love the resolution to buy a new item each week. I saw an episode of Good Eats where AB said that people average something like 100 different items that they buy again and again, rarely straying into new items. I like to find new products and produce though, even if it doesn't become a staple. I recently purchased some silken tofu and had fruit smoothies from it. Not bad but I may wait until summer to redo it when smoothies seem a better choice to beat the heat.

Your soup sounds fantastic. I'll have to give that a try. Always trying to find ways to get my DH to eat his veggies

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. I've done so few of my resolutions. I forgive me, though. Next year, I'll go back to my usual resolution: to stop saying the "f" word.

[Kouign Aman]

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.  I've done so few of my resolutions.  I forgive me, though. Next year, I'll go back to my usual resolution:  to stop saying the "f" word.

←

You are going to stop saying "fabulous"? What a shame!

One new item a week would sink me. Maybe one a month...

Only two biscotti after a performance appraisal? Your strength astounds me. I ate an entire bag of black-pepper potatochips after mine.

[Kouign Aman]

One month later.....

I will make... a family dinner (simple weeknight meals) at least 3 nights a week, including dishes other than spaghetti, roasts or fried rice as the main courses.

Up to two per week. No new dishes.

I will find... a good & accessible source of interesting produce

bust

I will learn... something about using herbs and spices for other than baking.

gotta start using some new recipes.....

I will teach... the angelmonster to wait calmly while mama cooks, and to “steal” food from the garden (HRH is already hell on tomatoes! )

the munchkin is doing better - up to 15 min. I need 30.

I will read.... the Time-Life cookbook Foods of the World series again (after I unearth them from the moving boxes from lo those many years ago….)

Nuthin's gonna happen here til I visit my mom again and dive into her garage

This is the year I will try... pan-frying meats

I bought skinny little steaks… and  used them for stir-fry. No progress

I will taste.... at least one new type of ethnic food

gotta good rec. for Korean. Now for to schedule.....

I will use... my wok again. Its been years.

Twice. Thats reasonable in a month. and it tasted good too.

I will give... more parties, especially dinner parties

When the season is over and Mr KA is home evenings. no change

I... will continue to rejoice in the wonder of life, and share as many adventures with friend and family as I can. I will also eat more veggies (this is a perennial. Slowly, slowly, it works), and I will plant herbs.

Two varieties of tomatoes planted. Peppers and basil next

We... will eat at at least one fine restaurant this year (sans HRH)

Targeting April

My kids... is singular, and will (continue to) be exposed to as wide a variety of foods as I can manage / stomach

this month - scallops, peanut butter (finally), dried figs, dried dragonfruit, dried hibiscus flowers, pate

<editted to clean up "fro"matting>

Edited March 30, 2006 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Pontormo]

Is it illegal to pan-fry baby praying manti?

Send me a PM and I'll provide the link to my favorite peanut dipping sauce.

Might be nice in rice paper wrapper with cilantro, scallions, shredded radish & sprouts.

With the new recipe, that'll be two resolutions.

Find a new source for the radishes, that's three.

[Kouign Aman]

ROTFLMREO!

aka

You are incredibly kind, thoughtful and generous!

Not illegal, but I think it fails #12: "...that I can stomach". (the manti, not the sauce. That, I'll take you up on, with thanks.

[Shannon_Elise]

In 2006, I will eat less Skittles and more veggies. So that means only one pack of Skittles a day and more than one serving of veggies a day. Not too difficult.

I will make a decent pie crust. Even if it kills me.

I will find out why I can't make a decent pie crust and remedy that. (See above). I have no problem with puff pastry and croissant dough, but pie crusts hate me.

I will learn how to make pate brisee (yet another form of pie/tart dough that I can't make. See above).

I will teach my nine-year-old nephew how to make bread.

I will read through an entire magazine (Food and Wine, Bon App, Gourmet, Fine Cooking, etc. before purchasing a new one.

This is the year I will try offal. Any and all forms. I'm tired of just drooling over Fergus Henderson's book. Now will someone tell me where I can get good offal in Columbus, Ohio!

I will taste onions once a month. One of these days I will be able to eat them without gagging.

I will use more whole grains. What is it about white rice that I just love???

I will give away the extra cookies and brownies to my new neighbors instead of my parents. They don't need any more sweets and I've teased my neighbors too many times with the baked goods smell wafting through air ducts.

I will try to cook more Indian recipes.

We will together, instead of me cooking for him and then him cooking for me.

My kids are nonexistent. My niece and nephew however will try something new each time they visit me. No fish sticks and chicken nuggets when you eat at Aunt Shannon's place.

[bavila]

Damn. I'm feeling motivated. Am doing well with my list here, and am ready to add on! Well, at least to start making my own breads.

-Hold a crawfish boil (to double as a fundraiser for Katrina relief) in the Spring, and a tamalada in the Fall........12 days and counting to the boil!

-Join a CSA......done.

-Corollary to above: bring kids to work on CSA's farm.....soon. Definitely by Summer.

-Grow some kickass tomatoes....Yeah, I may nix this one entirely, since we're doing so well with the CSA so far. And we just don't have any spots of full sun in our yard!

-Do some anthropological or historical food reading....Not yet, but I have been reading Vegetables by Patterson and Mediterannean Greens and Grains by Wolfert. Good stuff, and sort of anthropological.

-Try salsifry.....Well, maybe if I spelled it correctly, I'd have an easier time finding it! Will ask CSA farmer for salsiFY.

