Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My favorite market is about 40 miles from my house so trips there have to be planned but their produce is gorgeous, their cheese selection is amazing, and everyone who works there seems genuinely nice. The store where I'm forced to shop the rest of the time is the exact opposite - lackluster produce, packaged cheese, and surly checkers. I truly hate shopping there but proximity wins when all you need is bread and milk.

My best tip for deep frying is to use a tall stock pot but only put in about 3-4 inches of oil. This saves your stove from the splatter. You will thank me for this when you're done.

Thai Wings

2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons garlic chile paste
8 whole chicken wings, trimmed to 16 pieces

Mix all everything but the wings together in a zip top bag then add wings. Marinate at least overnight or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator then grill. If you can't grill, they can be baked at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes but they're way better grilled,

I love my SodaStream with a passion that knows no bounds. Honestly, for me, it was, and continues to be, money well spent. I drink seltzer water constantly and was spending a ridiculous amount of money plus recycling a ton of bottles so for me getting one was a no brainer.

My only caveat is that the flavorings they sell have Splenda in them unless you buy the (much more expensive) "natural" syrups. I was a little pissed about that because it isn't clear from the labeling.

Thanks guys. I'm off to buy some MD flavored oil and maltodextrin. Hopefully, it'll work but if not, it will be an adventure, I'm sure.

Turkey bacon is evil. It isn't even real food in my eyes. Stick to the real thing and if you're worried about your arteries, just eat less. I know it may be difficult but you'd be surprised how much flavor just a teaspoon of bacon fat can add to a whole dish.

My sisters and I went to Lunchbox a week or so ago and had a very good lunch. In fact, my younger sister (a grilled cheese fanatic) said her grilled cheese was the best she'd ever had. I had the Cuban, which I enjoyed very much since the pork was quite juicy and the roll was really crisp. The butternut squash soup could have been a little hotter but the flavor was delicious, not too sweet as so many other places make it.

All in all, a good lunch but it didn't hurt that Chef Voltaggio was working the sandwich press that day. He's awfully darn cute...

Away

@dbcurrie, I cannot wait to try these. I haven't been terribly successful at making corn tortillas in the past so I think I'll do better with a hybrid. Unfortunately, I'm in Texas (!) on travel right now so I can't make them until I get home Thursday. Wah!

I used to travel full time so I got used to eating alone. I don't travel as much now but still don't have a problem eating alone wherever I am. For a while I took a book with me but now I usually don't. You see some pretty interesting stuff when you don't have a dining companion to take your attention from the goings on around you.

Started with a nice spread of goat cheese and proscuitto rolls, burratta (sp?) and a bunch of other cheeses, candied jalapenos, pickled pumpkin, roasted chickpeas, and what not. Went on to turkey, traditional stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls, and cranberry sauce. Everyone else had pie while I cleaned up then I had a nice slice of pumpkin pie all alone, surveying my clean kitchen. Oh, and lots of wine, of course.

Not a green thing in sight but I'm willing to let that go for one day a year.

In Guangzhou (China) and Casablanca the McDonald's had really delicious fried chicken. My favorite was New Orleans, though, because we could get beer with our Big Macs.

@Ro B, sorry to disagree but I'm from DC too and I think Spike is a douche. Was not sorry to see him go at all. And sorry for all the Hughes love, he's gone too as of Sunday.

I'd be good with Marcus winning. He's an awesome chef but might not be quite telegenic enough. Chiarello is kind of hot and has the TV chops but might be over the hill for the show. Zakarian may be a great chef but can't see him go all the way. I guess my real, dark horse choice would be Elizabeth Falkner, especially since I'd like to see another female IC.

And you know, cheesy as the show is, it was worth it to watch the other night just to hear Micheal Symon say, "Nothing says rustic Italian like gummy candies." I don't know why but that just cracked me up.