Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Mmm! That looks delicious.

BTW...my ex made his red sauce with ketchup and tomato soup! REALLY!! I swear. It was SO gross...he would cook hamburger...TONS of hamburger, and add in a tin of tomato soup and about a half cup of ketchup, a sprinkling of dried onions a bit of garlic and LOTS of sugar!! Oh, and maybe a tsp of 'Italian seasoning'. That was IT! I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it. (I flat-out REFUSED to eat it. I DID put a little in a teaspoon and tasted just to make sure it was as bad as I knew it would be...actually, it was WORSE! So, yes, LOTS of Americans are truly awful cooks. I would like to hear more from Italian Food. I really enjoy hearing about authentic recipes from other countries. I'm not sure what sort of 'ulterior motives' she/he could have by posting this. (I don't know why, but Italian Food strikes me as being a male, though I haven't clicked on his/her user name. Yet.) Still, I would be happy to hear more.

Yes. My favourite lemon meringue pie is from the Eagle Brand can. It's so easy and so delicious. They also sometimes have the recipe for a delicious coconut cream pie as well, topped with lots of toasted coconut. Oh, and the 'Philadelphia Cheesecake on the Philly cream cheese box is pretty good too, for a quick and easy dessert. I use the premade graham cracker crust and a tin of pie cherries on top. (Notice a trend here? They're all desserts. Which are my weaknesses.) Others have already mentioned the Hershey's recipes which I also use.Oh, and the fudge made from marshmallow whip!!! OK...I'm STARVING now. Going to find a nibble.

Because of my work schedule, I often throw 'brunches' in lieu of dinner parties. I do them more as an 'open house' and start at about 11:00 and end them about 3:00. That way it works for most people's schedules, they have a great time and I have plenty of time to 'socialise' with my friends. They often pitch in and help too. I would love a wedding like that. A good variety of foods and each person chooses exactly what they want. Yes, that's what I would choose for my next wedding...IF that ever happens.

Wow. This is the first time I've even HEARD of fries on a salad! Somehow it just doesn't sound that good to me, EXCEPT for the version cowprintrabbit just told us about. That one I'd love to try. I just love sweet potatoes, and cutting them into shoestrings probably mean they're nice and crispy. I might have to try that one at home. The other versions just don't 'do it' for me. Of course, I don't like poutaine either...don't hate on me, I TRIED to like it, it's just 'too much' of 'too much' for my tastebuds.

@NotAmerican; Unfortunately, he hates pizza too. He won't eat anything with tomatoes except ketchup. He won't touch anything with onions, garlic, herbs or spices. I'm (part) Italian, and don't really know HOW to cook without these things. (BTW...I make killer pizza already) (I've been a professional chef for the past 18 years now) He also hates all cheeses except for Velveeta, and the only 'pasta' he'll eat is Kraft Dinner. The dinner I cooked for him was pork chops and mashed potatoes, both of which he said he 'could eat'. Of course I added in a salad and some sauteed broccoli rabe for myself, and made a simple chocolate mousse for dessert, as he said he liked (American style) chocolate pudding. I also made sauteed apples instead of apple sauce, as they're so much nicer. I bought some lovely thick center-cut pork chops at Whole Foods, and resisted stuffing them, as I couldn't make a stuffing without onions or garlic. I seasoned the chops very simply, and cooked them to perfection. The apples were SOOO good, the mashed potatoes too, again I resisted adding garlic, etc. I DID use creme fraiche and Kerrygold butter in them, and topped them with a sprinkling of fresh chives (easily pushed to the side) Of course some sea salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper were added as well. I was quite proud of myself, that I had 'overcome' my desire to cook exactly what pleased me and try to suit his tastes instead. Well, it didn't. Not nearly. First off, the pork chops were 'too juicy'. His idea, turns out, of pork chops are the thinnest possible, fried long and hard over high heat until no moisture is left. Only then does he consider the meat cooked. Any hint of 'juiciness' in meat or chicken means that they are 'underdone'. So, he couldn't eat those. I did offer to cook them longer for him, but he said they were simply too thick, and could never be done enough in less than a half-hour. He also said all of the food was too 'spicy' for him, even the apples...(cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar...WTF?) The potatoes also went over like a lead balloon. He's only used to the 'instant mashed', and I made the 'mistake' of leaving the peels on the potatoes.They also were 'too spicy'. And sour. He also objected to the 'smell' of my salad dressing (a plain vinaigrette of olive oil and sherry vinegar) even though he wasn't eating it, and the smell of the broccoli rabe cos I had sauteed it with a bit of garlic. He managed to eat about three bites of the mousse, but said it was too rich (and too bitter) to eat more. He wondered why I hadn't simply made 'Jello' instant pudding, as that was apparently what he was expecting. I had used Valrhona bitter chocolate in the mousse, but also quite a bit of sugar, and the last bit of some Cheri Suisse that I'd been hoarding. So, you see, that was about the moment I realised it just could NOT work between us. Oh, and he even hated my bread, a homemade baguette, it was too 'chewy' and the crust was too 'crispy'. He honestly didn't think I should have been upset. He made NO effort to really taste anything. One bite of the chop, the potatoes and the bread, a wrinkled nose and the expression someone makes when something is foul, and that was IT!! He said..."Look, you know I'm picky about my food, you shouldn't take it personally. I know you tried" He also said he would go to Micky D's and get something to 'go', and bring it back to my house, then we could go to the movies when he'd eaten. I just told him I was too tired to go out, and to enjoy his dinner. Rude? Maybe, but...

