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i didn't even know there was a contest-i made a kickass pumpkin this year, before it got all gross and moldy. a hand crank drill is very handy for carving, as my sister and i discovered.

@tommyk--at first glance your (awesome) pumpkin looked like a woman bent over. In my mind's eye, tusks turned into legs and mustache into a lifted skirt.

I blushed, then realized what was what.

Hi guys! I'm planning to make this for my BBQ next week. How many skewers does the recipe yield? (or how many people does it serve?)

I received a pouch of Aleppo pepper for my birthday (along w/ a nice assortment of other spices from Kalustyan's - great gift) so I tried this last night. Amazing! The flavor was awesome and the chicken was so moist, super yummy.

Greek yogurt is kinda pricey in my area -- could I substitute regular whole milk yogurt that has been drained?

Michael has many meathead-like qualities. Most assholes are just that way and don't know it, Michael seems to try at it.

I like both Voltaggio's, but they would really have to be outstanding to both make it to the final three. It could be compelling telie for the episode where they go from four to three. Could there really be the two of them in the final three?

"On the Line" does a great job of explaining the Ripert way. Will JC be the poster child for "anti-Ramsay/ MP White" school?

Laurine is an absolute mystery to me after two entire shows. I remember nothing about her.

It was about this time last season that we thought Ariane was going to be the next to go. Is Jesse this season's Ariane?

What bothered me most about the same-sex marriage discussion was how the producers decided to frame Preeti and Ashley in the same shot and show it from 3 different angles. What was that all about?

Shuffer: Sorry but that rationale just doesn't fly. Signing on for a cooking show in Vegas, and then pouting because they want you to cook for a wedding-related event is just juvenile. She even admitted that she knew it was probably going to happen. So what's her problem, exactly? She seemed to have a beef with Top Chef for 'putting her in that situation' more than society in general for 'not letting her get married'. Imagine a chef who is in Gambler's Anonymous who signs on for Top Chef: Vegas and then pisses and moans because they keep asking him to roll dice and play poker as part of the challenges. Man up, Nancy. You knew what was going to be involved before you showed up, so you have no one to blame but yourself.

Also of note, the best hamburger I've ever had in my life was at a restaurant where the chef was a very strict vegetarian (for morale reasons). She managed to take his personal convictions out of the picture and give the customer what he wanted. Why is Ashley so special

One of two things is going on. Either Ashley is a spoiled, whiny little attention whore who has to piss on everyone else's good time (in which case, she needs to be the next to go), or the producers just injected a little manufactured drama to boost ratings (in which case, Top Chef is not the show I thought it was and is, in fact, more like Real World)

Forget Ashley. Let's figure out who this season's Leah & Hosea are going to be!!

I agree that the same-sex marriage "controversy" seemed liked it was a bit forced and set up or at least egged on by the producers. Notice that most of the gays who got dragged out to the griping table just sat there and never said a word about it.

I guess the chick who was so upset will never take a job catering a wedding or cooking dinner for a couple on their anniversary or honeymoon. Please.

pbelardo, that is exactly what I came in here to say! I don't know if it was contrived by the show producers or if Ashley is just such a drama-queen attention-whore that she decided to make a big deal out of if, but the whole thing was really getting on my nerves. You know what? If the challenge offends you that much, quit the show. There are plenty of other chefs who *want* to be there.

@Erin "ce-veech" is the French pronunciation, which isn't suprising for her to use considering she works in an Eric Ripert restaurant.