-Eat and learn to better prepare loads of veggies....Yes! An ongoing process.

-Raise the bar on my home cooking/ingredient purchasing across the bar....I can't think of specifics here, but the CSA has exponentially raised my standard for produce quality. I'm also losing patience with the breads available to me around here.

-Get a stand mixer!!!!!!!!!!!!......No money!!!! But the more impatient I get about the bread, the more likely this will happen.

-In highchef's words, go "full circle". Visit New Orleans and inject a bit of cash into the economy. Get fed well in the meantime......Done.

[Pontormo]

Bavila:

Good luck on your crawfish boil! Please, please give us a report in the lunch or dinner thread.

It took me a second to figure out what CSA stands for (Community Supported Agriculture). Brava!

*******

Still have not made a poolish for bread-baking.

I haven't been buying something novel every week, though I managed to pick up ramps, a new type of mushroom AND a magnificent long-stemmed artichoke this weekend.

Not sure I am any better at avoiding waste than before, having just tossed about five small countainers of over-ripe sliced bananas in the freezer that seemed to have more frost-fuzz than fruit. Just could not bear to eat the last of a horrible up-scale bottled tomato sauce with porcini that was on sale. Yugh. On the other hand, I will be defrosting and recycling some cooked turkey from February 26 unless someone warns me otherwise.

[Kouign Aman]

Got the fine dinner out and it was lovely indeed.

Three meals a week. Check - I finally made it. But only get 20 min still. Working on that 30 min!

New recipes... I made Klary's Butter Beef. Got three meals out of it. (but really, its still a roast or a braise and I do those allatime)

Lots more progress needed here and on the learning to season.

Garden planted, (tho I need to replace the potatoes which I planted too deep and they rotted )

The munchkin had crab & fell back in love with orange juice. Its been a bust on the new veggie front. Must shop more..... oh wait. Must find more interesting place to shop!

Party tentatively planned for memorial day weekend.

Immediate goals - eat at local Korean place before end of June.

Stirfry a green and apply info gleaned from wok-threads, egullet tutorial etc.

This thread keeps me honest, and somewhat focussed. Whew, I need that!

[Kouign Aman]

I'm talking to myself and grateful for the chance to do it. Some of these would slip forever if not noted down as a reminder. Thanks for starting the thread!

I will make... a family dinner (simple weeknight meals) at least 3 nights a week, including dishes other than spaghetti, roasts or fried rice as the main courses.

Averaging 2.5, and some variation/new dishes (carbonara for one)

I will find... a good & accessible source of interesting produce

no progress

I will learn... something about using herbs and spices for other than baking.

... Ok, in JUNE, I will use the nasturtium blossoms, I will I will I will!

I will teach... the angelmonster to wait calmly while mama cooks, and to “steal” food from the garden (HRH is already hell on tomatoes! )

getting better - usually good for 20 min. She tasted the fresh cilantro and basil. Decided to put garden harvesting on hold til she's old enough not to pick the wrong stuff

I will read.... the Time-Life cookbook Foods of the World series again (after I unearth them from the moving boxes from lo those many years ago….)

Maybe I will find them this weekend? :hopeful:

This is the year I will try... pan-frying meats

Is there an eGullet course on this?

I will taste.... at least one new type of ethnic food

no progress

I will use... my wok again. Its been years.

accomplished

I will give... more parties, especially dinner parties

Memorial Day wknd, done. Next = July 4

I... will continue to rejoice in the wonder of life, and share as many adventures with friend and family as I can. I will also eat more veggies (this is a perennial. Slowly, slowly, it works), and I will plant herbs.

herbs growing. Hooray! 

We... will eat at at least one fine restaurant this year (sans HRH)

Yup, it was in April. And then again in May (not quite as fine)

My kids... is singular, and will (continue to) be exposed to as wide a variety of foods as I can manage / stomach

palak paneer, mango chutney and mango lassi last night - i think the hot pepper was the new bit. 70% choc -scharfenberg (?), edamame in the shell, whole peeled shrimp]

←

[gini]

In 2006, I will eat anything new and different including food of which I can't pronounce the name. Definitely making progress here. Leaving for Japan on Sunday, which I think will help boost my numbers.

I will make a real effort to stop eating cowtails at work. I'm done to a once a week binge.

I will find new recipes to make and consume. Been pretty good about this.

I will learn how to make cheese cake that isn't ricotta based even though that's the only kind I like. No progress. I really need to try to do this.

I will teach my honey to be somewhat efficient in the kitchen. He's been wonderful!

I will read a cookbook that I don't already know how to make the recipes in. I think I need to buy a new cookbook first. Sigh.

This is the year I will try to actually bake something sweet, including carrot cake No progress here. I made biscuits and that's about it.

I will taste wine and understand its complexities before downing it.

I will use an apron. I need to buy an apron.

I will give D less of a hard time in the kitchen and remember that I'm not a caterer anymore, I'm just a home cook. Check.

I will cook as much as possible and stop ordering takeout from the same places. Check. Except Urban Gourmet - their cowboy pie (white sauced pizza with grilled chicken, tomatoes, bacon and red onion) is too good not to order.

We will run to offset all the food we will eat - perhaps even that marathon we've been training for forever. Working on it. Bring it on NY Marathon.

My kids consist of one 31 adult man who cannot cook. He will learn or die trying in the next year. He successfully cooked mother's day dinner a few weeks ago and everyone was suitably impressed.