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How about cheesecake? Everyone loves it, and there are 500 ways to make it. I made a strawberry cheesecake yesterday for Hunter's Thanksgiving, and it's all gone.

Also not a fan of pumpkin pie; everyone in my immediate family finds it equally loathesome. I am making fruit pies, and found this interesting varistion on apple pie: http://www.oneforthetable.com/oftt/pies/pomegranate-apple-pie-2.html. I quite like the idea of the tartness of pomegranate to counterbalance the sweetness of the apples and the blandness of the crust.

This article is pretty much completely useless.

I am a big fan of south beach and have lost a good amount of weight with what I consider very little heartache (being a food lover).
To clear up a couple things:
1. SBD does NOT restrict carbohydrates, and you are NEVER asked to count carbs, net carbs, or any of those other silly things. The diet (although in the most succesful form it's really just a "way of eating") emphasizes food low on the glycemic index - food that your body has to work on getting to the nutrients. Good fats (unsat), protein, and fiber are all important - but again, you NEVER have to count anything.
2. Yes, for the first two weeks or so you are supposed to give up all fruit and grain products. However, it's not so much that "fruit and grains are inherently bad" but more that "most people eat lots of crap" and this is a way to wean yourself off the crap. A whole apple... good thing. a big glass of processed apple juice... all sugar, which immediately rushes to your bloodstream, causing a spike and then a big dip (when you rush for MORE food). It's all about getting off the rollercoaster of blood sugar highs and lows.
3. Atkins, for a while at least, did not restrict fat (saturated) intake and in fact pushed things like full fat bacon, cheese, etc. SBD recommends emphasis on the "good" fats found in evoo, nuts, seeds, etc and lean meats.
4. "You always have to cook." Entirely not true. Find me a restaurant in America that won't serve you a green salad with some chicken on top. Just say "no croutons." Order the grilled salmon with extra veg, no potato. It's actually very simple to eat SBD without slaving over a hot stove. It's also easy to eat SB with others who are non-SB... you aren't restricted to shakes or bars or anything that you can't find in a normal restaurant setting. I've eaten good SB friendly meals in ITALIAN joints. And no nasty frozen meals... I know they make SBD meals, bars, etc... stay away from them, seriously. That's not what eating is all about.
5. I would absolutely agree with PP's who suggested contacting a nutritionist, especially when dealing with a lot of weight or another serious medical condition. They can also give you more information - but read the SBD book first (blue cover, I think) which will give you a better understandingn of the principles behind the diet.
6. SBD does not ask you to count calories, fat, carbs, grams of anything... which is very good for everyday living. Some people ask, well then how can you lose weight? I used to have very "moody" blood sugar with lots of highs and crashing lows. I finally was eating about every 2 hours just to keep from fainting - although I tried to eat healthy snacks (fruit, granola, yogurt) I was eating WAAAY too much... my body didn't need all those calories, but my blood was telling me it needed more glucose. Not a good situation... SBD cleared up the blood sugar issues, I promise, in 2 weeks flat. I don't count grams of anything, but I have lost a lot of the weight simply due to the fact that I am only eating when i'm hungry, because my body's not addicted to sugar anymore.

In order to understand it, you really have to read the book or talk to someone, because there are a lot of misconceptions out there that can derail your BF's efforts if he falsely believes them. Good luck!

I've done South Beach...and I liked the Michael Thurman diet way more. It is less about restricting carbs and sugars (you can't eat fruit for the first few weeks of SB, which doesn't seem healthy to me). I think it's okay for a quick fix, but to lose a lot of weight I'd do something that's more balanced. I had a lot of cravings on SB, and not so much on Michael Thurman's, which focuses more on balanced meals.

The SB book and recipe book are pretty good though, they explain the science of it. Still, I'd rather eat nectarines and brown rice...

@Heart- Re: diet plan/Weight Watchers/counting calories/SBD
As my mom always says, "everybody needs something to count!"

Give it a shot! I used the South Beach Diet. It worked pretty well I lost 15 pounds reasonably quick (a month or so). However men tend to drop weight a little quicker at first so don't get discouraged.

I did quit using it. The biggest drawback is that you almost always HAVE to cook. Even though I love to cook, the time, money, etc that it took made it difficult. I manage cooking better now but at the time it was freaking hard and my food bill went up like crazy. I stopped buying cheap foods like hot dogs, pasta, and frozen diners and made tons of salads, fish, lean meats, veggies, etc. Also I always felt like I was depriving myself. But if he's doing it with a friend it might easier.

I actually use the ABs Diet plan (which is South Beach like) and I exercise 4-6 times a week and the weight has come off I have more muscle and I went from size 40 pants to size 34. I cook a ton of good food. And I even eat fries for lunch a couple times a week.

Give it a shot and you might find it works for you as long as you make sustainable changes in your lifestyle. It shouldn't be a temporary thing.

Glad for Twitter to share Nose to Tail at Home's mp3 of the panel:

broylesa: Squeal! Nose to Tail posted the mp3 of the food blogger #foodsxsw panel: http://tinyurl.com/dlz4hh
9 minutes ago from web · Reply · View Tweet

Adam, I'm so sad I didn't get to meet you after the panel! As you heard, I have a lot of respect for what y'all are doing with Serious Eats.

And now, off to clean the kitchen (you're right, Kalyn, it's the worst part of this whole gig....)