Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I am a big fan of irradiated beef for hamburgers. It nearly eliminates any risk of illness from undercooked beef.

I attempted to add diced peaches, cooked down into almost a puree, to a boiled icing for the in-between layers of a cake. No matter how hard I tried I could not get the frosting and puree to emulsify, leading to a chunky mess. The cake (with plain peaches between the layers) was still delicious, but i will be careful with my experimenting.

One of my best recent baking moments was last Christmas- my inner recessionista invited some friends over to make cookies- we went with Mocha cookies. They were delicious and a great way to spend an evening with friends!

To Ed and anyone else who wants to enjoy good food- come to Buffalo, NY July 11th and 12th for the Taste of Buffalo- www.tasteofbuffalo.com and see what it takes to throw a great festival.

Now in its 26th year, his annual festival has grown to be the 2nd largest food festival in the entire United States. With just under half a million annual attendees and at least 50 restaurants participating every year, you can try any of the over 150 offerings, and nothing costs more that four dollars. You can leave this place with a full belly for only $20! Plus, no admission fee.

Many people would not think of Buffalo when they think of foodie towns, but I certainly do. Granted, Buffalo is not bordering an ocean like most other foodie towns, but we more than make up for it with what we have to offer.

Tomatoes. There's nothing better than homegrown tomatoes, and canning them can make the taste last all year long.

My greatest success story is also my worst failure- ribs. Low and slow, the meat falls off the bone. But don't forget to use aluminum foil with a gas grill- I was left with black smoke and a chunk of charcoal. The good news was that my husband saw how sad I was and ran out to buy some delmonicos, cooked them to mooing perfection (for me at least) and saved the night.

Tuna noodle casserole- yummy!

I try to serve at least one vegetable per meal, and I have also tried substituting meats with meaty substitutes such as tofu or portabella mushrooms at least once a week.

tried making habanero truffles- not as spicy as I expected, but still had a warming effect

homeade chili- the kind yos stir every half hour for 8 hours

- I will eat the raw ramen, but without to flavor packet
- I also used to eat plain dry hot cocoa mix, and ALL of the marshmallows
- I am 26 and have never tried velveeta
- When I was a kid my mom would serve us potato chip and mustard sandwiches served in a pita- they are yummy!
- as a kid I would snack on sprinkles when my mom wasn't looking