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Stand mixer and crockpot, definitely!!!!

My disasters have been typical- salt for sugar, tablespoons for teaspoons... burned bottoms... but overall, I've been pretty lucky with cookies. My standby cookie is an almond flavored oatmeal-coconut-chocolate chip-walnut cookie that I learned from a friend years ago.... It sounds a bit over the top, but it's really just awesome!

I've made this recipe 2 or 3 times now and thought it came out really well...
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Portuguese-Sweet-Bread-I/Detail.aspx

Ingredients
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons margarine
1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Directions
Add ingredients in order suggested by your manufacturer. Select "sweet bread" setting.

I didnt do it in the bread machine, followed some of the instructions in the review comments, I included them below... I did the extra sugar and the egg wash mentioned. The instructions are for 1 loaf, but you could form rolls instead and cut the baking time down to 15 minutes or so? after the first batch you'll know the exact time....

"For people without machines, this recipe couldn't be simpler. Warm the milk and add the sugar and the yeast. Stir and let sit for about 15 min. to proof (the yeast will foam). If it doesn't foam, your milk probably wasn't warm enough. Then add the foamy yeast mixture to the rest of the ingredients and mix. This dough is easy to mix by hand so you really don't need the KitchenAid. The dough will be sticky. So after mixing, cover and let it sit in the bowl to rise 1-2 hours. Punch down and let rise again or form into rolls at this time. Super quick and easy. If you want a sweeter, richer bread, increase sugar to 1/2 cup and add one extra egg yolk. If making one large loaf, bake for about 30-35 min. at 375"

This is a very wet dough, it seems too wet when you first let it rise. Mine was almost a batter and I was really worried!
I did a very light kneading before the second rise and incorporated a bit more flour, but left it a fairly sticky loose dough. I had to resist the urge to add a lot more flour to stiffen it up, and apparently got it about right. Just add barely enough to make it shape-able, and the end product will be light and tender.

Ohh too hard to decide...

but always on the list: Onion bagels, banana nut bread, and any sort of robust flavorful artisan bread... all of these preferably warm and slathered in butter!!!

There are so many, I couldnt choose! There's the Bariani family that brings their locally made olive oil, the Dewey family that have been growing pistachios in the Sacramento valley for more than 50 years... Spring Hill cheeses from Petaluma, the Bledsoe's pork, duck and lamb, Leinart's honey, Salle orchards with their ever changing variety of fruits and vegetables...

We're pretty lucky here in the Sacramento area to have such a thriving farmers market scene...

I love a simple bowl of buttered noodles & aged cheese. Sometimes I go Old Spaghetti Factory on it and do browned butter and Mizythra, sometimes just a good quality parmesan or asiago.... maybe a touch of cream, bacon or basil if they are floating around the fridge....

MMMMM 1st place goes to a streetside cart in Tijuana.... rolled Al Pastor tacos with onions, cilantro and lime.... and a fruit bowl on the side that we'd picked up from another vendor...

2nd place is probably one of any of about six "Berto's".... taco stands on Convoy in San Diego (ie, Roberto's, Adalberto's, Humberto's....)
I honestly can't remember which one was the best anymore...

Unfortunately every single charcoal based grilling attempt I've ever made has been hilarious.... in retrospect at least. Definitely not as funny while it's actually happening. While I am a pretty decent cook, I am a hapless griller... So take your pick of bacon grease induced flameups and smokeouts, charblackened blood raw-centered beef, veggies stuck to grill, items slipping through grill, burning hands, tipping grills, bamboo skewers on fire, dogs stealing the only edible steaks EVER produced..... sigh.... for the last few years I have settled for my indoor panini/griller while saving for a nice tame gas grill....

Well his whole approach is really fantatstic and non-intimidating. His recommendations are realistic and clearly defined. You dont feel like you're being scolded by a hardcore vegetarian or under fire by PETA. It makes it seem like these are things you can actually accomplish.

Vinho Verde! Lots and lots of Vinho Verde! Crisp, clean tasting refreshing young white wine, goes great with sooo many things...

Caldo Verde - wonderful soup made with linguica, potatoes and kale.. actually anything made with linguica or chourico... mmmmmm

There are some lovely cheeses, especially the ones made with sheep or goat milk...

Also some wonderful little pastries... Pastels d'Belem (aka Pastels d'Nata), queijadas... mmmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm

Well, it's a tossup - I was going to say my first chocolate lava cake... but then reading though the comments thinking... mmm, yes churros con chocolate in Barcelona was pretty fabulous.... and then the Paris chocolate banana crepe, mmm... yep that too....

Sigh, very very hard to decide, but those are probably the top three...

Well there have definitely been a lot of "ohhhh noooo" moments, but one that sticks out in my mind happened right after Thanksgiving one year. I was on a mission to make really creative use out of each and every ounce of leftovers and decided I would use the cranberry orange sauce to make scones.

So I mix up the batter, grab the sauce from the fridge and add it, make the scones, bake the scones.... wait patiently with mouth watering... finally they are done and I bite into one.... and get a mouthful of onions, jalapeno and cilantro amongst other flavors!

Two bowls in the fridge - cranberry orange sauce... and cranberry chutney! Nooooo idea why I didnt notice when I was mixing it up....

Heidi's Pancake House in South Lake Tahoe - great breakfasts....