Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

The first time I went to Chelsea Market, in NYC.

We had corned beef (braised in ale in the crock pot, then finished with a Colman's mustard/brown sugar glaze under the broiler), Champ (with Chinese garlic chives instead of scallions, Cabbage braised in cream, and soda bread.

I made a pumpkin pie brulee 2 years ago and it was fantastic, so I'm voting for that!

I would love a pitless cherry -- perfect toddler food!

I like to put the cherries in a big bowl of ice water -- it makes them incredibly crisp and delicious.

Lasagna made with sweet potatoes or butternut squash and goat cheese.

http://www.savour-fare.com

I think it depends in part, for me, on the originality and creativity of the original recipe. If it's a recipe for, say, lemon curd, every recipe pretty much looks alike, and I'll claim it if it's become my recipe (because chances are I've forgotten the original source. If it's a recipe for something more original in either technique or flavor pairing, I'll give credit where credit is due, even if I'm adapting it. An adaptation is mine probably if there are three changes, like someone else said.

I think it depends on your market. In a place with an established cart market (like NYC or LA) it would be a good niche. Maybe harder in other locales.

Steam them and puree for a pasta sauce. Laurie Colwin has a recipe in her Home Cooking.

http://www.savour-fare.com

When our kid was small, we took her to many restaurants -- she usually slept through the meal (and if we didn't, my husband and I whisked her outside and took turns eating) and we usually ate early. Maybe even ridiculously early. In other words, we created our own baby seating. Now that she's a toddler it's not worth the wrangling, and we almost never eat out unless there's a babysitter involved.

Have a repertoire of super quick foolproof recipes that you can whip out in the event of a disaster. Best if they're pantry staples. Mine are Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon, Braised carrots, and gooey chocolate puddings. I almost always have the ingredients for these on hand and can rescue any dinner party.

It's a tossup -- Microplane, Oxo peeler, or Mexican citrus juicer.

http://www.savour-fare.com

I think that really depends on the audience, wouldn't you? I would say that macaroni and cheese may be essential because I have a small child at home, but I can count on one hand the number of times my parents have had mac and cheese in the past ten years.

Some of my staples:

I have 3 dishes I make with ground turkey or beef that can be whipped up in under 20 minutes -- one with worcestershire sauce and cheddar cheese, one with peppers, onions, fish sauce, sriracha and basil, and one that's a variation on sloppy joes.
Spaghetti Carbonara -- we almost always have bacon and eggs
Omelets -- They do in a pinch when the cupboard is bare
Various soups -- I make several variations on tortilla soup, which is a favorite in my house. I also frequently make butternut squash soup, and mushroom soup.
Panfried steak or pork chops with a pan sauce
Salad dressing
Beef Stew
Pot Roast
Tacos -- various fillings
Enchiladas -- various fillings

I can't imagine having only 20 dishes in my repertoire!

http://www.savour-fare.com

Cook's Illustrated suggests adding vodka to the dough -- it increases the ease of handling without detracting from the texture. As for rolling it out, I suggest doing it between parchment paper and rolling in one direction. I wrote about this recently.