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I love apples.

Several people have already mentioned making apple sauce, but I'll tell you my favorite way to do it: peel, core, and chunk as many apples as you like. Throw in a big pot with about an inch or so of water at the bottom. Go over medium to med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they're at the consistency you like. (I always leave some chunks.) But a few minutes before they're done, add a handful of "Red Hot" cinnamon candies. It turns pink and delicious! We freeze this in quart-size bags and eat all through the winter.

Wow, now I'm even more excited for this trip! Thanks so much for your wonderful insights!

If this doesn't scare us all into vegetarianism, I don't know what will.

I'm a sucker for good apple desserts, and I have an arsenal full of them! My fav has to be "Apple Impromptu," a recipe from my grandmother.

But in the realm of celebrity dessert chefs, does anyone else remember when Gayle Gand had a show early in the Food Network's existance? I liked her a lot. And there's always Dorie Greenspan!

A cookbook that I remember using a lot as a child, but that my mom only recently "officially" gave me, is Betty Crocker's Cookie Book. It's full of our family favorites through the years, and my mom must have decided that she had enough committed to memory that she could finally give me the old thing. It's from the mid-70s and has some really awesome photography.

These are all such great suggestions, I find it difficult to add anything! But I'll try. I like Beth Hensperger's "The Bread Bible," which in addition to many regular yeast breads includes some quick breads, muffins, etc. Admittedly there is some overlap here with Dorie Greenspan's "Baking from My Home to Yours," but I love them both.

It looks like tools and ingredients are pretty well covered, but what about a pretty cake stand or some other serving dishes? There's nothing like delivering a beautiful cake or tart to the table on a footed cake stand!

I moved to Cincinnati two years ago, and dutifully visited Skyline. It is horrible! It's just a fast food chain, and is an insult both to chili and to spaghetti. Skip it. I think it's all conceived as a mean trick that the locals play on newbies like me. (Many locals have told me that "it's an acquired taste" - not one I want to acquire!)

What I love, though, is Findlay Market. From spring thorugh fall, local growers populate the outside farmers' market, and inside all year round are great seafood counters, Amish poultry, to-die-for pork and sausages, and a great spice place. If you're cooking in Cincinnati, you should start here.

@cmwriter 2005 - sadly, you're absolutely correct about the Jean-Robert departure - Lavomatic is a far cry from what it used to be. I haven't made it to any of his other former restaurants since he split, but I can imagine.

Yet another vote for "The Perfect Scoop."

But our hands-down favorite frozen treat is a can of pears in syrup - drain most of the syrup, puree, and chill in the fridge. Then toss in the ice cream maker with 1/2 tsp or so almond extract. Best served with slivered almonds and - wait for it - blue cheese crumbles!

Frozen yogurt is also great, we usually strain it for an hour or so in a sieve lined with paper towels before freezing. Plain yogurt with vanilla extract is good, and top with whatever fruit is in season.

Lots of good advice here already... I would only add that you should bake something (bread, dinner rolls, even just simple drop-biscuits, something along those lines - they seem really impressive to people who don't know any better, and make the house smell good, even if you bake it a couple hours in advance, though warm out of the oven is really best) and that you should end with some sort of a warm, homey dessert. My hub jokes that I made a different apple dessert the first five times he came over (apple crisp, apple impromptu, two kinds of apple cake, chunky pink apple sauce). But hey - it worked! And do make something you're comfortable with, not anything overly complicated - no use worrying if the caramel sauce is the right color in addition to how your hair looks!

Melinda, this was a great article - thanks! However, I have a problem with part of your premise: you "took some homemade English muffins from that Sunday batch and put them in the freezer until I thought they were at least as old as four kinds from the supermarket shelf." Why? Part of the point of baking things is that they are fresher than the supermarket brands. I'm glad yours won anyway, but they should have even more of an advantage!

Thanks for the recipe. They look great.

Sometimes nothing is better than a twice-baked potato with good sharp cheddar - I buy just one Idaho baker at a time and my hub and I split it.

@dbcurrie - I'm so excited to hear you have a lamb cake mold - we've been making "lamb cake" (with white frosting and shredded coconut, so it looks fuzzy) for years and I didn't think anyone else in the world did. Decoratively displayed on a bed of easter grass and jelly beans... ah, tradition.

Along side the lamb cake we always make a cassatta cake - recipes abound for this one, but it's basically 3 layers of pound cake (liquor-soaked!), 2 layers of whipped, sweetened ricotta, and a wonderful chocolate/espresso frosting. Yum.