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One other thing to consider is having family members "proof" their recipes. A well-meaning family member put together our family cookbook, and the thing is so riddled with errors (ingredients, measurements, directions, attributions) that it's almost not usable. She worked so hard on it... but...

I realized while watching last night that I would not watch a show with any of these people. In fact, I've switched to rooting against people like Debbie, who seems to have been set up to win since the beginning. The times that she's failed have been because the other contestants put her into a position of authority or because she's stuck her foot in her mouth.

Anyone catch Debbie explaining an excess of garlic powder (yuck) was a "Korean" thing?

@itsmdorsey -- HOA stands for "home owners' association." They're a neighbor-run or company-run group that enforces rules in a neighborhood to ensure consistency and cleanliness and - so the theory goes - retain home values. Some HOAs regulate things like landscaping and communal garden areas, and others provide for pools and tennis courts, etc. When people buy in HOA-overseen areas, they sign a contract that states they will uphold those rules - and pay dues so others can enforce those rules - so a court case probably isn't going to do much. In Texas, an HOA can foreclose on your house for non-payment of dues and fines - like the ones you would get for planting veggies in your front lawn. Don't like the rules? Don't buy in those neighborhoods.

So that's why I don't live there and can enjoy dandelions, natural grasses, and a pesticide-free lawn.

Pizza gift card: http://www.loumalnatis.com/Gift%20and%20Loyalty.aspx

Cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches!

My grandfather also made an amazing spinach dish - spinach with an egg on top and loads of vinegar.

We bought a Bosch range from the Sears Outlet store last year for around $600 (and a Bosch built-in dishwasher for less than $300).

They even have their inventory online now:
http://www.searsoutlet.com/d/index.jsp

What I did is stalk my local store's selections until they marked down their "hot deal" - which is how I saved so much on the dishwasher.

We've done Best Buy before - and that's great if you need delivery and want in-box, no scratch/dent/etc. However, I'd rather go through a little extra effort for higher quality like I've gotten at Sears.

I think you hit all the musts. If I were there this weekend, I'd do:

lunch: Mr. G's for the hot dog - with everything (747 N Clark St.)
dinner: Lou's - sausage/mushroom as you mentioned - plus the dessert pizza
breakfast: Anne Sather's! a benedict and cinnamon rolls
lunch: Gyros - with everything
dinner: Rose Angelis for Italian
breakfast: Anne Sathers again? or a Greek diner

I've heard of microwaving it for a few seconds - or putting it in a paper bag for a few days.

Someone at SeriousEats tried this last year:

http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/02/overnight-macaroni-and-cheese-have-you-tried.html

Scroll down for the recipe in the comments.

Wow - way to spark discussion.

I've left crap tips before - for crap service. I live in a suburb where good service is the *exception* - and the last time we went out (where we live, not in the city), our waiter was completely/obviously stoned (at lunch). He would occasionally stop, stand by our table and kind of sway as he stared out the window. This is the second time this has happened to us this year. So odd. But in my opinion, a crap tip should still fix that person right at a living wage.

I love the idea someone mentioned about going more European. I'd be thrilled if our restaurants included the staff's wages in their mark ups on the food - and more thrilled if our government got with it and upped a waiter's wages to minimum wage. I'd still be happy to leave extra for exceptional service, and I think that I'd eat out - as opposed to carry out - more than I do now.

Down with beets. Long live the heirloom tomato!

(Seriously, if you had to devote a patch of your garden to something, would you pick a beet over a pepper or a berry?)

Isn't there some sort of marketing thing going on right now where "Jack" is missing? (Coma or something?)

Since the whole brand isn't being changed over, this reeks of publicity stunt. Get people worked up (similar to the orange juice packaging) about a "sissy"-ish change and bring back Jack along with a return to classic foods or prices or something.

If they were really changing anything, then they'd change everything.