Better late... -here's another for, ummm - whenever. Drunken oranges: Take large navel oranges, cut off a little "lid" and completely and carefully remove all fruit segments. Remove membranes and strings from fruit segments. RESERVE THE ORANGE SHELLS< The fruit does not need to be neatly removed - you're now going to chop them into smaller pieces, place them in a bowl and cover them with a decent vodka and maybe a dash of cointreau. let them macerate for anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight. Place bowl into freezer. At serving time, place fruit back into orange shells, leaving enough room to top with a scoop of orange sherbet that will melt into the fruit and booze. Add more vodka or cointreau. Replace little lids. Serve. You can also serve additional cointreau or grand marnier as a drink with dessert. Although if you're serving to college students, I'd probably opt for something a little less pricey.

Dipped in ultra-dark chocolate and served with sauce anglaise

You could always simply leave it out, if you're doing a classic basil pesto. OR substitute ground almonds or ground walnuts, either of which you may wish to toast lightly. OR do you just want permission to substitute a different cheese? OR are you looking for something like a roasted red pepper "pesto" or maybe a cilantro-based version?

And don't forget you can find chapulines (grasshoppers) at Mini Mercado Oaxaca
9407 N. Central Ave. 85020 - 602-395-0867. Also, you can almost always find enchiladas con huitlacoche (corn fungus) at Tlacoyo - another tiny Mexican place at University and Evergreen

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Mini Mercado Oaxaca
9407 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ

Or a bagna cauda, parmesan/pesto, black peppercorm, artichoke/asiago, Mexican-style cilantro-sour cream-green onion with a little salsa and lime, guacamole, - although I'd definitely agree if there are lots of little children around, a good buttermilk ranch dip - or go all retro and do an onion soup dip.

Thanks, Ms. Kate....along the lines of what I was thinking!

..grilled chicken or beef recipes? Help!!!

... affordable bistros and/or restos in Dijon, centre-ville.

Many thanks!

And I do hate to mention this - those aren't expiration dates. They are "pull dates," unless noted as "use by:" And even then, smelling the stuff - or a tiny taste - should be enough to help you decide to throw or use.

Lemon bars, made with a mix of lemon and lime juices. Include finely grated zest from both lemons and limes. It's the basic recipe - 1 c. flour, 1/4 c. 10x sugar, 1 c. butter - blend to pastry; bake 25 min @350F after spreading in 8x8 sq. baking pan. Beat together 1 c. granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp. baking powder, pinch salt - juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime (a couple tablespoonfuls or so) and the zest. Add to baked crust and bake 20 min more or until set but not quite browned. sprinkle generously w/10x sugar. Double recipe and use 9x13 pan for crowds. Cut into squares or rectangles as you wish.

Here's a bakery that will custom-bake gluten-free birthday cakes and more. They also sell an array of gluten free products (including bagels and pizza - they supply Picazzo pizza with their gluten-free dough). Gluten-Free Creations Bakery is the first complete facility to certify products thought the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), a program of GIG (Gluten Intolerance Group; LynnRae Ries is the baker/owner.
Gluten Free Creations
2940 E. Thomas Rd., Phoenix
(602) 522-0659
www.glutenfreecreations.com/
www.whatnowheat.com

Maille, especially L'Ancienne for general cooking. Maille also has seasonal flavors, some of which are especially lovely for sauces, braising. And there's a mustard with tarragon that's lovely in vinaigrette.

Thanks to everyone. After extensive cupcake tasting and comparison, we'd have to say that Barb's and Essence are in a dead heat for the best cupcakes. The rest - meh. They're nice, light, sweet stuff akin to fluffy bread with too much frosting. At least one bakery's cupcakes had totally indistinguishable flavors in their cakes.

ALmost sounds like a lemon cake pudding - this has a very light, airy topping (the cake) topping a lemon-curd-style pudding. Very simple, very good - a dessert that can be made with almost any fruit flavor, but is incredible in dark chocolate or orange flavors.

Not only great stock, but the basis for a formidable aspic - should you ever feel inclined toward a warm weather dish.....

Cento canned tuna is good and TJ's canned tuna in olive oil is also reasonable for most kitchen use (including tuna salad or some sort of casserole). TJ's carries both albacore (white) and yellowfin in olive oil.

Bak'd is the reservation-only restaurant of a fine caterer, and they're located right on Main St. in Mesa (www.bakd.net) And isn't there a new bistro of some sort, also on Main St. downtown??

Phoenix metropolitan region.

In search of the very best cupcakes...and pound cake, too. NOT a restaurant serving, the bakery, please!!!

Many thanks for any assistance you might be able to offer!

There's an old family restaurant in South Philly that uses this sauce for oversize homemade cheese ravioli....super thin slices of (olive oil) very gently sauteed garlic with chopped anchovies and fresh parsley (yes, just like a bagna cauda sauce). I've used this often at home (and also with fresh pasta). It's fabulous - as long as you love anchovies and garlic!

Thanks so much, all! I'll let you know how this turns out (company arrives Tuesday for dinner).

If I make it the night before and reheat?????

It's been ages since I made lasagna - and I really want to do this right for guests arriving this week. SO - what's the trick to baking a perfect lasagna - one that doesn't ooze or "weep" sauce, holds its shape, but isn't too dry? Many, many thanks for any suggestions and/or recipe ideas you have!

Food is meant to be shared, ergo, the recipes that produce the food need to be shared as well! What else will give us such insight and understanding of those who create the foods we appreciate?

One does both recognize and understand that neighborhood - as well as 'mom-and-pop" - are terms that very greatly depending upon the zip code.

I like to keep Goya bouillon on hand. It's important to remember how salty it is, but the taste - chicken, beef, ham or fish - is definitely there and can really boost flavor if used appropriately. And I'm with you - tinned or jarred stock takes too much space, is hard to store. If it's stock I need, I'll either make it - or pull it from the freezer (get a really good freezer bag and you can store it flat!)

Prefer independent, "neighborhood" and/or mom&pop restaurants. What are the places with great fare - and what's tops on the menu? We're there for three days, and are fairly adventurous foodies.

I hate to note this, but food's built into living, isn't it? We've simply turned it into (pop culture) entertainment as opposed to sustenance that has (almost) ALWAYS carried some ceremony with it. Please go see Michael Pollan's recent NYT magazine cover story (2 Aug.), flawed as it was in many respects.

Ummm...also an old B movie - Plan B from Outer Space....The contraceptive plan followed much, much later! Let's hope the restaurateurs are old movie fans.

Someone noted Trillin (hhoray!), but I'm little surprised no one mentioned any books by Alford and Duguid.