Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I cook all meals at home (except for Friday nights, when I indulge in deep-fried pub grub) and try hard to use "real" food all the time. As I've aged, my tolerance for saltiness and sweetness has dropped precipitously and much of the packaged stuff is SO salty/sweet that I can't eat it.

I make a broth with chicken stock, a few slices of ginger, a couple of cloves of garlic, smashed and a few shakes of hot red pepper flakes. Let it steep, and drink it hot. It helps!

I was there in 2001 or so, and remember eating at a little place on the river (to get to it, we had to walk down a very narrow stairway, single file and turned sideways to fit). We ordered the house special, which was a big platter of duck breasts, thighs and legs, and sausage, pieces of pork, sauerkraut and potatoes and came with some form of apfelstrudel for dessert. I remember it being delicious!

I have a family cookbook from 1976. It is lovely and sentimental to me, even if I do occasionally get frustrated by ingredients like "one $1.29 package of..." and "a large tub of ...." Be specific, please and remember that the recipient will use the book for years to come.

Honestly, I can' t think of a nicer gift, especially if the recipes come with comments and stories. BTW, it was spiral-bound when I got it (upon the occasion of my 21st birthday; family tradition), but I wore out the spirals and had to put the pages in acid-free sheet protectors to keep it safe and usable.

In many Southern families (including my family), this is known as the "dead spread." It's not disrespectful, just a way of injecting a little humor and ritual into a tough situation. When someone dies, the dead spread is a way to show continuity and community--in my small hometown, I know that if someone (or I) dies, then the menu will most certainly include briskets cooked in a Nesco roaster, pimento cheese (both with white bread to put it on), deviled eggs, probably a chafing dish of meatballs served with toothpicks and a huge assortment of cakes, one of which will be coconut all washed down with sweet tea. It's a comfort.

I ate many, many PB and J or tuna sandwiches (no name brands!), and spaghetti with butter and garlic. Chicken leg quarters were my go-to protein (still like them) and I ate a BUNCH of scrambled/hard-boiled/fried eggs on toast.

I hated them until I grew them myself. Now I can't eat enough of them. Raw, off the vine, still warm from the sun....

The hot dogs at Sheetz were a favorite of mine while I was in grad school. 2/$1.29, unlimited condiments (the spicy red pepper relish was my favorite), and walking distance from my office. A cheap treat!

I made vichyssoise and Salad Nicoise directly from Vol. I and both were absolute perfection. And easy!

@hungrychristal: OK with me! :)

@yayfood: I've been recommending It's All American Food to everyone, all the time. I love it, and all the recipes I've tried have been great, too!

The "hidden gem" cookbooks that I like are vintage Junior League cookbooks from anywhere there's a JL.

Honestly, it was a sandwich made with still warm homegrown tomatoes, salt and pepper, on WonderBread with mayonnaise. Eaten standing over the kitchen sink. Trashy but delicious!