Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I enjoy something fairly similar,(sort of). I take very thin slices of salami and nuke 'em in the microwave for a few seconds until they are very crispy. Salami chips are very yummy :)

Aw, I am very sorry to hear about your sweet little buddy. RIP, dear Dumpling - I know for a fact you'll have excellent company in your doggie afterlife!

Hooray, grilling season (grill has been buried in snow all winter)! I think zucchini and Parmesan are a match made in heaven - I usually add some Parm when I'm sauteing zukes. Your photo is beautiful; makes the zucchini look scrumptious!!

Mmmm, ham, shaved with brie cheese and fresh figs. Press it too please, so it's nice and warm and gooey good!

I miss Dumas :( Now that was a perfect croissant!

Just scored a bunch at the farmer's market - If you are lucky enough to get many, they freeze really well! You can freeze them whole, or chop them to the size you want and freeze. That way, the season's not so painfully short!

Roasted Garlic Scapes

Take the scapes and put them in a lightly oiled roasting pan, top with salt (kosher or seas salt works best but any will do). Put the loaded and covered pan in a hot (425 °F) oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until they are beginning to turn brown. serve as a side or main dish. Tastes like roasted garlic but creamier.

Love me some Beaufort d'Alpage! If you cannot find it locally, igourmet.com carries it

http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/prodview.aspx?prod=055 (although at this writing they are out of stock) :(

but Zingermans has it also: http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=C-BEA&crf=BASE

Well they look lemony (and delicious)! So maybe "orange" is a typo? I'm hungry now :)

I think my favorite chocolate fix has to be a dark chocolate covered caramel sprinkled with some fleur de sel. That, or a Bissinger's Olive Oil Truffle ;)

Really fond of ginger, green tea and cinnamon! Love me a good coffee or mocha too. Chocolate chip doesn't stink either. You won't catch me turning down any caramel-toffee, nope. Hey, pass the Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia!! Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, heck yes!! Alright, if I have to I'll force down some butter pecan, call me crazy! And if I'm having any flavor on a warmed brownie with hot fudge sauce, it has to be vanilla. But I'm not really a a big fan of ice cream ;-)

Dinner tonight! And mine will have a bit of crispy pancetta!

Um, dbcurrie, I'm afraid you are not correct: synonyms ensure , insure , assure , secure mean to make a thing or person sure. ensure , insure, and assure are interchangeable in many contexts where they indicate the making certain or inevitable of an outcome, but ensure may imply a virtual guarantee (the government has ensured the safety of the refugees), while insure sometimes stresses the taking of necessary measures beforehand (careful planning should insure the success of the party), and assure distinctively implies the removal of doubt and suspense from a person's mind (I assure you that no harm will be done). Secure implies action taken to guard against attack or loss (sent reinforcements to secure their position). Now, please pass the potatoes!