My favorite is chausson aux pommes! Just came back from Paris this weekend where I had the good fortune to eat far too many and walk enough to almost not feel guilty about it.

Thanks all! Looking forward to hearing Mr. Shasta's tales of canoe country camping when he gets back next week over some delicious onion dip instead of a hot stove!

Oh and definitely something from Le Bus.

I've never had a problem bringing food back. Perhaps I just look trustworthy, but I've never even been searched at customs or asked for more than my passport. Coming through JFK they usually take a glance at my passport and then grunt that I'm okay to go. Last time I came back from France with an entire suitcase full of alcohol-- waaaay over the 3L limit.

I bought what I suspect is the same one (with the extra freezer bowl) last weekend at Williams-Sonoma because I had a gift card and decided to be impulsive. While I miss the pro-models of my pastry school/restaurant days, this is a really nice home model. I think I've made 4 batches of ice cream since Saturday, and all have turned out well. Everyone comments on how nice the ice cream's texture is, which is something I find problematic with a lot of home models. Plus, coming up into the summer months, homemade ice cream will be a real treat. I'd say go for it if you have the space and the gift card balance.

Honestly, if you're already seeing issues of gender politics in your workplace (which isn't surprising given you work in a law firm), then I'd say try not to bring them to the forefront with something like baking outside of special occasions. I used to work as a research assistant for a state judge in MO, and I got every cheeky/condescending/downright sexist comment from attorneys that traipsed in and out of the courtroom (e.g. "does your daddy know you're here little lady?" "wouldn't you rather be at home with some cute kids to look after"), so I definitely feel your pain. But when I worked at a legal nonprofit, I baked for the office often. It was an extremely progressive organization with a lot of female employees and me liking to bake was just another thing people knew about me, just like they knew I let my phone ring twice before answering and would be most likely to reply to emails around 2am.

On the flipside, I bake for my boyfriend's office a lot. It's part of my job as a "finance wife/girlfriend" to be socially competent and likable without being threatening. As I now work in pastry, baking for them is a great way to be seen as the type of modern career-minded wife/girlfriend they all claim to want without seeming like I'm too much of a threat to his climb up the corporate ladder. A huge part of corporate life is making sure you have a good team behind you (be it your junior people or your wife) that you can praise and that everyone likes, but doesn't steal your thunder. Ask yourself if you're willing to play that "supporting actress" role in your office, or if you're after their thunder. Personally, I'd take the thunder.

I was back in Philly visiting my alma mater this weekend (Lovers & Madmen-adjacent) and L&M was at the top of my must-eat/drink list. Great coffee, and a great addition to the neighborhood.

@Likeswords-- I also leave super-hot foods out for 1/2 hour to an hour so they're not heating up my rather small fridge, and that's fine. Conventional scientific wisdom is no more than 4 hours (although some state regulations require no more than 2) at room temp. But I wouldn't leave a meat sauce out all night then think that warming it up would undo whatever bacterial apocalypse erupted in that dark, moist, protein-rich environment.

@cjblegen: "Those of you who say you have never gotten sick are pretty lucky. And just a tip: reheating it doesn't kill everything..." THIS.

Honestly folks, those food-handling requirements aren't just suggestions. There is a reason the government requires foodservice establishments to follow them (as someone with two food handlers certifications, I'd be happy to give you a rundown on the lovely consequences of eating food that's a breeding ground for microorganisms).

The fact that you haven't gotten sick doesn't mean you aren't seriously increasing your risk of making yourselves or your family very ill by leaving food out in the temperature danger zone for extended periods of time (more than 4 hours). And as mentioned above, reheating is not a cure-all. Especially if anyone in your family is in a high-risk group (pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems), it just isn't worth the risk.

I mean, you can like an NYC street and you probably won't die, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. And if you do it enough times, eventually something bad will happen.

I feel for you...I moved in with my boyfriend about a year and a half ago, after dating for 3.5 years before that. I'm the main cook in the house because I have more time and culinary ability (I'm actually graduating from pastry school next week, so we're big dessert eaters, too). I am a vegetarian and he is a meat-eater to the core. The man can sniff out bacon from a mile away and as soon as he goes out with clients or on a business trip, it's steakhouse time. I had a leg up in that he was pretty open to the idea of new foods, but they definitely scared him. Tofu freaked him out massively. Now though, he goes out grocery shopping and comes home with a block of organic extra-firm, begging me to make roasted tofu with veggies.

I usually marinate it in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, thyme, a little honey, and salt and pepper, then roast at 400F with various veggies until done. You could make some of the pre-cooked chicken separately and make the marinade into a dipping sauce for it. If he likes the sauce, maybe he'd be more open to the similarly-flavored vegetables? Then you both have a base (the veg) to which you can add your preferred proteins. It seems like people have been knocking this method, but if your boyfriend won't eat vegetables (and you obviously aren't going to eat meat), you need to find a common denominator that you can both customize.

That being said, though, if he absolutely won't compromise, I think letting him fend for himself for a while might be the only way to go. You're not his mother and you're not obligated to cater to his stubborn behavior (not even giving you a suggestion?!). It's sad though, because eating the same meal or at least food that you've prepared to be eaten together, is a really strong bonding experience when you're living together. Meal planning is also a really good exercise in communication, budgeting, and compromise, so explain to him how important this issue is to you, and keep trying to find some common ground.

Keep us posted!

I am definitely a fan of Valentine's Day, but I always grew up celebrating it as a "for people you love" day and not a "this-must-be-the-most-romantic-day-ever-or-else" sort of holiday. My parents always made a fun/cheesy/cutesy celebration out of it for our whole family-- heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast, pink rice krispie treats, fancy dinner made by my dad (which was cute, because for all his good qualities, my dad is not a fantastic cook), etc. My dad brought home flowers for my mom and I and my brother and I made decorations with my mom.

Now my boyfriend and I celebrate similarly-- low stress but lots of love. There's no guilt about what we do or don't do because the expectations aren't for something mega-romantic/expensive. We just like spending time together, so we think about what we want to do that year that we might not have made time for yet and do it. This year he made Sunday brunch (albeit with a little help from me) and we're doing some wine tasting over a rented movie tonight because we're trying to expand our wine knowledge. Valentine's Day is just a good excuse to have some extra fun with people you love-- nothing wrong with that in my book.

Their chocolate is really great quality for the price, and they have great coffee in tons of varieties, all of which are inexpensive. I also often buy nuts, almond butter, dried fruits, cheese, JoeJoes (like Oreos), pizza dough, teas, bread, any of the snacks/candy above the freezers in the frozen aisle, olive oil, pasta, cereal, white cheddar and shells mac n cheese, yogurt, ridge-cut potato chips, crackers, and seltzer there. I have yet to have anything truly awful from TJ's (I'd say 95% of it, I'd buy again), so if something appeals to you, take a shot!

No comment on the musical outburst? That may have been my favorite part of the episode...or possibly the season.