through the books, and make up menus for the whole week. Then we’d make a huge, long grocery list so we had everything we’d need for the week, then we’d head out to the grocery store for a mega-shop-athon. It...

. Harvest in Harvard Square does the same thing. I wanted to actually get into Ruth’s Chris for the filet mignon lunch but the reservations are booked solid. Also, Sandrine’s in Harvard Square has lobster salad on the...

knew it was going to be a great dinner that night. Unfortunately, she took the recipe with her. The closest I’ve come to matching her recipe is Paul Prudhomme’s recipe from his Louisiana Kitchen cook book. Seasoning...

Plain jelly beans, often from tiny no-name candy makers, are better than froufrou pectin jelly beans. I also prefer Breyer’s to Haagen Dazs.

“Chicken Pot Pie” made with corn dough) Dessert should include marzapan made from pepitas, and a variety of candied fruits & vegetables. Drinks should include a coconut atole (colled pozol), Mayan style hot chocolate...

that several of these places have designated certain weeknights as “wine lovers” nights and offer deep discounts (up to 50%!) off on the wine list and/or unlimited free corkage on those nights... definitely a good...

? Blech. (Although he did say in the confessional that he realized he went overboard in his Coldstone mix-ins vs. just going with fruity/berry flavors.) Ultimately, unless he screws up, I’m pulling for Tre to win. ETA: You...

Yes, ultimately taste is subjective and who’s to say that a homemade pie tastes better than a frozen store-bought one. People like what they like and are entitled to that... My example w/ my MIL’s Mrs. Smith’s...

a total die hard LaSalle Bakery loyalist (and it’s very inconvenient for me, but I go there anyway) for kids' b-day cakes/pizza strips for their parties, etc. I have that Verde Barr book too——got it as a gift a...

Carrie Wiatt addresses it very well in her book “Portion Savvy”. You can pick it up at most local bookstores, or there’s always Amazon.

, cheapest trick in the book is to ply customers with alcohol in hopes they will order further rounds of drinks with increasing abandon; to encounter it at a place like Le Vichyssois was simply disgusting. (My mother was able to...

). Then, all was set out like a Halloween candy tray – pick and choose. Did find that a roaster with a proper lid was better for more gravy drippings than the tin foil covered Calphalon roaster, but we got darker, more...

Oh yeah there’s more... Just a week ago I was making rabbit cacciatore from Mario Batali’s book. I put my brand new Le Creuset casserole on my brand new glass top electric stove, and four minutes later... CRACK! Olive...

had tasted before. It had a distinctly meaty flavor, with a slight chew and then… nothing. It melted away like cotton candy, leaving this wonderful smoky flavor behind. 11. Kobe Beef – this is what I was really waiting...

wasabi I have sampled (and, of course, than processed wasabi), it was also considerably more subtle (a favorable trait in my book). I also appreciated the control of the amount of pink Hawaiian sea salt in the dish. It was just...