Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

what's the question again? (come on! that so derverses a book!)

I love the whirl of the knive beneath my hand, the hum of the chopping and the bubbling of pots on the cooktop.

a fridge full of yummy produce.

I am happiest setting the mise en place--there is nothing like having all your ingredients at the ready when it's time to start cooking!

My happiest times are when my mother visits from Seoul and teaches me how to cook the Korean dishes that I grew up with. She has a completely idiosyncratic way of measuring ingredients: "put water into the rice cooker until it reaches the first fold of your wrist when you bend your hand." Of course it works perfectly every time! Then we get to eat and reminisce as the culmination of our hours of hard work.

There comes a moment, during the preparation of a complicated meal, in the midst of all the chopping, throwing stuff into pots, grabbing for spices, burning myself on an oven rack or getting splattered, when I can see the whole thing come together. It doesn't mean the work is over--there will plenty to do yet--but it's a moment of calm and grace, worth all the preparation and effort.

So many things! But I LOVE getting a fresh, crusty loaf of bread and getting out the best oils and vinegars that I have and pulling pieces off for dipping. With wine and friends, it's the coziest thing.

To me, cooking has always seemed a magical process. The alchemy of changing raw ingredients into something else entirely has fascinated me since I was a budding cook completely obsessed by my copy of Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls. There is still nothing in the world that makes me happier!

Right before throwing a party and looking at all of the food in the kitchen people will (hopefully) drool over gets me pretty psyched - when they actually drool is when I'm the happiest.

The thing that makes me happiest about my kitchen, other than the view of Long Island Sound, is the good old gas and fire stove top. All the newest technologies in appliances just don't cut it when all you want is a fire-roasted pepper or some smokey eggplant salad. My newest love is the communal stove top s'mores. I got some extra chocolate-covered matzah over Passover and we plunked marshmallows on kebab skewers and had ourselves a finger-licking good time.

Mud and Graveyard are both new to me. I am another midwesterner who grew up with 'suicides'. My 13 y/o son will occasionally create one when given the chance. They typically come out various shades of greens and browns so I totally understand why some would call it 'swampwater'. I agree with 'j', they are nasty.

I love a mix of fresh berries with Greek yogurt. My favorites are usually blackberries and blueberries from the local farmers' market.