Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I've made this mushroom pie recipe (originally in Bon Appetit, now mysteriously missing from the epicurious and Bon Appetit websites) for Thanksgiving a few times in a row, and it's a delicious alternative (for me, then a vegetarian), or substantial side, to turkey. I made it exactly as printed the first year, and substituted heavy cream for 3/4 of the cream cheese in following years (the cream cheese flavor was too prevalent for my taste). The sour cream crust is awesomely flaky, and the filling is rich and yummy, especially if you use a variety of wild mushrooms. Highly recommended!

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/15972/mushroom-pie.html

Last night, I roasted two medium-large pumpkins I bought from the 53rd st farmers market in Hyde Park, Chicago and made a double batch of Heidi Swanson's Thai-spiced pumpkin soup (recipe: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001525.html). I topped it with the pumpkins' seeds, which I had roasted with raw sugar, salt, and olive oil (they tasted like kettle corn!).

I've been microwave free for a month, and I'm loving it! It would be nice to have one to reheat food, I suppose, but that's about it (and it's easy enough in the oven or on the stove). The one thing I thought I would really miss it for is melting butter for baking recipes, however, since the majority of my microwave messes have resulted from turning my back on melting butter just to have it explode all over the microwave walls, I quickly realized that the safety and cleanliness of melting on the stove is definitely worth the time spent washing a small saucepan!

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (hold the nuts and raisins!) is definitely my favorite, but Ina Garten's iced lemon pound cake is a very, very close second! I've tasted (and made) more "innovative" cakes, but these classics always come out on top for me!

I'm crazy about them raw, on their own, but have been contemplating adding them to salad for a few weeks now. I definitely wouldn't cook them, if I were you. The best part is their juicy, crunchy texture!

My roommate is taking charge of the kitchen tonight, and is making black beans cooked in beer, braised collard greens, and something involving a cassava. Yum!

I had leftovers of this soy/ginger glazed salmon and veg dish:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cburas/3586117219/
It was really easy to make the first time around (marinated two salmon filets in a mixture of soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, fresh ginger, and orange juice, then seared the fish and veg separately, whisked some cornstarch into the reserved marinade, and simmered it all together until the sauce thickened), and was just as tasty two days later.

Apple pie or strawberry rhubarb pie (depending on the season), both with streusel topping instead of top crust! Vanilla bean ice cream is absolutely necessary as well.

I'm a fan of the Georgetown Bagelry (locations in Georgetown and Bethesda, and possibly elsewhere). I don't pretend to be a bagel authority, but I really like that their bagels are less heavy/bready than Einstein and other big chains, and that they are always fresh and crisp. Definitely no toasting required.

@sweethunibabi
Who eat's a pound of broccoli for dinner? Me too! Or, like, two pounds of carrots! Haha, well, not anymore, I guess :)

St. John, Smithfields ('nose to tail' eating, Fergus Henderson's restaurant. I've only eaten at the bar, but it was fabulous, and I've heard only great things about the dining room as well) http://www.stjohnrestaurant.com/home/

Moro (awesome Spanish food. a must.) http://www.moro.co.uk/

Tayyabs (the best Indian restaurant, IMO, and super cheap too. make a reservation if you're going for dinner, otherwise you'll be queuing for about an hour) http://www.tayyabs.co.uk/

Monmouth coffee (absolutely incredible stuff) http://www.monmouthcoffee.co.uk/

Borough Market (huge food market. go there for lunch on Friday or Saturday) http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk/

Gordon's wine bar (really old wine bar. great atmosphere. go early to get a seat!) http://www.gordonswinebar.com/

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are good to start!

Odd that he should say those things, but at Starbucks school during barista training, we were told to never refrigerate beans (because taking them in and out of the fridge promotes condensation, and moisture is bad for the unbrewed coffee) and to always store beans in airtight containers. The only things Starbucks and the co-founder of Starbucks seem to agree on is that the freezer is best for long-term storage. Huh.

Frittatas are great cold, room temp, or warm, and can be vegetarian or meat
Any kind of baked french toast or bread pudding is always great (Ina Garten's delicious croissant bread pudding is killer...literally, you might give your friends heart attacks if you serve it)
Big fruit salad is always popular
Bagels are nice with a wide selection of spreads - maybe whitefish salad, smoked salmon, veggies, hummus, and/or homemade flavored cream cheeses, in addition to the standard plain cream cheese

Cava or any kind of bubbly mixed with anything (or nothing!) is always a good brunch drink in my book!