Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Yeah, they have this kinda resturant at Penn State Main. Its called Are U Hungry and they stuff like...fries, mozz. sticks, onion rings, ect on sandwiches. Its AWESOME.

And for my weird combo, I like grilled cheese with jelly. Not THAT weird, but. Enough people have been like..."Ewww, what the hell!"

I've also felt that the level of criticism on this site, especially regarding cooking shows, has gotten out of hand; especially when the hosts are attacked for not making something complicated, or for making something really basic. At times, it has made me not want to be on SE, not even bother reading comments because of the downright rudeness of some of the comments. I'll admit it offends me that some things that I like or other people like are talked about as if they are something someone pulled out of the hind-end of a dog. It's also made me reluctant to offer my own opinions, tips, tricks, whatever on here because I'd rather not have something rude said to me.

I think people, especially foodies, forget that there are people out there who don't know how to cook, or are just starting to cook, and need simple things elaborated and explained step by step. I was forced to learn to cook when I went away to college; and now, I love it, but I'll admit that I learned from cooks on television that are not the best or the most elaborate.

Now that I know and have a better understanding of what things go well together, or what tastes well together, I've learned to pull my own recipes and dishes together. That's what cooking is about-learning from others and putting your own spin on something.

And, as much as I love cooking, I will still reach for that "blue box" or run through the drive through if I don't have time, or if I need something nostalgic. I don't think it makes me not a foodie or not appreciate the time and effort that chefs put into their food.

That being (ramblingly) said, I guess it can be summed up like this:

Opinions are like a***holes; everyone has one and some of them stink.

A wawa hogie, which is what I'm doing right now in this very situation!

We used to eat at home for every holiday, with my Grandmother making a huge meal...but with her getting older, she only has the energy to do Christmas (Christmas Eve was always an open house for my grandparents' business.) dinner. We usually have Thanksgiving at the Country Club they belong to...its not as good, but she is less stressed and able to relax.

I had the sliders at Chilis; I liked them.

I think the eggnog trick sounds good...I'll give that a try.

@JerzeeTomato: Yeah, I asked around and some people put dark rum or burbon in their pie.

DiNardos for seafood.

My carrot cake: very simple, absolutely moist, lightly sweetend, and delicious. With homemade cream cheese icing with nutmeg, pecans, and walnuts.

@joan: lol, I've had my roommate ask me very weird food questions before. Last year I walked into the kitchen to find her staring very intently at a can of tuna...then asked me if she had to cook it, and if she didn't, if it was ok to put it in a pan to heat it up. Of course, this is also the girl who can't turn on the stove without setting off the fire alarm...

Cayenne Pepper. ^_^ It's love.

I think people tend to forget that even though homemade food can be fattening, artery clogging stuff (like alfredo sauce) but it is still infinatly healthier then store-bought sauce, which is full of preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup.

I have a recipe for shortbread like cookies that are egg free and quite tasty. They don't spread out as much as traditional shortbread. I often make them into star shapes with a cookie cutter, and they are really quick and easy to make. I also add lemon zest and lemon juice to give them a bit of a zing, or roll them in powdered sugar or regular sugar.

1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup salt
(1 teaspoon citrus juice-lime, lemon, or orange optional, as well as 2 teaspoons zest.)

1. Heat oven to 400* (375 for dark sheet)
2. Beat butter, powdered sugar together on medium until smooth. (at this point is where I add in lemon/lime/orange juice)
3. When butter and sugar are smooth, add in the flour and salt. (Zest, too if you are going that way.)
4. Roll out and use cookie cutters to press out shapes, or shape into balls or crecents.
5. Bake 6-10 minutes until edges brown.
6. Roll in powdered sugar or regular sugar while warm, or ice when cool.

(adapted from betty crocker.)

I've been trying to cut down the amount of HFCS I intake, and one of the things that was hard for me to find was bread without it. But something that helped me is that a lot of fresh breads (made in a bakery) don't include HFCS in their recipies.