Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

brussels sprouts with bacon, pumpkin creme brulee

I am on a constant quest to eat less meat. At most, we eat meat once a day with dinner, but often not at all. It's honestly not that difficult, and it definitely saves money. When we do eat meat, we mostly purchase organic, free-range products; since these are more expensive, we buy less. I also think a small amount of meat adds up to a lot of flavor; bacon is a prime example of this (as my husband says, one of the keys to eating less meat is more bacon). Recently, my goal has been to eat more grains than my daily cup of oatmeal in the morning. There are so many great grains out there, which are delicious as well as very nutritious. To this end, we were recently gifted with a pressure cooker, which makes it even easier. I am also a huge fan of eggs, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

thai peanut noodles
spaghetti with arabiatta sauce
lentils with balsamic vinegar, mustard
pierogi
cheese or squash filled ravioli
eggs! (quicke, cheese souffle, omelet)

Cook more grains, learn different methods of preserving foods, waste less!

sourdough bread, swiss cheese and spicy mustard.

It truly depends on how good you can cook/bake it yourself, and how much you enjoy doing so. I buy bakery bread (sourdough, brioche, ciabatta), yogurt, eat sushi/japanese food out. I like to roast my own pumpkin for pie, and I do like to make my own puff pastry.

Sweet potatoes with bacon grease!

This sandwich absolutely requires only the best ingredients, and can only be eaten during tomato season. I prefer homemade mayo, on toasted brioche with arugula, and applewood bacon.

I don't have deal-breakers as much as there are things I do my own way in spite of what the recipe says. I read the entire recipe, and then re-interpret depending on my time/the purpose of the meal (i.e. dinner for 2 after a long work day, or an occasion). James Peterson and Thomas Keller both provide lengthy, specific recipes; I definitely caramelize my onions for as long as Keller says (which takes longer than the hours he indicates to get them to be the color he describes).

Leftovers! Making a big pot of soup on the weekend is always a good idea. I also keep dried fruit/nuts in my desk at work for snacks.

I don't think a grind and brew combination is a good one. We had one for years, and when we bought a burr grinder it revolutionized our coffee making in all regards - espresso, french-press, drip, etc. Check out wholelattelove.com for reviews on machines - you can also purchase refurbished ones. We love our Gaggia Baby D for espresso/capuccino drinks, which we bought refurbished.

I have a big/wide-mouth kitchenaid and I love it. I almost bought a cuisinart, but my mom recently bought one that broke not long after purchase.

All of NPRs food-related podcasts are great. Check out gourmet.com - the website is redesigned, and excellent.