Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My very first cookbook was one I bought from the Scholastic Book Club, probably when I was in third or fourth grade. Sadly, I no longer have it, and I can't even remember the name--I think it was something along the lines of "Stone Soup"--but I do recall making a really terrific snickerdoodle recipe out of it.

Sigh--I wish I could say my first experience with Indian food was as positive or life-changing as some of the others above. Mine was at a lunch buffet in the Midwest, and all I can remember of it is that it didn't seem remotely like what I imagined Indian cuisine to be like--it was bland (probably tamed for Midwestern palates :( ). I recently picked up Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking", though, so maybe one of these days, when I finally work up the courage to tackle a recipe from it, I'll have my own Indian food epiphany. :)

Actually, I'd love to learn how to cook Indian food--all types of Indian food, not just the dozen or so dishes that seem to be all one can find in the grocery store freezer case (at least here in the Midwest). I'd *really* like to learn how to make Indian street food. :)

Spaghetti squash with really good butter and just a touch of parmesan, sprinkled with chopped herbs (I had it as an amuse bouche recently, and I'm trying to recreate it tonight at home).

I've had a number of pretty fantastic chocolate desserts, including an amazing Mexican chocolate pudding made from deeply dark chocolate, so that it was barely sweet at all, and dolloped with what I can only assume must have been crema, because it added a surprisingly lovely tanginess. But I was sad to hear that Robert Steinberg has passed away--Scharffen Berger's milk chocolate is still one of my all-time favorites; it was the first artisan chocolate I ever tried, and really opened my eyes to what chocolate could be.

Jeez, there's so many--I love to make soups, stews, roasts, etc., so winter is when I really get into cooking. A recent favorite, though, is brisket pot roast with butternut squash and sweet potatoes (and a bit of sherry, which really pushes it over the top).

Last September, my husband and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip out to Saugatuck, MI (about 4 hrs away from where we live), primarily to go to Journeyman Cafe, on the basis of a terrific review by SE's Michael Nagrant. It was *totally* worth it--if only for their died-and-gone-to-heaven-good pork belly. There was a maple gastrique on the plate as well, so it was like having the most amazing breakfast ever, only for dinner.

I've recently fallen in love with flat-iron steak--I picked up a "Hunter's Game Blend" rub on vacation a couple of months ago, and while it's true that beef isn't game, the rub's AMAZING with the deeply beefy flavor of the flat-iron. Of course, I wouldn't turn up my nose at a couple of porterhouses either... :)

Mmm--pumpkin brioche bread pudding...

I've made a couple of the recipes on your lists (corniest corn muffins and all-in-one holiday cake), and I can certify them as seriously yummy, but for some reason, today my tastebuds are jonesing for brussels sprouts--particularly the gratin with cauliflower and pinenut-breadcrumb topping.

Mmm... this brings back some really happy memories of chubby little kid me at family reunions. Back then, the hands-down answer would have been that cherry "cheesecake" from a box (which is sweet enough to cause instant diabetes). Now, it'd be a toss-up between deviled eggs and my father-in-law's "dead woman's beans"--a really fantastic version of baked beans.

My husband and I were on our honeymoon at Disneyworld. I had made us reservations at some fancy-schmancy place on top of one of the hotels nearby, partly because it seemed romantic, partly because it had a good rep food-wise. For some reason, I decided we should cheap out and not take a taxi to the restaurant, figuring it was just across the street from Disney property and we could just walk. Oops. By the time we made it to the hotel, and then figured out how to get up to the restaurant, my hair was a mess and I had long since given up trying to walk in my four-inch heels and had runs in my hose all the up the leg--in short, when we finally presented ourselves to the maitre 'd I looked like something the cat dragged in. Given my obviously bedraggled state, and the fact that at that point I was just a budding foodie, I felt thoroughly intimidated and out of place--I almost made us turn around and leave. When our impeccably dressed, thoroughly proper waiter approached our table, I just wanted to sink into my chair and disappear, but he treated us like any of the other, obviously well-heeled, well-dressed clientele of the place. I know you could say he was just doing his job, but his kindness and helpfulness managed to salvage our evening--an evening which both my husband and I remember fondly as opening our eyes to a whole new world of food.

Mmm--I'll have to try this one; I just bought some canned salmon and have been wondering what to do with it.

As for simplifying dinner in anticipation of having zero time once the baby comes, at the moment I'm planning on relying on Pam Anderson's books, esp. "How to Cook Without A Book" and her new one, "The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Feeling Great" (not that I'm trying to lose weight right now--just eat right). Both books give a handful of basic, simple recipes that can be altered endlessly, and in some cases, made ahead and popped in the freezer for later. Hopefully they'll help me avoid falling into the "frozen pizza for dinner" trap.