Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Aw man, elementary school, now that's going back. We had tatertots with smilies cut into them. I also remember a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, all on texas toast. I remember asking the lunch lady for another slice of bread so I could have a real sandwich. Mmm, that was where I learned to make mashed potato and gravy sandwiches!

I concur with the Cinammon Toast Crunch.
I used to stay in the corner of a cafe in the student center of my university pretty much at any time I wasn't in class.

They had a quirky uber-cheap snack counter that had things like fresh fruit, tea, cheesecake, sandwiches, as well as a never ending bowl of cereal for 2 dollars. You'd get a bowl that you could keep going up for refills any time you wanted.

CInammon Toast Crunch with ice cold 2% was my comfort food of choice when my brain was taxed and I really didn't want to go out of my way to look for healthier alternatives.

Sometimes you just need that indulgence.

Anyone ever had cracklin' oat bran? It is pretty much the best thing EVER.

Oh oh oh oh!!! I'm doing the Happy Apple Dance! I've been skulking through the local Farmer's Market for weeks waiting to see Honey Crisps - no luck yet here in Ottawa - but the knowledge that they are making appearances elsewhere gives me hope.

I can't wait to get my Apple-crack addiction back up and running. :D Until then, Fujis are my methodone ...

Can I be honest? My favorite apple is McIntosh. I've tasted honeycrisps and they're spectacular - and I like fuji, braeburn, etc. But McIntosh apples just taste like fall to me.

The best Chinese I've ever had was at this place called Three Happiness right off the Red Line Chinatown stop. It's been several years, but the meal was truly memorable. A stroll through Chinatown is also fun...seeing all the bakeries, the shops, the architecture.

Lisa Garza is a culinary snob who is way too up tight for her own good. I wouldn't watch her on TV. Aaron was my favorite. I found his food genuine, and the kind of thing I'd really cook. To top it off, he's a big personality and really likable. I hope Adam finds a place for his "Always hungry in Philadelphia" concept. I think it is a good idea, and Adam seems like he can pull it off better than Aida of Ask Aida.

Shame Shame all you spoil sports. I had my hopes for Aaron right from the start; I knew as soon as he eased up he'd make it. (Trust me, I have a white face, never mind all this racist nonsense). I know Lisa is good but she has to get over trying to impress with her "haricot verts". Thanks for the French lesson, we now know it's just ordinary string beans. I wish you well. Get a new look - stop squinting, your eyes are beautiful; we want to see them. Be real. Aaron, good luck and as we say in French (Bon chance). See I know some French, that's 50 years of life with a Frenchman. surrah@optonline.net

Is this a food question impossible? Sorry I have to have both avail. when I have a certain craving, I love both too much.

It is not the least bit racist to propose that Aaron won because the FN execs were looking at big ratings for The Neelys and wanted to have another black show host with a similar personality. It's just the reality of the TV business. And had Adam won I would have said it was because they decided a young, urban, Jewish host would appeal to the widest audience, and if Lisa won it would have been because of the Martha Stewart wannabe demographic. Are people naive enough to think that any competition "reality" show is decided solely on merit?

Aaron wouldn't have been my choice, but I think he will do fine, because remember - what we see in the challenges has nothing to do with the actual business of producing a television show. What finally airs is an edited end product, filtered through teams of producers, writers, consultants. Which brings up how silly the whole Next FN Star concept is. Could any of their reigning "stars" deftly handle the challenge of cleaning a squid without any preparation or coaching? Could Rachel Ray give a technically correct description of some dish she'd never seen before? (The contestants are told to avoid meaningless descriptions like "fabulous" and "delicous." What about "yummo.") Most of the challenges were similarly irrelevant. Shane got the boot in part because he could not relate to an 8 year old girl. Who cares? Is this the Next Nickelodeon Star? (A low point of the season was Shane being mocked by the judges for never having been to France. That was elitist and just plain creepy.)

There are some legitimate reasons to feel that Aaron's choice was predetermined. There is no denying that he bombed in Vegas. He was embarassing in front of the live audience, and his buffet was universally judged the worst of the three. Since cooking was supposed to his strong suit over the other two that should have signalled his elimination. Then there was Susie F.'s earlier "our buddy Aaron" comment, which I actually thought was condescending and somewhat demeaning. On the final show, if the ultimate critera was truly, as the judges said, who could step in front of the camera immediately, then the order of finish should have been Adam, Lisa, Aaron. But then the winner is Aaron, who had said that the cameramen made him nervous. Just another example of the inconsistency from the judges that dominated the entire season. Adam's passion for food is constantly questioned, when the guy owned and cooked for a restaurant. (And when Adam won the buffet challenge, Bobby Flay grudgingly said, "well, he got to do the one thing he knows, smoking meats. Did anyone else detect a note of jealousy?) Some contestants are raked over the coals for not having extensive food knowledge, but then Shane, a graduate of the Culinary Institute, is criticized for having too much book learning. (For that matter, the show's producers are the ones who choose to have 19 or 21 year contestants, who are then criticized for lack of real world experience.)

All in all, this season was not as much of a train wreck as last year, when the "winner" was Amy Finley, who spent the entire series crying that she didn't want to be there, quite once, then was eliminated, then got brought back after the JAG scandal so they could have a final two and won in a sympathy vote. I actually think that any of this year's final three are capable of having a show. In fact, I would prefer any of these three, as well as Shane and Kelsey (maybe teamed together?) to some of the current "stars." Today was the debut of Ask Aida, an "interactive" show, the same concept Adam proposed. Aida is pretty and apparently has an impressive professional resume, but she was completely wooden in front of the camera and way less entertaining than Adam. Maybe all Food Network host should be forced to compete for their jobs a al Next FN Star.

PS - Aaron got his official FN introduction today on Downhome with The Neelys. So if you call people who suggest his pick was based on demographics "racist" then you should call the FN racist for putting him on with The Neelys instead of Giada or Sandra Lee. The Neelys talked about how much they related to Aaron, their similar family backgrounds etc. So clearly there is a strategy to say, hey if you like The Neelys you'll want to watch Big Daddy. That's not racism or affirmative action. That's show business!

Nature's Path has some awesome gluten-free cereals--my fave is the Kamut Krisp, thin crispy flakes that are also organic. My other go-to is Perky's Nutty Rice, the gluten-free version of Grapenuts.

Aaah do I have to pick just one? Fine...Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

But if I was able to pick runners up:
Kashi Go Lean Crunch
Clusters
Honey Nut Cheerios
Frosted Shredded Mini Wheats

Hillary
Chew on That