Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Thanks! I'll give it a shot. Worst case - I throw it on the stove the next day!

I had a Tabasco and Apple Pie ice cream at BYU's Creamery a few years ago. It was good...but I couldn't finish it. hahaha

I made this tonight, in the crockpot. (Not as good, I know, but cooking with a newborn...you just got to adjust. ;-) I used chicken breasts and added a little oil to compensate. Even the two year old loved this!

We make a kind of oatmeal gruel around here for breakfast. It's basically just oatmeal, with twice as much water as the box calls for. Mix everything together cold, bring to a boil and then simmer until the oatmeal is tender and begins to thicken (5-10 minutes). Add 1/2 cup milk and sweeten to taste with brown sugar. Really tasty!

I've recently fallen in love with the chocolate mousse cheesecake at Olive Garden. yummy!

Oh my good heavens...I thought it was just me! Apples make me ravenous, and apple juice just messes with my head. Paired with some good sharp cheddar, or even some creamy PB, apples do make a decent snack, though. (Is any fruit NOT better with cheddar? Seriously!)

I'm sure you're going to get SLAMMED with opinions today, but I just have to throw in my two cents -
I had my first 5 Guys burger about three months ago. Here's my tip:
Order a regular burger, "all the way". The "small burger" just doesn't have the right bun to meat ratio. "All the way" seems to be the easiest way to get the best assortment of toppings, and I've never noticed a lack of flavor.

Take a friend, and get a large order of fries. When I go, it's me, hubs and my two year old. Between the three of us, we make quick work of two regular burgers, all the way, plus a large order of fries and a large Coke to share. Never, ever, ever get the cajun fries - they taste like great fries dipped in Lawry's seasoning salt. Kinda nasty.

Go forth and enjoy!

I never tried Turkish Delight until I was in college. My first taste was a homemade batch - I found the recipe years before I ever found a shoppe that stocked the sweet. The results were tasty, if not a perfect specimen. Later, I found a little shop in Pike Place Market (in Seattle) that stocked Turkish Delight. I LOVE the rose flavor!

If anyone has never tried Turkish Delight, they can get a similar experience by finding themselves a box of Aplets & Cotlets, made in Cashmere, WA. (Costco stocks them this time of year.) These candies were invented by two men (one from Turkey and the other from....???). They wanted to find a way to use the plentiful and cheap apples and apricots in the region to make candy. The result is Turkish Delight, studded with walnuts and flavored with more American flavors.

Hmm...an interesting tool! I suppose if I DIDN'T know that if my daughter ate nothing but, say, bananas and cheese, this would be great. (Don't ever let your kid eat nothing but bananas and cheese, by the way. It's not pretty.) My daughter's two, and she pretty much works her way through the food pyramid. Yesterday, all she wanted at dinner was broccoli, chicken broth and orange juice. Today, she ate nothing but cold cereal, a pumpkin muffin and noodles. I'm sure she'll move on to cheese tomorrow - her protein of choice.

The point is, I believe that if young children are EXPOSED to a variety of foods, eventually, they'll follow what their body craves. My baby likes the weirdest things - tobiko with a bowl of rice, strips of seasoned seaweed and chocolate chips would make her just the happiest little diner in the house! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this really is directed at the parents - give kids whatever you're eating, and make sure you're eating healthily! Sure, they prefer hot dogs over chicken breast. A lot of people do! (Watch me eat my words when my second baby is old enough to eat dinner with us. Ha!)

Thanks, everyone, for your help! We're heading into the city in the morning. :-) You all had such great suggestions! After reading loads of reviews, and really THINKING about what we want to do (I'm 8 months pregnant with not much tummy room...otherwise we'd TOTALLY head to a churrascaria!) We're going to get our fill of Asian flavors we can't find at home in Connecticut - great ramen, a trip through the Met, and then a leisurely late afternoon in Chinatown, stocking up on groceries we'll need when my baby is born in December. I should have guessed we'd end up with ramen and Chinese food - our family is half Chinese, and it's our comfort food of choice!

@ Kathryn - our schedule is still really open. We'd love to do either a late lunch or an early dinner. I'll check into Balthazar and Yakitori Totto!

@ kathryn - We're heading in on saturday. Those restaurants sound great!
@ phaelon56 - a tasting menu for lunch? Sounds AWESOME!

Left over hamburger stew (I accidentally thawed hamburger instead of stew meat. Oops! and Ick!) served with Jasmine rice and grated cheddar cheese. Stirred together, it makes a decent little bowl of "souper rice". I steamed pumpkins for freezing while the results trickled in. Got to love living on the East coast!