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I just made a fantastic thai soup this week with lemongrass.

I sauteed garlic, chunks of ginger and lemongrass in olive oil and a little bit of coconut fat. Added assorted julienned vegetables, sauteed more, then added stock, fish sauce, lime juice, ground ginger, and a little bit more coconut milk. Threw in some basil at the end and adjusted the seasonings to taste.

I crave thai soup so often-- this is the first time it's met my expectations. It really tasted like what I would order at a restaurant! I think the lemongrass played a somewhat significant part in this...

I miss and love Jean-Talon.

ooh, thanks for all the tips! i was totally fantasizing about doing fries, @wookie. and yum, chopped liver!

you guys are the best!

Smitten Kitchen is so inspiring... And while this may not count as a blog, I've been known to log many hours on Tastespotting.

Anchovies melted down with garlic and some tomatoes if they are on hand.

Cheese (from the "remnants" section-- small pieces forunder $4.00), beer, wine, fancy chocolate... I spent almost $100 there last night buying ONLY treats. UGHHHH.

I got the last can at my store a few weeks ago! I thought it was a fluke... now I'll have to rush back and buy all of their re-stock!

I love my mom's mushroom barley soup. Just smelling it makes me feel cozy and full!

However, I just recently had Burmese food for the first time, and the samusa soup was incredible. Cabbage, broken up falafel, jalapenos, onion, a nice not-too-spicy kind of curry broth. DELICIOUS. I want it all the time now. Too bad there are no Burmese restaurants in Chicago...

I did a similar thing with my friends last year-- recurring potluck dinners with theme ingredients.

We did almonds (good for sweet and savory), matzah (during Passover), and... I'm blanking on the others! Fennel is a great idea-- I really wanted to do that, but the potlucks kind of fizzled out.

I hate to admit it, but this has happened to me multiple times (usually my boyfriend's fault).

In all instances, I've managed to use just steel wool and soap on the stainless steel to get rid of almost all of the staining. The bottoms of the pot are still a little brown/black, but the inside is okay and seems to get better with each use/wash. I haven't noticed any affects on taste!

I don't know how bad your staining is, but I would try scrubbing-- and the Barkeeper's Friend isn't a bad idea either. You'll probably be able to tell pretty soon if you'll be able to rescue it!

Mussels?

A spoon full of peanut butter.

Or (and this is so low-brow), dark chocolate m&ms.

I love cooking, but it's just so much more fun for me with other people. So when I'm alone, I almost always stand with a spoon in front of the fridge: peanut butter, maple butter, jam, preserves, dulce de leche... On the occasions I go spoonless, it's pickles, crackers, mustard, and cheese.