Scott, I actually agree with you and Bittman for the most part. You don't *need* a lot of tools once you get beyond the sharp knife and the wooden spoon and the other basics (I'm pretty happy about my stand mixer, though), yes. But I think a great spatula does fall into that "basic" category, and that there's a reasonably-sized category of "nice to have" tools beyond that. We've also talked before on the blog about how different tools are semi-"needs" for different people. If you frequently need to pit piles of cherries, you might feel differently about whether it's frivolous to buy a cherry pitter.

I cannot tell you how jealous I am of authentic glazed lebkuchen! Mmmmmm!!!!!!! Enjoy!

Thank you, Katie! And Scott, you're correct that the oven is not induction, but we use the stovetop to make gravy in the roasting pan from the caramelized pan drippings. That was a step we didn't want to miss. But our friends still came for the Thanksgiving feast!

These are beautiful suggestions -- I'm inspired now! And Susan, you are right -- it is always appreciated.

Missy, thanks for the perspective! I think we'll be back to marathons when the kids are a bit older. I hope. Maybe. Jon, I keep thinking about getting an extra freezer again. I got gun-shy when our last one broke down and we lost a ton of food. Hope, I probably could have kept them overnight, but the last time I tried that they seriously were not as good even the next day. Now, I'm sure they would have been good *enough*, and I sort of wish in retrospect I'd just left them. But then, it's tough to can when the toddler is afoot, so it probably would have had to wait to the next late night.

Hope, I asked Karen Solomon on Twitter (she's @bolognarose) about your questions. She says that it's fine to soak the rice at room temperature for that length of time. For the raw solids, she also thinks soup!

Thank you for the ideas, guys! I particularly love the idea of pickled eggs -- and yes, it's the season for deviled. Hope, you're right -- not only did we go through all the eggs, but when our friends came down to visit last week for our little one's birthday, we gladly took another dozen! These friends went in with us on a school garden many, many years back, and they've been quite an inspiration.

Mike, what do you mean that you can't find it? If you click on "Egg Muffin Sandwiches" it should take you to the PBS site with the full recipe... or playing the video in this post should do the same too. (If you're just saying that you disagree about this being the best fast food breakfast ever, then we've just gotta disagree.)

Mike, what do you mean that you can't find it? If you click on "Egg Muffin Sandwiches" it should take you to the PBS site with the full recipe... or playing the video in this post should do the same too. (If you're just saying that you disagree about this being the best fast food breakfast ever, then we've just gotta disagree.)

vb, thanks for the ideas! I've been freezing ends and scraps of vegetables to use for stock, but haven't used any of that stash yet, so don't know how it will turn out. If you like corn soup, Jerry Traunfeld has an amazing one in his "Herbal Kitchen" cookbook (one of my favorite standbys), though it's pretty fragile and I wouldn't freeze it.

Jon, if Xinh developed that recipe it's got to be worth trying. What a treasure!

Good points, all. Dianne, thank you - I don't do it well, which is why I have conflicts like this! Still searching for that elusive thing called balance.

Myra, agreed! Stevenkurt, thank you -- I changed the scallop link to go directly to YouTube.

Thanks for the comments! June, I don't think this was a nonstick container. I make mine in a teacup, and they come out quite neatly too.

Ken, youve got it. Gary, I think bacon and maple syrup and ice cream actually sounds pretty good. My issue is that bacon -- good old bacon, which has been around forever -- turned into this wild fad. I guess I'm wondering what happens when the fad part is over -- does it sink back to the same good old staple it was before, or...?

Quilly, thank you for clarifying. I read that as a crack that compared organic tofu with a rack of lamb -- that is, that both would be expensive extravagances. I completely agree with you that budgeting/meal planning in general is crucial, and I wish I did a better job of it myself. I don't think I would have taken that comment the same way if, for instance, it had read that you can't rush out and buy a pre-made deli platter or a rack of lamb.

Thanks for the input! I'll have to give Hunt's a try too. Stella, on the "fakes" issue, I see what you mean about the D.O.P., but I do think most people assume San Marzanos are from Italy. I'm surprised myself now to see how often they're not. On the BPA, I actually updated that one here: http://www.eatallaboutit.com/2011/01/19/when-will-muir-glen-tomatoes-be-bpa-free/

Peggy, my luck is always mixed! My best advice is to read, get gardening mentors (Amy Pennington is very helpful to Twitter followers, she's @gogogreengarden), and to try a wide variety of seeds. Every year I have some surprising failures and some surprising successes! Hope, I love the cinnamon basil. I first planted it because of a recipe that called for it in Jerry Traunfeld's "The Herbal Kitchen". (I wound up with a surprising number of new herbs that way). As for the zucchinis, our big ones just got tough and not particularly tasty. We would grate, stir fry, and freeze bunches of them, but it never seemed quite worth the extra effort and cost.

Paul, the orzo is the rice-shaped pasta. Clarice, thank you for the recipe! And, yes, one chopped onion -- thank you, Brendon! My apologies for missing that line.

John, those are great points and a great suggestion. Thank you!

Alice, thank you so much. Bryant and Cookie, you'll be glad to know we have, with the publisher's permission, printed one of the cookie recipe's in today's post. Enjoy!

Bryant, the interview was so long I didn't think there was room for a recipe! I'm so sorry. I did notice that Jenn Garbee over at the L.A. Weekly printed the recipe for Chunky Peanut Butter Clouds, which are over here: http://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2010/11/holiday_cookie_recipes_medrich.php

Bob, I didn't catch that question! Thanks for the answer.

Divadmas, I use the D&D Gold brand of Madras curry powder for this. I haven't tried frozen lemongrass, because fresh is readily available in my markets (though the price varies hugely depending on where I shop). If you try it, let me know if it holds the flavor!

Blackjack, thank you! And designchippy, you made me laugh. You also might want to check out Lorna Yee's "bacon-wrapped bacon" -- the recipe is in Jenn Garbee's "Secret Suppers" book. Solane71, I was sure that people would give me a hard time for writing about bacon yet AGAIN -- it's a relief to only be scolded for writing about Seattle!