Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Ah! Swim in the sea of pretentious comments! How dare he/she even *suggest* we step foot in a chain restaurant! *snooty indignation!* Keh, you won't see *me* on a second date with that SWILL. Chain restaurant! PAH!

It's a first date. Isn't the most important thing the DATE? Y'know, that person you agreed to go with because you (hopefully - unless you were somehow forcibly kidnapped and pressured into this) share some equal interest in each other. Food is not always the only defining characteristic and end all be all of an event in your life. My parents shared the following for their wedding dinner and remember it fondly: a grape slushie and barbeque flavour potato crisps. This fine dining experience was purchased at a quickie mart and hasn't formed some scarring moment on their marriage.

[In the defensive of the several reasonable and non-knee jerk reflex people who posted on this - you're right it's the person and a good memory and relationship can be formed over anything. Even if it is that *stereotyped snooty French drawl* chaiiiiin restaurant.]

You can of course freeze your cake overnight. It will do no harm to your cake. As for thawing, I'd imagine that's up to how much resistance you desire in your cake when splitting. I'd rather do it from defrosted myself, but I could possibly see the benefits of a partially frozen approach.

Here are a couple videos I found in 20 seconds of looking on the topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_usTjoHAAA
http://vodpod.com/watch/764909-flossing-the-cake

The second video really amuses me because that's how I do things in the kitchen. No real method, just experimentation and fly by the seat of my pants.

Mm...blocks of pork fat. Think I'll take a pass on this one. Not to mention the great revulsion I feel toward cheese in cube format. Something about it makes it more gross than usual.

I'm positive it was a human thief. And I'm most suspicious of the neighbor who asked me if I picked my tomato randomly this morning. >:(

I enjoy my Misto, but as mentioned above, it requires frequent repumping.

I know I'm not the only dirty person who thought, "ME!". Because Federer is a scrumptious piece of tennis god.

@seikel - you're in oklahoma too I guess. It seems to be rather common for people who actually live here to see Sonic for the nasty fast food slingers they are. I would rather go hungry than eat their food. :X

Chicken Express - yay chicken tenders!

I think I might be old and grumpy on this one but this is just too much for me. It all ends up looking and sounding rather gross. :X

Whoever wrote the wikipedia article on scotch bonnets pretty much summed up the differences between it an habaneros. End discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_bonnet_(pepper)

I made these for a bbq friends and I had a few weeks ago and they are officially my favourite baked beans now:

1 pound dried small white beans. I used Great Northern Beans
1 bay leaf
1 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 large yellow onion, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, chopped small
1 large stalk of celery, chopped small
4-6 large cloves of garlic, well chopped
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
about 1/2 cup ketchup
about 1/2 cup good barbecue sauce
2 heaping Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 squirt of sriracha, to your taste

Sort through the dried beans and discard bad ones or any dirt. Rinse well and cover with cold water. Let sit over-night. When ready to cook, add the bay leaf and make sure the beans are covered with enough water. Bring the beans to a boil and then lower the heat and cook, slightly covered, on top of the stove until tender, but not mushy. Add more water if necessary as they cook.

While beans are cooking, saute the onions, bell pepper, garlic, and celery until soft, then set aside. When the beans are done, drain off the liquid and retain it. Add the onion mixture, the crushed tomatoes, and the rest of the ingredients. Stir the beans and taste them to see if you need more ketchup, mustard and so forth (I always do). Add bean broth, if necessary, to have the liquid just cover the beans. Cover the pot with a well fitting lid, and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

From: http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat/2008/07/southern-baked.html

Alternatively I make what my family calls "API Beans". I don't have a very defined recipe for them beyond the following ingredients:

Canned pork and beans
Onion
Garlic
Bacon
Jalapenos
Molasses

Dice and cook the bacon until partially done, add in onion, garlic, and sliced jalapenos. Once veggies and bacon reach done-ish, add beans. Cook down until reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 in amount. Stir in molasses to finish.

*shuffles uncomfortably*

Can I have salsa and avocado on a veggie patty instead, please? :(

I

Whitening, eh? How about a big plate of chicken curry washed down with a mug of strong, black coffee. Blueberries for dessert. Top off the meal with a half a pack of cigarettes. That outta take care of that pesky whitening business. :P