Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

American Classics: Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Wow, surprised to see this here. My mom also makes this salad with crushed pineapple mixed in with the strawberries. Every family dinner has some kind of salad. At the holidays it is always the orange tapioca salad. I have a shelf full of church fundraiser cookbooks with recipes like these.

notirish at 11:00AM on 07/30/11

Girl Scouts Just Selling Six Cookie Flavors; Thin Mints, Safe

No one asked me this year, so I guess I won't be buying any. My favorite is the Samoas and I think I am the only person in the world who hates Thin Mints.

notirish at 10:41PM on 01/28/11

The World's Easiest Homemade Donuts

My mom used to make them this same way back in the 70's. She only did it once a year (too much oil to waste), but we all loved them dipped in sugar.

notirish at 8:20PM on 01/26/11

Kind of gross, and I probably shouldn't eat it, but can't resist

Mine would have to be Spaghetti O's sandwiches. Spaghetti O's with meatballs sprinkled with parmesan cheese from a can in between two slices of white bread spread with margarine. You can't eat that in public!

notirish at 9:19PM on 01/21/11

Grocery Shopping in the U.S.

I'm glad I am not the only one that had no idea what EBT stood for. They are Link cards here in Illinois.

notirish at 9:28PM on 08/20/10

Mixed Review: Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

Williams Sonoma had a Serendipity mix a couple years ago that was very disappointing. I made it according to directions and it tasted like Slim Fast!

notirish at 3:18PM on 08/14/10

Poll: When Did You Learn How to Cook?

I started when I was young taking cooking as 4-H projects. Later I moved on to more complicated recipes that mostly involved baking. My mom always had my siblings and I help in the kitchen whether it was mixing something or chopping vegetables. I still love to take cooking classes to learn new techniques or different ways to cook.

notirish at 11:22PM on 08/04/10

What's the story behind your SE screen name?

When I got married I took my husband's name which is very irish. Ever since I have had to explain to people that I am "not irish."

notirish at 5:35PM on 06/17/10

What is the longest you have waited to eat in a restaurant?

I have waited an hour at Hot Doug's in Chicago on a Saturday. Since then I make sure to go during the week when the wait is 15 minutes. Other than that my limit is usually 30 minutes, unless I am there with friends and there is a good waiting area (bar).

notirish at 1:52PM on 06/09/10

Weekend Poll: Do You Prefer Regular or Diet Soda?

I have never liked soda, so neither is the best option for me. The carbonation burns my throat. I am so happy that water is more available now. When I was younger I was branded "difficult" when I wouldn't drink soda that came with kids meals.

notirish at 5:40PM on 06/05/10

Are There Foods You Can't Keep In The House?

- Doritos, definitely. Cool ranch or nacho cheese.

- I also second the cereal weakness. Mine is Life cereal (original).

- Chocolate chips. If I need them for a recipe I have to buy them right before I make it. I made the mistake once of buying a 5 pound bag of Ghirardelli chips at Sam's Club and I think I finished them in 2 weeks!

- And finally garlic bagel chips. I can eat bags of those!

notirish at 7:17PM on 05/02/10

Hot Dog of the Week: Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System

This looks similar to Puka Dog in Hawaii, except the bun is much smaller.

notirish at 5:38PM on 04/17/10

Do You Hate Popcorn?

I hate microwave popcorn, the smell and texture of it don't work for me. I have worked in offices where it is banned because the smell doesn't go away. My favorite popcorn is Garrett's Popcorn in Chicago. The smell draws you in as you walk past and the Chicago mix (caramel and cheese mix) is addicting!

notirish at 3:33PM on 03/05/10

Critic-Turned-Cook Mulls Question: Worst Meal Ever?

I agree that service is the thing I complain most about when I go out to eat, but last fall I was in Dublin on vacation and had a bad food experience. After several days of toasted sandwiches, stews and more traditional Irish food, I stopped in at a burger place in the Temple bar area. While the burger was acceptable, the fries were cold and frozen on the inside. The absolute worst part was the milkshake. It tasted like Slimfast. I had two sips and couldn't stomach any more. Service was poor too.

notirish at 11:39AM on 02/12/10

Poll: What Do You Call Cola Drinks?

Grew up in central Illinois and always called it "soda," though I can't stand to drink the stuff. I live in Chicago now where I hear "pop" all the time. It is like fingernails on a blackboard.

notirish at 5:35PM on 01/28/10

Do You Like Eating Pie Crust By Itself?

I really dislike regular pie crust, but give me a good graham cracker crust and I will eat the whole thing.

notirish at 8:52PM on 11/05/09

Foods from you childhood you don't miss.

Luckily my mom didn't do the TV dinners, though there was an occasional pot pie. My least favorite food had to be tuna casserole, beef stroganoff and creamed corn. At least they were not on the same night.

notirish at 11:52PM on 09/04/09

Would You Go to a Chain Restaurant on a First Date?

Not a deal breaker for me. For my husband and I's first date we got pizza and breadsticks from Pizza Hut. Twelve years later we are still together.

notirish at 11:06PM on 07/30/09

From Recipes

Cooking from the Glossies: Dark Chocolate and Cherry Brownies

I love brownies! My go to recipe is the Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Outrageous brownies. The original recipe makes a huge batch, so I have found the mix to be a pretty good (and easy) alternative. Definitely not diet friendly though.

notirish at 11:04PM on 09/10/08