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I love Cake Boss, and I've been a die-hard Ace of Cakes fan for a few years now. Cake Boss is clearly more scripted, but Buddy and his family are hilarious (maybe because they remind me of my own?). Also, I've actually eaten Buddy's pastry when staying with my aunt, and the praise (and TV show) are definitely merited.

Wow, such similar tastes!! Smitten Kitchen is my favorite though -- her pictures are amazingly gorgeous and I've never had one of her recipes fail. The first thing I ever cooked on my own was her version of "Ratatouille's Ratatouille"!

Yay diners!! The Waterview Diner in Howard Beach (Queens) was always my favorite, but sadly, it's no longer there.The long nights spent there after innumerable school functions are some of the most amazing memories I have. The Cross Bay Diner and the Esquire Diner (both still in HB) are pretty great, too.

Haha, easy -- three weeks ago, I put too much (by a LOT) Sambuca into an otherwise lovely pear cake and ended up with an inedible, chokingly-alcoholic brick; the other day, I somehow wrecked beyond repair my snickerdoodles and ended up with one paper thin layer of snickerdoodle that I cut into slices. At least those were still tasty.

Bacon makes everything better. Bacon also reminds me of visits from my godfather and his family -- growing up, my mom didn't make bacon often because we would j ust scarf all of it, but everytime they came we had bacon. =)

Eggs! Or grilled cheese. Usually hummus.

Spaghetti all'ubriaco! I think it was Gina who posted a recipe a few weeks (or months) ago about it and reminded me how much I love it. It's one of a handful of dishes I learned to make while abroad and it always takes me right back to my apartment in Florence .. ♥

I've never had either, but every time I see tripe in the grocery store I stare longingly at it; I've always wanted to try it, but have yet to convince my family to try it with me. One day ...

Oh, how I love Fage. I've even gotten my mother and sister, who hate plain yogurt, eating it! I didn't know about not stirring it -- it's usually gone before I even think of looking at the container, but now I'll have to try it undisturbed ..

@cycorinder, you're my hero for today.

I do it all the time, and not just with old produce or things perhaps slightly past the expiration date. For me, it's more about throwing things together that in retrospect should probably never be on the same menu, never mind plate, ha.

My mom has a few Pampered Chef products, and I know I get a lot of use out of them, haha. We have the chopper Kimberlymac mentioned, as well as a cheese grater and some cake decorators. My mandoline is also Pampered Chef, now that I think about it. I really like them, and they seem to last forever. I'd go to the party and see what they have, and even ask around there -- chances are, the people that are there have some of the products and can make some recommendations.

Right now, lemon curd -- I'm still trying to learn how to make an awesome apple pie. =)

@Beanalicious -- no, I'm looking at the post now at work, and it's not working for me either. So sorry! Here, I'll post it without any HTML and you can copy it into your browser. Haha, I hope you find it worth the confusion! =)

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/?p=582