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@chiff--I agree---in fact, looking over the posts, I think most of us basically say: 'we grew up in non-baking households and before we had homemade as kids, we thought it was good, but now we have had real stuff, and went back and tried it, it sucks.'

No interest whatsoever. I'm sorry to be a fly in the ointment but Entenmann's pound cake is one of those products that is a pale facsimile of the cake after which it's modeled. It's like blue box mac & cheese and Wonder Bread. The last time I had Entenmann's cake of any sort was probably while I was still partaking of a certain herb that makes such products taste good.

I just like it plain.

Gastronomeg, I could be wrong but I think that you are thinking of the Bumpy Cake...? The chocolate cake with lines of thick white icing, all covered in also thick chocolate fudge icing? I think that's by Sander's, but maybe Entenmann's also has a version.

For the last ten years of her life, my grandmother pretty much lived on the raspberry danish.

My Entenmann's favorites as a kid included the chocolate and regular crumb doughnuts, the chocolate frosted doughnuts, the small soft chocolate chip cookies, the vanilla chocolate frosted cake, and (I believe) the pineapple cheesecake (or some cheesy fruity cake or danish). I've had a bite or two since, but Entenmann's just don't taste as good.

My mom used to send me out to our backyard to pick the young leaves to make delicious soup with it. If you pick the leaves at the base near the stem you don't get stung.

as someone who has newly discovered moscow mules, i say no way!

Benitowine and Timothyrows have it spot on. Vodka is an excellent base for a plethora of cocktails, and it is ultra-handy for experimenting with infusions (like the coconut or blackberry vodkas I've made). Bad impressions of Vodka come from drinking cheap Vodka, though that is true of all alcohol. If you're going to drink, don't buy something that will burn on the way down!

Gastromeg- I am right with you on the Tequila! I love a good authentic margarita.
Am I a rarity as a girl who likes tequila and vodka? I don't really care as I like wine much more than those two liquors! But Vodka will always be popular in bars; it is too versatile to dismiss.

one kind of booze rarely remains cool for long, people are always trying to outdo each other with drink as they are with food, but i think vodka has a lot of staying power whether with the slow foodies or anyone else. For all you vodka-swigging slow foodies out there, you should check out Prairie Organic Vodka from Minnesota. It's delicious, American, organic and has a very cool label. We did a taste-test recently: http://www.weareneverfull.com/drink-of-the-month-february-taste-testing-organic-vodka/

is he kidding? of course it isn't gonna be featured in as many "serious" cocktails because it is a neutral spirit and, as such, doesn't contribute to the flavor of the drink. it's never been as popular among that crowd as this article implies and i guess that annual book finally reflects that. anyway, who cares? he's not talking about it dying like good apple brandy did, he's worrying about trends instead of writing something that might actually inform. he's not even doing this especially well since he mentions that the earlier books were full of "faux-martini embarrassments" (implying that the earlier editions of this book weren't representative of what was being created by the best bartenders/mixologists and screwing up the whole premise of his lazy column).

I love neat, chilled vodka. But if I'm out for cocktails, I'd prefer a gin martini. After dinner, I'd like a nice snifter of brandy. Ice-cold vodka is perfect with small salty dishes (Russian style, I guess you'd call it). But I don't really run into that much when going out.

Vodka does make a nice base for adding flavour that would be too strong on its own. So vodka with a little bit of chocolate liqueur and Grand Marnier is delicious, whereas the two on their own would be overpowering. Vodka with a squeeze of half a lemon and a teaspoon of sugar is also excellent, but who would want lemon and sugar on their own?

Not to mention that the Cook's Illustrated folks advocate the use of vodka in pie crusts.