Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

wild mushroom stuffing, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie brulee, perfect mashed potatoes--how could I ever choose?

Wild mushroom stuffing sounds fantastic.

Perfect mashed potatoes...

The chipotle meatballs sound mighty good.

brussell sprouts with bacon and a chaser of pumpkin pie brulee...

I'm a sucker for all brulees, and pumpkin pie brulee sounds wonderful!

I agree with many others--the brussels sprouts with bacon sounds great. (It's a pork fat thing.) But I also love the idea of that pump action potato smasher! Thanks for the tip on where to get it. Done deal.

I am commenting from ignorance of anything laser, but I have had meat and candy thermometers for forty years, and none can compare to the "Thermapen" one they sell at King Arthur Flour. I may be way off base, but I think this one does everything any thermometer could ever be asked to do!
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/thermapen-digital-thermometer

(I posted this in the wrong place earlier today--so this is a "re"post!) A general comment about all the "Cook the Book" posts and recipes: The publishers are very smart to provide five free copies to SE because your write-ups have caused me to go online and buy many many cookbooks that I never would have known about otherwise! Sometimes I enter the giveaway with a comment, but I know my chances of winning are slim, so I go ahead and order the book in a frenzy of impatience. The Mark Peel cookbook is an example; it will be winging its way to me today because I love the cover photo and the recipes for green bean salad and mashed potatoes--and I can't wait to receive it! This has been true for several other cookbooks, too. (One time I actually won the cookbook in the SE giveaway, and had to give that second copy to my son. He was Seriously Happy!)

By the way, when you get the Junglee sandwich at Dimple's Bombay off the NJ Turnpike, keep in mind that it is HUGE! We ordered one each, and all 4 of us had to bring the second halves with us the rest of the way home. It was pretty good cold when we arrived--but even better hot in the restaurant. It takes a few minutes waiting for the order, but the Junglee is a wonderful, delicious reason to make a stop while driving.

My family dinner was cioppino--unorthodox, yes, but we lived in San Francisco, and my mother loved the humble origins of the dish, and all the rituals: sourdough from a special bakery (not a chain!), live crab, fresh fish and shellfish. Nothing compared to that dish. The shellfish was sauteed first in lots of parsley, garlic, and olive oil. My mother insisted that was her "secret." We had it Christmas eve and still continue the tradition of making cioppino when family members get together.

It depends on the cost. We used to go to the Inn at Little Washington every year for our anniversary, and we loved it--and the recipes I made at home from the cookbook were glorious. It was worth the $500 we dropped each time we went. That went on for more than a decade, but in 1999, at the height of the internet bubble, we had a bad experience and have never been back. I'm still bitter about that evening! The fish was overcooked, and the place was packed with young, dot-commers who were very drunk and very loud. We overheard one being fired at a large "company" table, and his reaction was as angry as it was ear-piercing. Our courses were not brought out simultaneously, either. The waitstaff was watching the shenanigans of the particular table, and pretty much ignored us. It was not worth anything close to $500.
I carry a grudge, and I've never been back--nor will I ever return in the future. I don't care if it is ranked #1 restaurant in America, it wasn't #1 that night, and that's when I needed them to be really wonderful.

Happy birthday to "Burger Conquest"! Rev, this is a great post. I love the humorous asides, especially the one about the "burger date." I hope to see more of your posts here in the future. (And jalapenos and chorizo will make anything taste scrumptious!)