About 10 of us will be having a weekend at the cabin, and in addition to the boating, swimming, and games, we'd like to whip up some delicious food! We'll leave the brats and potato chips for the weeknights at home. What should we make? Sides, desserts, snacks? We've got the main dishes decided (flank steak, lemon grilled chicken, and something for the lone vegetarian)

Thanks SEers!!

I have the beginnings of a cold, and was planning on making squash soup tonight. Will my cold be contagious through my soup if I give it to friends? Will it be contagious to my future self if I freeze some and eat it later?

I roasted three big beets last night and now I don't know what to do with them. Any interesting recipes/flavor combos? I thought of a salad with goat cheese (but what kind of dressing?) Or refrigerator pickles (any recipes to recommend?) Please help!

I'm going to a cheeseball party on Friday night and really need to impress my friends with a creative cheeseball. Any ideas? Sweet or savory, or both. Rolled in something, or not. Let's see what you can do, SEers!!

I've been thinking about joining a CSA for 2009 (I'm in MN), but I'm not sure how to choose a farm and what amount is right for me. Anyone have any experience? Do you get fruits and veggies? Is it worth your money?

It would probably be me, the bf, and his two male, veggie-loving roommates. Maybe enough to feed a family of four then just split it?

I seem to buy baby carrots compulsively, thinking I'll make hummus when the mood hits. Hummus is getting kind of old, and ranch/dill dips are boring. Any tips for a veggie dip? What's your favorite? Anything unusual that you enjoy?

Or should I cook them? Any idea is helpful. Thanks!

I was getting ready to post about what to do with an 8oz bar of bittersweet (62%) baking chocolate, but I checked the expiration date and it was (eek!) 9/07. My mom gave it to me. A while ago. Kinda forgot about it but just got in the mood to bake something for the holidays.

Should I just toss it? Or can I still use it to make something? If you don't think I'll die, what should I do with it?

So the BF's extended family does a themed gift exchange each year. This year's theme is "Something to keep you warm." Since we all think with our stomachs this time of year, can you suggest any food or drink related gifts I could bring? Nice hot sauce? A mulled wine or cider kit with spices measured out? (Recipes welcome!)

We're not supposed to spend more than $15 and of course, I want people to fight over whatever gift I bring so it's gotta be good!

Hey all. My roommate and I are hosting a 20+ friends thanksgiving on Sunday (prethanksgiving cuz some friends can't go see family) and it's a potluck and we've gotten great responses about people bringing side dishes and desserts. We have one oven, which will most likely be roasting the turkey.

My question to you all is how to keep things warm until we're ready to eat! Does a turkey need to rest a bit after roasting, which would free up our oven space to re-heat some casseroles and stuffing, etc? What's the best way to orchestrate this? We told people to come over at 12 figuring we'd eat soon after. Is there any kind of formula for this? Help! Thanks!

We're having a potluck debate party and I'm wondering if anyone has any clever election-themed appetizer or dessert ideas. Or even drink recipes. Punny titles welcome! Finger foods are preferred.

I'd really like to start making soup regularly. It makes a great take-to-work lunch and is really cheap to make. Do you have any recipes to share?

Some criteria for me:
-no meat, but chicken stock is ok
-I don't really like minestrone or pasta e fagioli types of soups. I'm more of a straight up tomato, squash, or mushroom type.
-Healthy is good, but if it tastes like diet food, no thanks!

I keep finding all these great squash recipes, (here and here) all of which involve prepping and roasting the squash beforehand. I come from the school of "but I'm hungry now!" so is there any way I can cut down this cutting and roasting? Do cubes of roasted squash keep in the fridge or freezer? Is this a bad idea?

Bear with me here, this is kind of a weird situation. My roommate and I are pretty good about not overbuying at the grocery store. We have differing food preferences and keep pretty different schedules so we're not cooking together very often.

Somehow over the two years we've lived in our apartment, our food cupboard has become overstocked with pastas, canned beans, sauces, and other nonperishables. The cupboard is a bit too high for proper perusal and too deep to reach into without a footstool. After most trips to the store, things pretty much get pushed to the back, or nearly teeter on the edge of the shelf.

