Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I totally respect those who choose a vegetarian or vegan diet whatever their reason. However, being faced with food restrictions by fiat, not choice, seems to me to be a harder task. Due to recent medical issues, I can no longer have alcohol or grapefruit, have major restrictions on sodium and carbs, can only have limited lettuce and cruciferous veggies, have to watch protein intake - I call it the "eat whatever you want as long as it doesn't taste good" diet. An exaggeration, no doubt, and I have found lots of tasty food to replace things I used to enjoy, but it makes planning meals a much more difficult exercise. If I eliminated dairy, fish and meat, it would be even tougher.

I had gestational diabetes, which of course made my risk for Type II higher. I was slender, physically active, no family history. After the baby was born, I was fine but I always reminded doctors of my history. At no time was I ever counseled to be careful about carbs, get regular exercise, or anything else which might have delayed the onset of Type II. This was before diabetes was in the news every single day. I was diagnosed years later.

I personally think Paula Deen looks like an opportunist and her blithe statements about being paid because "that's the way the world works" and always having preached moderation ring a little phony at this point. Anyone with diabetes has my sympathy - it's not a disease I would wish on my worst enemy - but I think she has made a mistake in the way she publicized this and has missed an opportunity to be a believable spokesperson.

Well, a little retro, but a good cheese fondue is a real treat. It's too rich for regular consumption, so we usually have it on New Year's or New Year's Eve.

My mother was a totally uninspired cook and was relieved when she could stop cooking. Great baker - wonderful pie that I wouldn't even attempt to recreate, bread to die for, an endless supply of homemade cookies - but cooking not so much. My dad on the other hand, was far more creative. When he retired, he took over much of the cooking and the quality of meals at their house went up dramatically. I still use some of his recipes and he's been gone for over 25 years.

A little brandy, a little rum and a lot of bourbon. The recipe I use was in a Southern Comfort ad decades ago and called for a full fifth of bourbon. Since that left several bodies on the floor, I've done some judicious revising.

If my guests are people I don't cook for frequently, I always ask about allergies, preferences, whatever. As the mother of a son who will eat no seafood (poor child) and a daughter who will eat no red meat (ditto), I'm always accommodating anyway. With advance notice, I can plan a menu that will be easy for everyone to enjoy.

My one bad experience was when my sister announced two days before Thanksgiving that she was now a vegan. I came up with one vegetable dish that had no dairy or meat (including stock), and there were a couple other things she could eat. Of course, she ate everything - turkey, dishes made with butter. The vegan commitment was pretty weak - I don't know why she even mentioned it.

I love Bruni's writing and insights now that he is doing mostly non-food columns. Since I haven't eaten in New York in the past 9 years, reviews of NY restaurants aren't too relevant to me, but I thought this one was great. If it had been written on April 1, I would have assumed it was a joke.

I really don't understand the macaron mania. Yes, they are pretty, but the ones I've had are too sweet for me - toothache-y sweet.

In grade school, the "walkers" went home for lunch and the bus riders brought their lunches to eat in the classroom. Imagine a Catholic grade school on Friday in the 50's and 60's with 50 tuna sandwiches sitting unrefrigerated until lunch. Special.

I think my high school sold lunches - we did have a cafeteria where we ate - however, my mother always packed mine, so I never bought anything. Totally deprived.

I heard some celebrity chef say all salt is from the sea, which I questioned at the time. Is mined salt originally from the sea? Or did it originate on land?

I've had good ice cream, including gelato in Rome which was amazing, but I'm currently a fan of my husband's sorbets. He does a killer lime, which is tart enough to use as a speedy Margarita base; a cranberry that had people forgoing pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving; and other fruit-based flavors. So good!

Pioneer Woman isn't the only one who doesn't accept criticism. Have you ever seen a negative letter to the editor in Martha Stewart publications? I'm getting a little tired of PW, but I keep entering the contests because you never know and I'd be happy to win a Le Creuset dutch oven or an iPad. Her recipes remind me of the kind of cooking my Iowa aunts did for the guys who worked on the farm: not particularly healthy but lots of calories for men who worked really hard. The part of the PW site that I really object to is the Tasty Kitchen, the adjunct site for home cooks to post their recipes. Absolutely nothing original there, not even creative twists. And yet there are thousands of people who routinely go to that site and undoubtedly try the recipes.

Perhaps in major urban areas, curry leaves are easy to find, but I've been met by blank stares when I ask if they are available. One store did offer to order some for me and they are available on internet, although a bit expensive and sometimes with a long lead time (3-5 weeks at one site). I have less trouble finding kaffir lime, so that is what I use.