Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

lots of stuff!
from my husband - cookbooks; Plenty, Cook This Now, and Nigella Christmas, and money to get some fancy ingredients!
from my parents - the New Gourmet cookbook, a giant enamel stockpot, tons of spices and condiments, a torch (regular sized, after the advice I got on SE), some cutesy kitchen stuff, and a GC for a CIA enthusiasts' class!
extended family - subscription to Food Network magazine, tart ring, pretty serving ware, kitchen towels, cocoas.

last week for dinner, we had porkchops with pan gravy and roasted potatoes, AB's creamy mac and cheese with sauteed green beans, roast beef-provolone paninis, and home made nachos.
Lunches are sandwiches, salads, or leftovers.
This week is a little more relaxed as I have some time off work; I made a big pot of borsch last night, and we'll have South African "bunny chow" in breadbowls tonight, with chicken parmesan and sausage/cabbage bake later in the week. Oh and tons of homemade cookies!

I associate instant potatoes with either painkillers, as the only times I've eaten them as an adult have been when I had extreme strep throat, severe orthodontic issues, or surgery; or with "home cooking", as my mom made them with fat free chicken broth so they'd be a low fat side dish when I was a kid. I am not a giant fan of mashed potatoes, even real ones, after all those experiences!

I have cut back a lot, and given it up for periods of time occasionally, but I like it with junk food, fast food, etc; in things that those, water just heightens the weird flavors. Diet Pepsi adds a flavor all its own!

My family is the same way with the rolls - they want "brown and serve", with the cardboard sleeve, not fancy homemade ones, as I was expressly told this year when I was assigned to bring the rolls, a box of cereal, and soda. Oh, and whatever desserts I want, provided they're not pumpkin, apple, or pecan pies as they're already taken. Or cookies, ice cream, and candy because those are better store-bought. Screw it - I'm making two fancy cheesecakes, a mince pie for my dad, and a pecan chocolate tart. And granola in place of the cereal. But I did buy the stupid rolls.

I pan fry mine bacon fat, then steam till tender, and dress with some balsamic and toasted breadcrumbs. Even my kids like these, and I've converted many sprouts-haters too!

Thanks so much for the help! And what a great idea - cooking together via Skype!

So the trick is to order the SCM, take off the top immediately, grab a spoon or a stir stick and greedily slurp the whipped cream, caramel, and salt; enjoy the salty sweet goodness and sugar high. Then drink the rest of the mocha.

Oh I love Nerds, but not the orange or purple ones - the watermelon and generic pink flavor are the best!

Eggs over easy, like most of you. That's also my kids' favorite option, we have it almost every morning over toast. Sometimes I crave a really buttery, fluffy, scrambled egg, like I grew up with; my husband likes to scramble his in olive oil and that's not bad as long as you have the right toast. I like frittatas, with sriracha. I like boiled eggs and deviled eggs and poached eggs on top of enchiladas. Just discovered hard boiled eggs in curry sauce, jury's still out on that one. But my absolute favorite is a frizzled white-runny yolk egg on top of a medium rare hamburger! I didn't realize I like eggs so much....

I have a really strange one - when I was a kid, we didn't do Halloween, just the church harvest party. All the costumes were supposed to be biblical, but I just wasn't feelin' the whole Esther/Mary/Ruth vibe. So my mom came up with an idea - manna from the desert! I dressed in white, with cotton balls and little flakes of paper stuck on, with a sign around my neck that said "what is it?" Only a couple other church kids got it but it certainly was memorable. I won a prize for most unusual costume (ever).

Wickles Pickles red pepper relish. A little tangy, a little spicy, a little sweet, the ultimate condiment.

yes Smitten Kitchen is awesome! and I love the Homesick Texan too, make a lot of recipes from there for my best friend, another homesick Texan.