Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Can I just say how much I love Mark Bittman? So much so that when he posted a comment I sent him on one of his blog posts, I screamed like a little girl. Seriously. I'm flying my geek flag.

Anyway, the lesson I took is that you don't have to have a complex recipe, and will often end up with a better meal by using a simpler recipe, letting really fresh or quality ingredients shine through.

Cheesey bean soup. So delicious!

lava cake! I don't care that it's not trendy; it's sinfully good.

No inventions here, but I'm always freestyling my recipes.

Vanilla Magnolia cupcake!

Apples for sure, in a crisp with a sugary, flaky crumble top and a scoop of warm ice cream.

I was intrigued after reading the review on Candy Blog, and my local Target had them on sale, so I picked up the Triple Chocolate and the Mocha varieties. The mocha wasn't too bad -- while the chocolate was bland and the consistency disturbing (no hard shell? what's the point?), there was a hint of mocha that I enjoyed. Triple chocolate, on the other hand, was simply terrible. It was LESS flavorful than the normal M&Ms, and although the jewel-inspired coating is pretty, its waxy film is almost nauseating. Not only will I not buy them again, I'll use what's left in my boxes to warn others before they sink the cost.

One last note: My dog watched my husband eating a handful of these last night, and actually barked EACH TIME he lifted on to his mouth. I think it was her attempt at a warning.

Will do! I'm, of course, mostly interested in the food, but the hot air balloons and the musical acts and meet-and-greets are of interest, too. Supposedly, there are four pre-planned wedding proposals planned already for the balloon rides; musical acts include Vanessa Carlton, Ace Young and (more cowbell!) Blue Oyster Cult; meet-and-greets mostly involve minor players on Hannah Montana, so I'll be skipping that. But I'll be on hand Sunday for the spiedie cook-off, which will (in my book) be the highlight of the weekend!

Macaroni and cheese from a box -- nothing less, nothing more!

I agree on the Ben & Jerry's strawberry cheesecake ice cream. The strawberry cream flavor coupled with the graham cracker swirl is divine!

Seafood gumbo. We were a Southern family, and this was my dad's signature dish. He made it just a couple times a year, but I can still smell that roux in the air and taste the okra.