Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

My Dad dancing around the kitchen with the annual (raw) Thanksgiving Turkey, doing his "Super Turkey!" impersonation.

My favorite remote travel adventure to date was the frightening but ultimately satisfying climb in a small RV up the Stelvio Pass in Italy. The hairpin turns would be scary on foot, much less in a large vehicle. The worst was when a full-sized tour bus had to pass us...we literally all stood on the far side of the RV in hopes of expanding the mere-inches gap between us.

Banana bread is my favorite so far.

Wintertime comfort food means something brewing in the crockpot for hours, like a hearty soup, chili, or roast beef with potatoes and carrots.

Squash soup is my favorite wintertime dish.

Chocolate volcano...mmm!

The first time I made the entire Thanksgiving meal myself.

The first time I had BBQ pork ribs...oh my! Yum!

Since we're not in the South, the best local place is Jack's Firehouse in Philly.

Mmm, the first time Mom got a honey, spiral-sliced ham for Easter, instead of one in a can (blech). Heavenly!

The no-knead bread recipe brought me into baking breads; I'd avoided it as a hassle before then.

Anything that does not sound logical, like "legs" and "chewy", or appetizing, like "wet dog", cracks me up.