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@lemonfair-- I agree with you about the rosemary on top. I make a reasonable facsimile of the bread served at Macaroni Grill and I mix it into the dough. My theory is that the rosemary gets browned if it is on top (being cooked at a high temperature) and takes on an unpleasant flavor.

I grew up in a house that NEVER had soda in it. I drank it at picnics or social occasions when I was young but frankly I don't understand the attraction to carbonation. It burns going down and it burns coming back up. I would rather eat my calories than drink them, also.
I've worked with some morbidly obese people over the years and without fail they are the ones who have the gigantic Big Gulp close at hand at all times. It isn't the sole cause of their obesity but it seems to be a major factor.
I agree with @HungryChristel that it's only a matter of time until they discover that the latest & greatest artificial sweetener is in fact a carcinogen.

@therealchiffonade -- I'm with you on the frog eye salad! My husbands family think I am the antichrist because I pass it quickly along at thanksgiving and they impatiently wait 364 days for it.

My vote is for any recipe involving a can of tuna. I know I'm in the minority on this, but the stench of it is unbearable to me.

Curry, curry and more curry. I try zillions of recipes-- no luck!

I walked home for lunch every day until I was in the 5th grade--I was terrified of being forced to eat beans or tuna (food I still detest). But I discovered it was wonderful food there--nothing was pre-made. Everything from scratch, this was in the 70's. My favorite was turkey dinner-- real turkey, real mashed potatoes, etc. They had peanut butter bars for dessert sometimes that were to die for-- and I've tried zillions of recipes trying to find its duplicate. No luck. Chewy peanut butter bars with thick milk chocolate frosting.
Junior high and high school food was a different matter, though. They managed to even make french fries taste industrial.

Remember in the 70's when there was the official "generic" brand with black and white packaging? My brother and I looooved the generic brownie mixes & snarfing it down while watching Gilligan's Island. My mom was all excited to save money & bought generic stuff she'd never normally buy--like brownie mix. Usually we had zero junk food in the house and my brother taught me if you chew a handful of wheat kernels long enough it'd turn into gum. Yes, we were that desperate. She also went through whey, lecithin and soy phases. Pity me.

I would KILL to have my grandma's fried chicken again and her green salad that she'd serve in individual seasoned wood bowls. She always sprinkled some kind of red salty seasoning on it.
@yayfood--I think you're talking about Drumstix--the chewy cone was so awesome! But the "ice cream" was like eating frozen white carpet fuzz.

I miss Bottlecaps, bit 'o' honey, green apple jolly ranchers, Oompa Loompas, those tiny wax bottles with juice inside them. Candy cigarettes and cigars! Zotz. I know some of them are still made but it's disappointing to try it again & find out you had terrible taste.

Cap'n Crunch w/ Crunchberries! You have to let them sit for a while, otherwise they'll rip your palate to shreds!
My biggest guilty pleasure isn't so guilty until you calculate the sheer volume I consume-- Jade peanut sauce sold at Williams Sonoma. Oh, Lordy. When I was single I would go buy an armful every-so-often and one time as I approached the cash register the manager popped his head out of the business office and called me over to him. He said he'd "noticed" that I really liked the stuff -- I guess he performed surveillance duty in the back office and was starting to recognize me!--and he said that he would give me a discount on each bottle. My face turned flaming red but I took the discount!!!

There are two things I've learned but unfortunately I have not really LEARNED them because I persist in doing them.

#1. I cannot make bread or rolls. Period. But I am obsessed with making them. I am college-educated and have a keen intellect--how hard could it be??? They are hard, tough little flavorless bricks. I try all kinds of recipes, following instructions to the letter. Compassionate family members have come to my home to demonstrate their "fail-proof" recipes and they are delicious. Until they leave and I try it on my own. It's been suggested that I overmix or over-knead things so I am hyper-alert and don't do it. But maybe I do?? I have been failing at this since high school Home Ec. class ...twenty-seven years ago. My husband begs me to stop. Begs. But someday I know the stars and my chakras will be in alignment and I will turn out the most fluffy, flavorful dinner rolls ever:)

#2 Never. Try a new recipe out on guests. I have even made dinner rolls for guests--my delusions know no end.

When my family is around it's sesame shrimp & rice. Thank heavens for frozen raw shrimp.

If it's just me I cook some pasta then drown it in Jade Peanut Sauce sold at Williams Sonoma. Then make it even more tongue-scalding by adding red pepper flakes....

When I've REALLY REALLY given up it's a bowl of cereal.

You have good cause to be proud!
I've given this subject a lot of thought because I have 3 grade-school age boys and it's interesting to hear what they eat in the homes of their friends. I wonder if most parents assume that kids will only eat chicken nuggets and Pop Tarts & therefore won't even try to serve them anything else. I've seen the same parents roll their eyes, calling the kids "picky eaters."

My 10 year old's friend eats dinner with us almost every night these days--he cautiously asks me what things are and then tries it all. He has scarfed down mass quantities of bruschetta or chicken curry or thai spring rolls & peanut sauce, much to his mothers amazement. I am not the most accomplished cook--but I do try hard to introduce new flavors on a regular basis to my kids. I don't want them to be afraid of seeing something new on their plate.

I hadn't had sweetened condensed milk for years--until a few nights ago when I made hot fudge sauce for my kids. I couldn't resist licking the inside of the lid and I literally swooned. This is why I don't keep it stocked in my pantry-- I could do some serious damage with a can opener and a spoon!

I now serve my family 2 or 3 vegetarian meals each week-- a real improvement for us!

chips and onion dip --it's the only time of year i allow myself to eat it!