Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Great start. I'd give some attention to the way you write recipes. Instructions should be clear, and I (personally) prefer steps separated by bullets, paragraphs, or numbers, so that I know what to expect while making a dish, and so that I can glance back at a recipe while I'm in the middle of chopping/boiling/straining/preheating/smashing/separating and pick up right where I left off without having to read an entire paragraph.

This post from The Kitchn is a great reference. Good luck!

@janaatwg Also, be sure to try NOLA Brown and NOLA Blonde ales if you are in the city. Only on tap, but both are delicious.

I do this often. You can use applesauce as a substitute for butter in muffin recipes, up to 1 cup. Add 1 tsp to 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to compensate for the fat. I think this method came from one of my Cook's Illustrated cookbooks, but I can't remember. I just estimate the amount of oil to add back in based on how much butter I'm replacing. This works well with banana bread/muffins. I've never tried it as a sugar replacement, but in general, I've found that you can cut sugar by a couple tbsp without any ill effects in muffins/quick breads.

Weren't cupcakes the new macarons just a couple months ago? There was a bit of macaron madness throughout the blogosphere and I feel like there's been much more of a focus on cupcakes lately, which has also been increasing for a couple years now.

Put some caramelized onions on top of focaccia or on pizza with roasted red peppers, artichokes, and fresh mozzarella. Not too unusual, but absolutely delicious.

Might want to edit link in story to The Pioneer WomAn.

I thought you meant on a pedestal on a pedestal. Like, who do they think they are? Haha. There is one guy in the meat section at my WF and he's a total jerk. Always grills me (no pun intended) on what I'm doing with the meat, and gives me a snotty look whenever I order anything. ANYTHING! Even filet! So anyway, he's on some kind of pedestal...

@missvenuz: That's my parents' WFM! I hadn't been since it was converted, and it really is basically the same. Except for now they carry like 40% fewer baked goods. I definitely cried myself to sleep over this.

And @greentwist, a trip to Houston is not complete for me unless there's a run to Central Market. California Connection is the icing on the cake. The WFM in Houston can't compare! It's only a matter of time until HEB figures this out and expands into new markets. I hope.

Parrano. A delicious blend of sharp, sweet, nutty, well-rounded flavors. I love it and use in place of cheddar and parm-reg in things like quiche. Glooorious.

I gave some to a friend at work, and she plans to make white bean soup with ham for dinner this week. I thought it'd be nice to share some leftovers with her, since she and her fiancé were traveling all Sunday and had no real Easter. You can always pass along food to a friend!

I still have several lbs left in my fridge as well, and I think I'm going to make quiche, pizza, and pasta with my leftovers. Sooo looking forward to another weekend of cooking!

Yay New Orleans! And yay Ed. Thanks for the press on our wonderful city. I know there are a lot of SEers out there from NOLA who feel the same about the renaissance we're living in every day. Also, for any others in town, Ponchatoula Strawberry Fest this weekend. And a half-Ironman in the city on Sunday. And lastly, to combat the ever-present negativity re: New Orleans, festival season is ALWAYS in the springtime, which guarantees it falls during Lent. New Orleans is one of the most Catholic cities in America. We're aware of the situation and invite you to eat seafood with us on Fridays. You won't regret it.

Ugh, I don't want to talk about Brunnigan's. Not the same as old Bruno's. Not at all. Old Bruno's was actually a "vile" college bar, and the new one doesn't have a soul. I'll agree that the food is decent.

And how could I forget Creole Creamery? I practically live there when it's not Lent. Bacchanal is also wonderful; will definitely be too hot outside (even at night) to fully enjoy the experience later than April or maybe May.

If you want to stay away from a tourist spot, stay away from Mother's. Totally overrated, in my opinion, and you will likely have to wait in a long line to get in. I don't think anyone's mentioned Parkway in Mid-City... they have great poboys as well.

Lola's is a true gem. The paella is wonderful, and they serve little warm rolls fresh out of the oven with this garlic butter that is more like garlic paste... delicious. It's BYO, and is it still cash only? Was it ever? I haven't been in almost a year and don't remember.

If you hit Ralph's on the Park, be sure to go for brunch--they have a great menu, and I think it's better than their dinner menu.

I don't have an Aerogarden (jealous), but I have always had trouble with thyme and oregano indoors. I don't know what it is or if it's something with my kitchen, where I was trying to grow the herbs, but I couldn't get anything to live longer than maybe 2 weeks.

I'm also curious to see if anyone has tried tomatoes in one of these. I'd love to extend tomato season at home!