Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

And for god's sake, tell us where they were!

I have to ditto the sandwiches. Those crusty baguettes with ham and cheese and great butter. "A simple bit of awesomeness" pretty much sums it up. Go with an open mind and a willing spirit; hopefully, return humbled by the history and culture.

I would not brine a premium grade steak (ample marbling/intramuscular fat). Chicken, turkey, some pork lack the marbling that steaks have so we introduce moisture via brines. Plus we cook steaks to medium rare/rare; whereas, with poultry it's to well.
At any rate, if it's a good steak, don't brine in the traditional sense.

I love this project Donna!

Oozey Oozebourne is not nearly as advanced as db's, but I see definite increased bubble activity. I'm thinkin' my starter is a day and a half behind.

I've found that you can adapt most recipes for the slow cooker. So use your normal, healthy soup/stew/braise recipe for the slow cooker. There's just a few different steps if you need to brown and deglaze. Also, there will be less evaporation so adjust your liquid level.

My friend makes a veggie chilli in the crock pot, starts it in the morning and by dinner time, it's good to go. Tons of veggies, low fat, high fiber, lots of flavor.

I'm not sure what recipes you've been looking at, but there are so many things you can do to lighten up a recipe. Use a homemade stock instead of cream. Add leafy greens and others vegs. Substitute fatty cuts for leaner proteins. And so on.

When I'm trying to use up pesto: stirred into mac&cheese; spread a thin layer on pizza crust before adding sauce and toppings; use instead of mayo on sandwiches (great on BLT's or grilled chicken or grilled veggie sandwich); stirred into mayo & sour cream as a veggie dip; as a "crust" on roast chicken, fish, or lamb.

Pickled carrots and daikon for bahn mi or bun.
Spicy Korean radish "salad" (for lack of a better word) called moosaengchae.
Gaufrettes-- a must, seeing as how there is no other way to make them except with a mandoline.

*sigh*

It's just too painful...I can't talk about it.

I have used both. Yes, the Rabbit is incredibly easy and nifty and when my Dad opens a bottle, that's the wine opener I hand him. My husband and I use a double hinged waiter's wine key about 99% of the time. I have found that the double hinged wine keys (vs the standard single hinged wine keys) are less likely to mangle the corks mainly due to the pulling action being nearly vertical the entire time vs a single hinge which creates a sideways pull at the mid point of the extraction. Also, keep in mind that when you insert the waiter's friend into the cork it is best to start the point of the worm at a slight angle then straighten.

I can't help with the burnt on stuff, but as for the smell: you have to air the place out in addition to cleaning/febreezing, etc. Open all the windows and get a window fan to circulate some of that air out. If you're running the AC, turn the setting from AUTO to ON and let the fan run for a few hours (5-6), change the filter. Hope that helps.

For my vegetarian friends I do one with cheeses like monterey or colby or cheddar or a mix, sauteed spinach, mushrooms, caramelized onions and jalapenos. Then serve with sour cream, salsa, , pico de gallo, and guacamole all on the side.
For myself and Husband I always have caramelized onions, some sort of meat (leftovers are great for these), cheese, peppers (both sweet and hot), and serve the same way as the veggie ones.
I love the ones that have mentions squash blossoms! I can't wait for next year's squash bounty!

I do kimchi fried rice with leftover bulgogi and a sunnyside up egg. Kimchi fried rice is one of my favorites when cooking for myself.

Korean bbq, specifically kalbi.
Roasting veal bones for stock.
Rosemary foccacia baking.
Anything frying, but fried chicken is one of my favorites.
Smokey savory wok vapors.
Bacon frying at the same time coffee is brewing.