Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

He was in (cannibal movie) Ravenous. "Eat to live. Don't live to eat." ;)

Not to toot my own horn (well, okay, kind of) - but here's another kind of meat shoe:

link

What can I say? I was bored, and I *do* love bacon (and sundry other pig parts)...

@ nelson5757 - Haha, I requested a Fudgie the Whale every birthday for the better part of half my life! (I'm 22 now and haven't even had a birthday cake for the past few years, but I may need to revisit Fudgie this summer.)

@kjgibson - That sounds utterly delicious, and beautifully sophisticated to boot.

@ PerkyMac - She did specifically ask for white cake, but if it turns out well, maybe next time I can use the brownie idea, which does sound yummy!

@ Hunnyoil - Thanks for the suggestion! Ah, I can't wait for fresh strawberries again...

As a big fan of The Princess Bride, I think there should be one called "Inconceivable! It's not butter!" - with Wallace Shawn's face prominently featured on the packaging, of course. Heh, hope I don't lose too many people with that reference...

Nigel Slater's sausage pasta with mustard cream sauce: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pasta-with-sausage-basil-and-mustard

Mmm, I can't wait for it to get cold again, just so I can make that a million times! (I really like it with andouille, too.)

This happened accidentally a couple years ago: Thursday became tacos night - specifically, (crispy, melting-tender, juicy, insanely succulent and delicious) carnitas tacos with pickled red onions and cilantro. I fast during the day in preparation, and not only do I have plenty of room for them, but they taste even better.

I've made my sort-of succotash salad twice already this summer, and in fact just ate the latest leftovers for lunch today - yum! Just cut the kernels off of four ears of sweet corn (I use it raw), mix with baby lima/fava beans (careful not to overcook), halved grape or quartered cherry tomatoes, fresh basil (and whatever other herbs, like oregano and Italian parsley), salt and pepper, and a dressing of mustard (I use a blend of stone ground and Nance's hot mustard), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. I never measure anything, but it always tastes just about perfect.

Kim, I'm in PDX too, and am really intrigued by all the It's it raves. Where, pray tell, can they be had around here? (Premature thanks!)

A mountain of bright red, Old Bay-encrusted steamed-in-beer blue crabs (fresh from the Chesapeake). They have to be heavy crabs, every last impossible cranny packed with sweet, fat meat (the lusciousness of which contrasts beautifully with the tingly spice mix). Claws cracking, juices dripping, shell fragments flying everywhere... Savage, delectable heaven! Accompanied by fresh corn on the cob with creamy butter, salt and pepper. And ice cold, golden beer. Oh, how I miss Maryland sometimes...

Unctous, slightly smoky, golden-breaded codfish cakes - all creamy on the inside - eaten at room temperature between fragile saltines, with sharp yellow mustard leaking through the holes in the crackers. Yum! My great-granny and I were the only ones in the family who liked them. Now I can't find them here in Portland...

Also, silver dollar-size hamburgers in steamed buns, with ketchup, mustard, a sprinkling of diced raw onions, and pickles. They came a dozen to a bag from a place called The Little Tavern, and date from the same era as the codfish cakes. I used to happily devour both of these lovely treats since the age of three, maybe younger.

And one more - can't resist: my grandmother's neighbor had cherry trees in his backyard. Since these were rowhouses (and rowyards?), the tree branches hung over the fence. I would stand on a plastic chair and grab as much sour fruit as I could. I don't remember the cherries ever tasting good, but I liked the wasp-sharp way they stung my tastebuds. (Much better than the cherries were the tiny translucent pearls of nectar teased out of my grandmother's honeysuckle flowers. *That* is one of the defining tastes of my childhood summers, so delicately sweet and haunting.) I'm done now, I promise. =)