Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Those burgers would sure be improved with a side of fries. Alas, no frier. But the home fries are pretty good, and the potato salad is excellent.

The one to get is the Gourmet Burger with dry blue cheese. And a big glass of Penn Pilsner to wash it down.

I love Tessaro's. Since moving out of the city and into the suburbs, I don't get to go there nearly enough, but it's comforting to know it's there.

Like joeqboo, I always look at the whole menu, and then always order a burger with creamy blue cheese. And a side of broccoli and cauliflower, so that I can feel somewhat virtuous.

@Pointy: Unfortunately, I always use the dried verveine, and it's better that way, since I have a really hard time keeping plants alive. Good luck! If you find the solution, let us know...

Hi, everyone! I am so thrilled at your reaction to this piece. And as for writing a book, I cannot wait to do it! As soon as (the big if!) it's published, you'll be the first to know. Thank you so much for your comments. I love writing this column, and it just makes me so happy to be able to share something that you actually like!

And as for you Chessmen fans, I am so happy to be among kindred souls. @cookingbooks--You are my new best friend. Does anyone else do that?

@Susquehanna: Verveine pound cake--what a tremendous idea. I make a vanilla lavender pound cake which I'm obsessed with. I'm definitely going to try the verveine in it.

@HeartofGlass: when you put it that way, I guess I was rather an overly moral child! I think I may have made up for it over the "adult" years of closet cooking consumption.

@Cary: Thanks for reading, as always. I think we share the same view that food and memories are these sort of symbiotic human instigators. Working together, the two seem to make life seem so cyclical, as if sense and continuity translate from a cookie at six to a cookie now at twenty-six. And as for magazines, well, I am always happy to write. ;)

That was some of the best food writing I think I've ever read. By the way, I did the same thing, nibbling off the little gold frame and then eating around the figure. Nice work!

Thanks for the recipe! Need to start cooking with lemon verbena more. I love it as a tisane and in pound cake. And I wear it as a scent via Fragonard's Verveine. It's smell enchants me.

Mashed broccoli just doesn't seem like a good idea -- in order to get it soft enough, you'd have to overcook it. I say stick to spinach.

I made this for the first time this year, and I added a generous handful of still-frozen raspberries to the batter. It was delicious and made a great Pesach breakfast. However, it took about 15 minutes longer to cook than the box said, and thankfully I didn't have problems with it flattening out. Even more thankfully, now I can go back to my regularly scheduled rotation of normal baked goods!

I have to admit I really like this mix. My sister makes it for family get-togethers, and it's deliciously dense and decidedly not low-fat. I think she gets her kicks watching us all eat it (she's a personal trainer and wouldn't think of touching it...the jerk.)

Oh, but Deb has some excellent Passover dessert recipes: http://smittenkitchen.com/category/passover/

My fav is her cake, which people literally fight over at my seders:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/03/the-best-chocolate-cake-expletive-free/

The thought of the soft textured eggs with the slightly crispy asparagus tips is very appealing to me...no soft mushy spears or tips for me thank you! I often saute onion and mushrooms with butter and wine (season w/salt, pepper and bitsy bit of crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne or cajun seasoning)...then add sliced asparagus just for the last minute or two...then toss in my favorite hot pasta and some cheese (parmesan, asiago, romano - or a combo) with a bit of the pasta water...toss in the skillet a bit...mmmmm...Plate it on top of a bed of baby spinich and arugula, top with a really soft poached egg...divine!

I know a lot of commenters have said it already, but what you're doing is RIGHT. The basic premise behind ALL "diets" is that people are eating less calories than they need. For some people this might mean eating more vegetables and less meat, or replacing full-fat products with low-fat products, but if just cutting the portion size is something you can do, then stick to it!

I also agree with the commenters that say you should view this as a change in lifestyle, as opposed to a "diet", because otherwise you might gain all the weight back... and then some!

Keep up the good work - you're an inspiration!