Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I didn't know it was Ice Cream Day either! Luckily I had a to-die-for dark chocolate milkshake at Pates et Traditions in Brooklyn anyway.

I, too, have eaten Gog Bao Ji Ding in Beijing many times, and it's very similar to our Kung Pao Chicken. Except there it costs about fifty cents. And, as Barry Foy said, there seems to be an overabundance of peanuts and a relative dearth of chicken in the dish pictured. However, Barry, I've had it with cucumbers on numerous occasions. They work surprisingly well. I can't remember if it always had cucumbers (left Beijing >2 years ago) but it was often at least.

Wow, thanks for the great suggestions everyone! I only wish I had time to try them all!

For those of you curious for more details, we're leaning towards a central route at the moment, so the St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver suggestions are all awesome. SLC could be the next stop, or, if we have time, we may swoop down through AZ for some of that Mexican and then drive up the pacific coast for avocado and bean sprouts. The Ohio and Indiana suggestions may also come in handy, although Wookie has me a little worried about the latter state! And @tutsi, we're both in our 20s, and thanks for the Kansas City-to-Denver note, now that you mention it, this could be the longest part of the drive. Ride&cook's Shell station Mexican should hit the spot after that.

And @lexophile and others wondering, the 2 weeks are just to drive there. I'll be flying back, while the sister stays in San Fran to start culinary school!

Thanks for all the advice Cassaendra, food-related and otherwise! Now I think I have to go to Cleveland, even if this trip doesn't make it there.

And @yayfood (i like your name) the trip chronicle will be on my blog at eatandgoseek.com. Feel free to check it out!

I'm with the wooden spoon/paddle supporters. Those were fun.

I want one....

I use it to season my cast iron pans, both on purpose and in a lazier, leave-the-pan-full-of-bacon-fat-on-the-stove-for-a-while way (shhh, don't tell the vegetarians.) But is there any way to clarify or refine bacon fat to make it a bit more pure for cooking other things in? Mine tends to have black bits and gunk in it -- should I strain it? Or does the whole messy ugly thing taste delicious and should I just leave it well enough alone?

Whenever I'm chopping or slicing onions my boyfriend--who usually only enters the kitchen to make cocktails--sneaks in beside me and steals some raw slices off the cutting board to eat. Last night he complained because by the time he snuck back in for seconds I'd already thrown them in a pan with some olive oil and red pepper! (Being the pushover I am I fished a still-nearly raw slice out for him.)

Garlic Press, or I call it, garlic squasher. If I want my garlic squashed, I'll use the side of my knife thank you.

Also most of the other things that have been mentioned. Except a coffee maker, which I do have, and a French Press, which I don't have but do want. And a mouse, which I do have and don't want (even though he's very cute.)

I tried the boil and soak last time I made chili (which I've always done with canned in the past, but after hearing lots of good things about dried I jumped at the opportunity to carry less cans home) and then had to cook the heck out of the thing to get the big kidney beans soft enough to eat. It worked fine for the black and pinto beans, but I think I'll let the kidneys sit overnight next time.

Plus, soaking the other beans with the black beans made them all kind of greyish - not very appetizing.

I know your question was already answered, so that's just my two cents on bean soaking.

Oh Michele, I feel like you just keep coming up with new reasons for me to go to Brooklyn... one more post like this and I might have to do it. Although the boyfriend was so overwhelmed by his last (and first) Ikea experience, I don't know that I'm ever getting him back there... we still have two sets of wrong-sized "BESTA NORUM" drawers that it's probably way too late to return. I'll have to make a friend who likes Swedish superstores so I can get me some of that lingonberry jam.

This looks great! Simple but not boring. Ingredients will probably cost almost double this in NYC (not your fault!) but I'm looking forward to making it just as soon as I get a food processor. Can't wait for the rest of the series!

I'm with the Taco Bell addicts. What is it about that uniformly orange cheese sauce? ....So bad yet soooo good.

Mimosas + Coffee

(separate cups!)