Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Feel like I should offer something for those who seek similar inspiration.

Olive Cheese Spread
1 - 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 jar Kraft Old English Cheese Spread
1/4 to 1/2 cup green olives, chopped

Mix all together well. Serve with french bread slices or breadsticks.

Our family also takes this on picnics, with a loaf of french bread, not that there is much picnic time left in the Midwest!

Chicken piccatta and garlic-roasted broccoli. Apple Crisp, if I get motivated to peel the apples.

I've made quite a few family cookbooks over the years. I do use page layout software, but Word should work just fine. I bound all of mine at Kinkos, until I broke down and bought my own spiral binding machine.

Be prepared to make reprints, someone is always asking for one. You might also want to consider printing your color pages on a color laser printer, rather than an inkjet to keep the pages in better shape, if they get splashed upon. The page protector idea is also very good.

Oh thank you all! I'm actually perking up (just a little) with the thought of something good and cool to eat for dinner.

Was a great party.
Grumpy Old Man's White Horseradish Sauce was the favorite.
Everyone raved about it and since they all cooked their own steaks, no one complained about them being over or under done.
Note to self: Caramelizing 5 pounds of onions takes much longer than you think it will.

I sprinkle it on an unbaked pizza crust with olive oil and parmesan and bake it. We call it Med Bread. (short for Mediterranean Bread).

Is there something you cook that you are "known for" or particularly proud of?
One of my favorite memories of Gram was when she showed us her "tricks" for how she got some of her famous Christmas cookies to turn out like they did. Her "tricks" weren't listed in her recipes.

Heh. Actually, I am usually a plain-old steak (with salt & pepper) kinda gal, myself, but thought it would be fun to play with some gourmet toppings. Will let you all know how it goes.

Nthing Laurie Colwin. As a matter of fact, I just pulled those off the bookshelf to re-read earlier this week.

My CSA had a TON of kohlrabi one year. Our favorite way to eat it was slaw. Slice up the kohlrabi into matchsticks and use like you would cabbage.

@Paula - husband and I LOVE tarmasalata, but think it might be a bit too "exotic" for some of the crowd. I've found tarama in my ethnic supermarket.

@Heart - mmm... grape leaves - totally forgot about those! Oh, and grilled kasari (thought it was kasseri?) cheese sounds heavenly. Any tips for grilling the cheese without it melting through the grates on the grill? Do you grill it on something?

I had the Dr. Pitcairn book recommended to me by a friend, whose dog had stomach trouble, and for some unknown reason, I started making my own dog food from that book. It's not too complicated - once a week, I make a big batch of "gruel" - oatmeal, mackerel, carrots, garlic, olive oil and Dr. Pitcarin's "healthy powder".
Whenever they visit the vet, the vet always comments on how healthy they are and tells us to keep up the good work. Gert is 11 and still very athletic, Sally, who we adopted as a starveling stray, has filled in quite nicely. So I would recommend it, if you are at all interested!