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So, so sorry to hear about this! Dumpling was the greatest mascot and, as you always wrote, a wonderful friend.

One of my all-time favorite sauces to dress up a roast beef sandwich!

I'm still hoping a Wagamama will open in NYC. I could go for Costa or Nero, too. I've heard good things about Nandos, but I've never tried them. If something similar to GAILS (mini-chain of artisan bread shops and cafes) could open, that would be great.

I'm a big Ronnybrook fan, as well, so I'm glad to see them come out on top. Their coffee milk is completely addictive, too!

I ate lunch at his Notting Hill branch when I was in London last month. Delicious and gorgeous food that was well-prepared and flavorful. I looked at bringing this book back with me, but didn't have room in my suitcase. I'm glad it's now available here. There were so many recipes I was thinking of trying.

Mmmmm...Mermaid Inn uses Old Bay on its French Fries. Love them! Great on chicken tenders as well. The Washington Post has a good recipe for them from a few years back. My mom had in her recipe file.

When I realized I couldn't get it up here in NY, I bought a really big can of in when I headed south to the DC area for our family's annual crabfest one year. Of course, I don't see a mention of that special "Old Bay Sting" that happens during a crab feast when you've nicked yourself and don't realize it until the Old Bay spices hit the cut.

These guys are great! Love their products. I've been hooked on them since the first bit of their Molasses Cookies with Pumpkin Pie ice cream at Hester Street. The Morticia is great, too, and a chocolate-lover's dream.

I prefer the old-fashioned Italian way as well, too, but maybe because that's the way I learned to make it living in Bologna. I've used both carnaroli and arborio rice and don't really have a strong preference either way, as long as it is a good quality rice and not old. I often use a butter/oil combo to toast the risotto, which is probably, again, a preference built in from my time living and cooking in Northern Italy.

Great list! We have an amazingly well-seasoned cast iron skillet that I think belonged to my grandmother or great-grandmother. When we close my parents' house eventually, I predict we'll have to arrange a custody-sharing arrangement for it. All of us learned to cook eggs and pancakes on it.

I'm going to sound like a heretic, I know, but several years ago, I did a massive cull of my cookbooks (and books in general). I got rid of about 3/4-2/3 of them, and only three new ones have entered my library since, both of them gifts. It's not that I don't love cookbooks, but I didn't have the space for all of them and wasn't cooking from them.

I almost never cook from any of the remaining ones, but instead use them as references for when I'm trying to come up with a recipe. Truthfully, and in talking to other folks, I'm finding this to be a trend among folks who cook, I turn to the internet, find a few things that kind of sort of sound like what I want, and then go and make up my own recipe for the dish I'm planning to make. Some of the blogs have great recipes that are now in my collection.

I second the soups suggestions. Use it to flavor a batch of lentils (or other beans). Ham and leek gratin (or ham and fennel gratin) are both other ideas. My mom used to make a ham salad out of our leftover ham. I think it had something like lots of mayo and pickles and/or relish in it. I thought it was gross, but nothing went to waste that way. The ham bone went into split pea soup or lentil stew.

I had a great, simple truffle pasta dish at San Domenico one night when my mother was in town and we decided to go there as it was down the street from where she was staying. Delicate handmade pasta with a dressing of butter and hand-shaved truffles on top. Amazing!

This stuff is delish! I need to track down a jar for my holiday stocking stuffers.