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My mother's homemade buns. I have the same recipe, but they never ever turn out nearly as good as hers. She is famous for them. THey are light and slightly buttery sweet and just the right size for the great cold turkey and ketchup sandwiches that make cooking an entire turkey for only three people a tradition every year. I remember dreaming of them during the rest of the year, but she never makes them except for Thanksgiving. I will never be able to recreate them as well as she does, but only serves to make them all the more specialand delicious!

I once an entire bag of those really good Honey Wheat pretzel twists from Rold Gold (I think?) on a long bus trip from Aspen to Denver back in college. Otherwise, it's any kind of popcorn or pretzels. I am definitely a salt person, but have never (gasp, I know) enjoyed potato chips.

Either popcorn or oatmeal. And if I could add seasonings or toppins, respectively, I could go a *lot* longer than that! I spent the better part of a solid Year (really, this is no joke) eating only those two things....not the healthiest, but I don't clam to be Marion Nestle, and I was totally, utterly, skint for that entire time...thanks PhD.

Thanks, everyone! I have another question for those of you that have used them (or still do). I am moving into a great little condo, and have my own terrace, but the HOA doesn't let people (very understandably) have individual grills on their decks. We have to use the ones in the shared area in the middle. Well, that's just fine for the warm months, but I live in Minnesota and love to grill all year round (mostly fish and veggies, but the occasional dogs, brats, burgers, too) and the prospect of having to stand in -20 degrees trying to grill doesn't make me happy. Do these toaster ovens do anything like a "mock" grill that might be "good enough"?

Definitely grocery shopping - good call out @pooroldmama!

Also, anything with baking, but normally something that is labor intensive, not just whipping up brownies and letting them sit in the oven. Cookies are better, or things that have multiple steps.

@jpunk: I have never tried it, but always had the curiosity to do it...maybe I should do that this weekend on a lark. :)

I don't really have much of a sweet tooth, despite the copious amounts of baked goods that I make all the time, but I have a weakness for gingerbread cookies. Thank goodness that time of year really only lasts for a couple of months, or I would likely be twice the size of me. :)

What types of food are you looking for? Do you have a price-point that you need to watch out for?

If you like higher-end stuff, I would recommend my personal favorite - The Glockenspiel - which is actually in Saint Paul, but has authentic and amazing German food.

For sushi, try Fuji-ya, which has private rooms, too, for parties like yours where they serve it all to you in the traditional way.

For Italian on a budget, try Cossetta's over in Saint Paul, too. Fantastic, fun and great for a cheap night out!

Otherwise, what are more specific things that you are looking for? Or want to avoid?

@orlandodrknmnky: Don't feel too badly. When I was a barista at a chain coffee place (it was high school/college and I needed the money) I came home smelling like burnt espresso and spilled coffee and whipped cream. The problem was that, at the time, I had a Saint Bernard and she thought that I *was* food, and would lick me incessantly until I could shower and change!

@_greenbean: Great idea! What about ginger snaps? Those would be great!

I have used it and other substitutes a lot on baking, and I can say that although it works very well for most cakes, it does not work that well in cookies. They tend to come out with a cakey texture and get chewy and rubbery really quickly. If you want a substitute for health reasons, mashed bananas work better in cookies, as does plain yoghurt, although really, you will still have a more cake-like texture in the end.

Cakes can aslo easily accomodate plain (or sometimes I use vanilla) yoghurt, bananas and other things. They are much more forgiving than cookies. It's the snap that cookies really need and that people love. That's part of the reason that I only use lard or Crisco (which now comes "trasn fat free" - almost) when I make gingersnaps. They just are not the same otherwise.

I was just where you are! Normally, I cannot get enough of baking (and some cooking), but for over a month and a half, I really could not have cared less whether or not I baked or cooked, and I even lived on hot dogs and sandwiches, because they were easy to make.

Frankly, the only thing that got me out of it was the change in the seasons. Suddenly, it got very chilly, and the leaves started to change (I love the autumn!) and I suddenly had the urge to bake pumpkin bread, and that seems to have done the trick! That was a couple of weekends ago, and now I making cookies and noodles and other good things again. Not as much as I was before, but more than while I was in a slump.

Never fear, something will come along and get you out of it. You cannot hold a devoted baker/cook down for too long!

Mmm...nothing better right now than mashed potatoes and gravy from KFC