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@Truffels: I agree with you up to a point. I have a very nice Henckels set, along with a couple of Wusthofs. However, they were all horrendously expensive! Not everyone is willing (or able) to shell out a substantial sum for cutlery. Inexpensive knives, and by inexpensive I mean less than $50, are attractive to wide range of people simply because of that factor.

I guess I'm fairly good at it... for other people, but not for myself. I can order for my wife and most of my friends and they'll be thrilled with what I select for them. My own luck is rather more hit-or-miss.

Even in the Midwest you can still commission a caterer to pull a smoker to your chosen location and roast a whole hog (usually for graduations, weddings, etc.)... I've never met anyone who's done it on their own, though. Sounds intriguing!

I made osso bucco for the first time last Thanksgiving - a big hit! A crown roast, full ham, or leg of lamb are all good holiday meals, too.

My wife and I (OK, it was mostly her - I just made the crust) just made an apple-strawberry-rhubarb pie that came out great! My favorite, though, is definitely an old-fashioned apple pie, made with Michigan-grown MacIntoshes... mmm, pie.

@Swampyankee: to the best of my knowledge, that's correct. Aspargine is an amino acid common in many foods, but first isolated in asparagus. The characteristic smell associated with asaparagus urine is a result of sulfuric byproducts from the breakdown of the amino acid.

Certain studies have shown that the ability to detect the odor varies from person to person, but the studies' results are not definitive.

Fantastic! It's nice to know that someone's looking out for the little guy, even if it's just a slightly larger little guy...

Strictly speaking - not entirely Italian, but when I make my pizza dough I like to use V8 or other tomato juice as part of the liquid ingredients. The yeast is just as happy and the dough takes on a nice rosy color that adds a nice twist to the dish.

I think that if a restaurant refused to fix my complaint, I'd never go back. Ever.

I have to say that I'm not an anise fan... how does absinthe compare to Ouzo in that regard? I find ouzo to be unpalatable, even a more expensive variety, due to the strong licorice flavor.

Pork fat really does rule...

It looks fantastic... I might buy one and then try to replicate it with other (les-expensive) ingredients.

If your venison tastes "gamey," it's because it's improperly prepared. Let me explain: unlike beef, venison (which includes elk, moose, and deer) has very little marbling. Instead, the animal's fat lies in strips and patches between the muscles and muscle groups. The trouble is that the fat doesn't taste very good. Ignorant processors often grind all of the fat in with the meat instead of cutting it out and adding pork or beef fat as a substitute.

This is the origin of that unpleasant "gamey" taste that a lot of people associate with venison. That being said... Elk tends to be a bit on the tough side, compared to whitetail, so stews and ground meat dishes are excellent ways to take advantage of its depth of flavor.