@dutchgal: LOL!! I love that story.
I'm also someone who enjoys feeding people, so 'drop-ins' seldom bother me, unless they take advantage of me. By this I mean constantly...several times a week or more...showing up at dinner time. When I was younger I had a friend who would show up almost every night at dinner time. I knew he didn't have much money, so I tried to be understanding, but after a few months I just couldn't take it any more. I told him that I really couldn't afford to feed him every day, as I had a daughter I had to provide for. I told him that he was welcome to come once a week, and to let me know WHICH night he chose. That worked. We remained friends, and I would always have a large casserole or spaghetti ready for that night, something inexpensive but still home-cooked. (Cos, that boy could EAT!!) Now that I'm older, I still like sharing food with friends. Most of mine do call first, but I will always ask if they want to have dinner with me, as long as I have planned to cook that night. (They do the same for me, it all evens out)

@love2cook; My vet told me NO garlic or onions for dogs and cats. Of course, no chocolate either, and never tomatoes for a cat, which is sad as my cat loves spaghetti, but she can't have any now. (I never let her have more than a few strands anyway, but the vet said to stop even that much! There are SO many human foods that will poison our animals, I always double-check before trying anything. My other cat loves cantaloupe, which is OK. Anyway, since the stock veggies have all cooked with the onions and garlic, I don't let my animals have them. I've always felt bad about tossing them, but I just tell myself I've gotten my value from them.

I actually loooove him too! If given a choice of having one of the 'network' stars preparing a meal especially for me, I'd choose him. I think he's funny, down-to-earth and has a great personality. I love DD&D...he doesn't feature 'normal' DD&Ds, almost all that I've seen are very special, and I'd KILL to have one of those in my neighborhood. I mean, those people are cooking REAL food, lots of it looks way better than stuff you find in most 'restaurants' these days. So, if YOU hate him, fine. He obviously appeals to lots of people, thank goodness. And, oh, BTW, I am a chef in an 'upscale' restaurant, and have been cooking for nearly 30 years now. Sure, I love foie gras and caviar, etc. but I ALSO love REAL, everyday-type food as long as it's made with great ingredients. Most of the cooks he interviews on DD&D actually DO use 'the best' stuff. So there!!!

I LOVE great sweet potato fries!! I make my own sometimes, cut fairly thin, and either fried in grapeseed or peanut oil, or coated with one of those and baked in a hot oven. I 'garnish' them with ginger salt, which I make by grating fresh ginger into sea salt, tossing about for a bit, then sprinkling on the fries. I make mashed sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving...(I can't ABIDE the nasty marshmallow ones) by baking the potatoes unwrapped in the oven till soft, cooling slightly till I can peel them, adding a bit of butter, fresh orange juice, orange zest and grated ginger and freshly ground white pepper. I also LOVE them simply baked as Soigne outlines above. I add a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper to finish them off. I eat them at least twice a week during the 'season'. They go so well, however they are prepared, with pork and chicken and any kind of barbecue. I'll even have a large one baked as an entire meal. I don't understand anyone who doesn't like sweets, probably they got turned off by the marshmallow goop served at many Thanksgiving dinners. (Kinda like how people hate Brussels Sprouts, since they've only ever had them over-boiled from frozen.)

MMM...Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream. If I can't have at least one pint each week, I am miserable. You don't want to be around me. And, you never want to ask me to share...LOL!! This has been going on for years and years now. I am truly addicted. Of course, I love all things coffee, including Kahlua, which, BTW, is excellent on aforementioned ice cream!! Aside from this, I get addicted to summer fruits each year, especially watermelon and strawberries, and get SO depressed when the season is over. Ditto asparagus season. I can't get enough asparagus to keep me happy. I eat it daily, preferably roasted, every single day it's in season. Oh, I might as well admit it, I'm just addicted to great food. I, too, manage to turn almost every conversation to the topic of food. My friends can't believe I don't weigh 300 pounds, at least. I am lucky to have kept a fast metabolism at my age. I suppose it still could change, but really, I'd rather be fat and happy than skinny and miserable. And, I WOULD be miserable if I couldn't eat what I wanted when I wanted it. (Of course, if I didn't have SOME self-control, I'd be eating at least a pint of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream each and every day.)

Like many others, most of my 'bad food' experiences were as a child of a mother who was a 'bad' cook. She hated cooking, and it showed. Now, this was in the '50s, when all those 'convenience' foods such as instant mashed potatoes and "TV dinners' were very popular. She would make recipes she found on the tins or packages, and they were usually 'yuck'. And, I, too, was forced to sit at table until I had eaten everything on my plate. I remember sitting there for hours on end most nights, and when my parents finally decided to let me go to bed, they stuck the plate in the refrigerator and served it to me, cold and dried out, for brekkie!! I threw up so many times, but all that happened when I did was I was punished for doing so...as if I had done it purposely. I especially despised tinned peas, and do so to this day. Very 'unpatriotic' of me, I know, but the texture and taste raise my bile. Of course, tinned peas were 'on the menu' at our home several times each week. I also hated junkets and gelatine desserts, anything 'slimy'. I seldom minded not getting any dessert. I did learn to cook early on as self-defense. Luckily I had two grandmothers who were wonderful, 'old fashioned' cooks, with totally different ethnic backgrounds, so I learned the entire gamut of 'good' foods from them. I was so happy when I was able to leave home, as that meant never having to eat any foods I despised ever again. (My parent's didn't mind my doing the cookery, but the ingredients available were always their choice.) I would rather go hungry than eat something I dislike. Oh, and I grew up to be a chef. (There IS a happy ending to this story.)

@snowmoonelk: It would certainly be easy enough to top half of the doughnuts with bacon and the other half with nuts, then you would have a variety. As a matter of fact, since the recipe makes so many, you could use several toppings, including chocolate, so everyone would have his/her favourite. I think that's what I will do. The doughnut itself is the most important part of it all. (I usually prefer the 'glazed' myself.)