How do I keep things organized? How do I get through all this food? Do I clean it out, take inventory, and keep a list tacked on the wall? What do you do with all your random perishables in the dark corners of the cupboard?

We're going to the cabin this weekend and I'd really like to set up a bloody mary bar. What is essential? (I'm down with DIY but will probably buy tomato juice rather than make my own...)

The door of my fridge is filled with various condiments that never get used! And I love condiments so I'm feeling guilty. Plus they say you should toss anything that's been open for longer than 6 months.

What I'm looking for is new and interesting ways you use condiments. For example, what's a good way to showcase...sweet pickle relish? Besides the classic hot dog.

The blog Cake Wrecks came up last night at Happy Hour. People contribute photos of their misunderstood cake messages and other cake mishaps. It reminds me of the 90s classic Saved by the Bell episode where Jessie orders a cake for Zack's surprise party and a cake is delivered with "Happy Birthday Wrong Number By the Sea." I guess you have to see the whole episode to get it.

My favorite is this Olympics cake.

Any similar experiences to share?

Help! This weekend I'm meeting the bf's entire family and we're cooking Saturday breakfast for them! What should I make? There will be about 20 people, including some little kids. Any ideas for crowd-pleasing menu items? We'll have some time to prep ahead, and the use of a kitchen. I was thinking a huge fruit salad, possibly with a fruit dip...? What else? I'm used to cooking for four, but never this size. How is it done?

The BF made a big batch of rice and was rather heavy-handed with the salt and butter. Any way to make it edible? My first thought is to make more plain rice and mix it in. Any other ideas?

I've never been to Seattle and will be visiting there next month and I just came across this website for Savor Seattle Tour which goes around Pike Place and lets you get some history and samples from various vendors. From first glance, it looks interesting and a good way to get aquainted with this seemingly huge market.

Has anyone from SE been on the tour? I know it would be very touristy, but I've travelled so much that I don't feel self conscious about that. I just want to get the most out of my first visit to Pike Place!

So the annual trip this July will be to Seattle, then driving up to Vancouver, BC. I'll be with some not-so-hot-about-seafood people (their loss!), and our budget is more paper napkin rather than cloth napkin.

What and where should we eat?

Trader Joe's gets praise for their cheap wine, but they also have a good selection of interesting beers. I especially love how TJ's lets you make your own 6 pack. Last time I was there, I got a variety of wheat beers so my friends and I could do a taste-test of sorts. The unanimous favorite was the Pyramid Apricot Wiezen, which was unique in that it had a fruity "beforetaste" (if that's a word) rather than a fruity aftertaste.

Have you made any interesting beer discoveries there?

Each summer, my friends and I are constantly organizing grill-outs at homes and parks. I'm kind of in a cooking rut since last summer, I just made hummus and guacamole over and over again. Any new ideas for easy appetizers, side dishes, or dips? What do you like to serve at/bring to your grill-outs?

I'm curious to hear some SE wedding food stories and comments since I just got home from serving a 290 person wedding. It was HELL for the staff, but I think the guests had fun. Luckily for us there was a buffet instead of plated meals.

How did you plan the meals for your wedding? Or what would you serve if you were getting married? Have you ever had any memorable wedding meals or do they all just blur together into chicken breasts and mushy vegetables?

I just found this article in Publishers Weekly here at work: Gourmet Starts Cookbook Club

It seems like a cool idea– Gourmet Magazine starting an Oprah-esque book club, intending to help readers weed through the thousands of cookbooks out there (much like a very useful website we all know and love!) Oprah helped get a lot of people to read who wouldn't necessarily pick up a book in their free time. Gourmet readers probably already do a lot of cooking and cookbook reading, but a recommendation from such a source would be nice to have when there are over 24,000 new cookbooks each year.

Robyn's article about Chilean hot dogs and sandwiches gave me a big craving for mayonnaise, but I can't think of what I want to eat. What are your favorite things to eat with mayo? Sandwiches, salads, sushi? Anything unusual? Do you like the mayo flavor to stand out or do you use it as a base for some other flavor?

I'm going to a cheeseball party on Friday night and really need to impress my friends with a creative cheeseball. Any ideas? Sweet or savory, or both. Rolled in something, or not. Let's see what you can do, SEers!!... More