Smoker
Speaking of arm-twisting, Heidi's new stovetop smoker at 101 Cookbooks led me to get one of those smokers, too. Heidi's a vegetarian, which puts a crimp in the smoker's style (though she doesn't seem to feel it -- smoked mushrooms? garlic? tofu?? ). I'm looking forward to trying some salmon, maybe trout. Brisket?
Last weekend featured another stock day -- this time, a mixture of duck and veal bones. And there was a leg of lamb, roasted atop a sort of potato-onion gratin for a thymey peasant casserole, which really didn't turn out quite as well as it sounded.
There are reports of a big new study that suggests low fat diets really aren't notably better for people. I'm getting closer and closer to Julia Child's attitude: they really don't know, so the best you can aim for is to eat a lot of variety and even out the strain.