Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I was whining to my wife about the lack of palatable tomatoes (seriously, the ones I can find here aren't even decent) and how I wanted a BLT, so we substituted avocado for the tomato. It was delicious (and would be even better with a good aioli, but I digress).

Oh, and I love me some guacamole. I inherited a great recipe.

Prime rib

I just cooked a delicious prime rib for Christmas Eve. Until I top that, it's my favorite.

I have a 5" nakiri from Calphalon that I absolutely love. I was shopping for a decent santoku (that was at least 8"), and on a whim I picked up the nakiri. It had just the right heft and balance, and it felt so good in my hand I couldn't not buy it.

Just about anything: steak kebabs, brats, corn, pineapple, etc. I'm working on perfecting my hamburgers right now.

Tears, mostly.

When I was in high school, I had some gastrointestinal issues. We tried lactose-free diets, gluten-free, etc etc. I really disliked the soy milk. It wasn't until I realized the soy ice cream wouldn't melt, even if I left it on the counter for several hours, that I said nuts to that and went back to cow. It was a happy day.

I'm a late-20s Californian accountant who just finished his master's. Oh, and I'm a newlywed, so be sure I'm going to mention my wife in every post. I am a menu whisperer and for some reason am always the last to order at a restaurant, at which point half the party changes their orders. I'm still learning to cook (according to me), and am the gourmet of the extended family (according to two SILs - one on each side). I can do almost anything Italian, am learning to grill, and have a knack for putting ingredients/flavors together. Ask me about latest creation, because it's all I can talk about for a week or so after I first cook it, whatever it is (currently fries with drizzled in bleu cheese sauce then hot chili oil, and red pepper flakes sprinkled on top).

A note on the people faking allergies thing: I do that. I do it specifically because of a gut disorder that causes me to be violently ill if I have any sort of poultry. Case in point: I had one bite of a dish that was prepared using chicken broth and was violently ill for two weeks. The word "explosive" would be an appropriate description. So, rather than telling people that I have a severe intolerance similar to lactose intolerance, I just say I'm allergic. It's easier.

As far as pickiness, I've got quite a few stories. When I was 3 or 4, my dad opened a banana and saw that it was old and mushy. So he gave it to me. I haven't liked bananas since. I'll eat them, but it's not my first choice.

My SIL is in her late 30s and is the pickiest eater I've ever met. She will eat chicken alfredo, the neon orange mac and "cheese", hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and similar food. She could eat nothing but McDonalds for the rest of her life and be happy.

I should note, she says she can't stand chili. Well, my finest moment as a cook came when we had a family gathering I cooked for. I made a big ol' pot o' chili. I'd never made chili from scratch before, so I was excited how it would turn out. I loved it. My wife loved it. SIL? She said "well, I'll try it" because we had chili and bread and some veggie platters. She ladled herself up a teeny portion, ate it, and spent the rest of the meal trying to sneak back to the chili without anyone noticing so she could have some more but not lose her reputation as the pickiest eater alive.

tl;dr - Me: 1, SIL: 0

I suddenly regret my Sam's Club membership. If only it was cost-effective for me to own both!

Actually, medicine has a cure that works 100% of the time; that's why no real research has gone into the subject. The cure is simple: don't drink to the point where you'd get a hangover. Of the doctors I know, most say not to drink at all. Still, few of their patients listen to them.

I clicked on the Cinnamon Sugar Rugelach recipe and it took me to Jam Thumbprints. My wife is currently mocking me for this. Little help?

I either fry up some tacos or raid my candy stash.