I was struck by three things at the grocery story yesterday: 1) the vast number of couples shopping together (my husband hates to go grocery shopping), 2) how many people were already picking up all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner and 3) the surprisingly high number of conversations at the meat counter about possible alternatives to turkey: rack of lamb, pot roast, and duck, to name a few.

I'm not a huge fan of turkey--I much prefer a plate full of sides. So I'm wondering, have you ever skipped serving a turkey? Obviously, vegetarians don't eat turkey, but what are your creative alternatives? Here are some recipes to check out:

Calling all Real Simple recipe lovers: We just released a beautiful new cookbook of favorite easy, delicious meals (check out 10 featured recipes from the book).

Here's the even more exciting news: The first 25 people to reply to this post will receive a free copy of Real Simple Best Recipes: Easy Delicious, Meals. We will contact the winners using the email address you used to comment.

Learn more about the cookbook here. And I'm curious, what's your favorite Real Simple recipe?

Open to legal residents of the United States age 18 or older at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes begins at 12:00 p.m. (ET) and ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on 10/30/09.

Still, Northwestern didn't make The Daily Beast's list of the country's top 15 colleges for food. Here's what did: schools with sushi bars, Maine lobster, and speciality chocolate drinks. Take a peek and see if your alma mater made the list.

Did your school have any of these delicious perks? What do you remember most about college food? 

This simple recipe quickly elicited an amazing response: some questions (Can you roll them? What temperature do you cook them at?) and others spouted pure praise ("Hillary D. for president!"). Check out the entire discussion on Facebook.

To answer the call of the cookie wild, I reached out to Hillary asking her to provide us with her complete recipe. She graciously agreed--here it is (thank you, Hillary!):

Gourmet's longtime editor Ruth Reichl has been responding to the outpour of emotion via twitter. One of her recent tweets: "At Newark airport. Stopped to buy sandwich (no time to eat today), and the woman behind the counter said, "I'm so sorry; this one's on me.")

What do you think about this news? Were you a Gourmet reader?

Starbucks just released Via, its first foray into the world of instant coffee. If you haven't seen the commercials yet, they're claiming you won't be able to tell the difference between their instant coffee and their regular brewed. Do you think that's true?

Starting tomorrow (October 2 through the 5th), they're inviting people to come in for a taste test. Let them know if you can taste the difference, and you'll get a free coffee on your next visit. Not a bad deal.

If it's good, your wallet will be pleased, too. Time.com did a quick cost analysis, saying that the instant coffee is a big money-saver (see how much it costs). 

So will you try it? Do you already drink instant coffee? If so, what's your favorite kind?

I'm on the hunt for healthy, delicious, and easy recipes (nothing too original) and am contemplating making this Real Simple recipe for Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf. Looks like it hits all the points, but it dawned on me, could I make this without the bread crumbs? I know 1/2 cup won't kill me, but I've never tried to make a meat loaf without "stuffing." I've tried the Real Simple secret of using crushed saltines, and swapped traditional bread crumbs with whole wheat ones, but I've never skipped it altogether. 

I'll try it this week, but want to ask the expert chefs in the group: Would the meat loaf just be less dense? Do you really need the bread product to bind it all together?

What makes a really amazing food magazine cover? For me, it's a beautiful image of something I feel like I could and would actually make. Like this bon appetit cover of blueberry pancakes. Though my pancakes would never be so pretty, I think I could get close to it.

ASME (the American Society of Magazine Editors) just revealed their finalists for the best magazine covers of the year and is allowing the public to vote for their favorites. In the food, or "Most Delicous" category, there are some amazing entries like this hamburger cover (yum):

I'm no grill pro so I was a little hesitant to try cooking pizzas on the grill for my family of 10 (even though it was my big idea). I wasn't even sure where to begin. Do you just throw the pizza dough on the grate and add toppings? Pre-cook the dough? Here's what I learned through trial and error (and some last-minute internet searches). 

My cooking plans last night (flank steak) were quickly scrapped due to an unexpectedly long and painful dentist appointment for my husband. So I looked in the pantry for some easy-chewing options and came up with a box of spaghetti. I had half a jar of pasta sauce in the fridge (sacrilege, I know), so I decided to upgrade it by playing the what's-about-to-go-bad game. Here's what I used:

I can't jump on the salmon bandwagon--I'm just not a fan of the taste. Not liking a particular food ordinarily wouldn't be too much of a problem, but knowing all the health benefits of salmon (it's packed with omega-3s and is one of the 10 best foods for your heart, according to Health.com) I feel like I'm missing out on an easy super-nutritious dinner option.

Do you have any recipes or suggestions to turn this salmon hater into a salmon lover? Are Salmon Burgers a good baby step?

A friend of mine says he doesn't like sweets with his meats. I have to disagree. I think the natural juice from fruits keeps easy-to-dry-out meat like chicken and pork incredibly moist and delicious. Plus, when you have a small box of ripe plums (yes, a box), cooking with them is a great way to make sure that your fruit doesn't go to waste.

Last night I tried a Real Simple recipe for Pork Chops With Plum Sauce, which came out great. My pork chops were about double the thickness of the recommended size (thanks to an overeager butcher) so I let them bake longer than stated. The warm plums added the perfect sweet yet savory touch to the pork chops.

It also reminded me of one of my very favorite recipes that my Aunt shared with me: Chicken With Cherries. The gist is that you simmer chicken breasts in dark pitted cherries with their juice (use cans of them).

Do you like sweets with your meats? I would say yes to cherries, plums, and peaches, but maybe not pineapple (I'm not a huge fan of Hawaiian pizza.) Any favorite dinner recipes to share for summer fruits?

I always struggle with what to eat for lunch, but lately I have been dabbling in the world of salads. I've been resistant only because salad typically doesn't fill me up. Adding a ton more protein (hard-boiled eggs, kidney beans, grilled chicken) seems to do the trick. What also helped this transformation? I'm a chopped salad convert.

The NY lunch market is overwrought with custom salad places that chop your salad into bite-size pieces (chop't is right across the street from the Real Simple offices). These chopped salads, though delicious, can be a total budget breaker. So I was intrigued when I saw...

Here's a crossword puzzle for you. The clue: certain pop. It's 4 letters....it's not Coke... Stumped yet? The answer: Nehi. Have you ever heard of it?

After facing this exact crossword clue, I have now learned (thanks to my father-in-law) that it's a soda from the 1920s and came in grape, peach, root bear, and other flavors. It got me thinking about the evolution of soda and all the random and regional sodas out there, like Tab, Vernors Ginger Ale, and Crush.

I have cookbook clutter. I love buying new cookbooks and seeing all the beautiful food photography, but my bookshelves need a break. So I started the purge process, donating cookbooks that I just don't use very often. There are some that will make the cut for the aesthetic factor (antique cookbooks and my cupcake collection), but I am trying to pare it down to those that I really reach for (i.e. the ones that are the most battered and stained). Here are my top 5 basic books...

Or do you just pick up a jar? When I was growing up, my mother used to simmer her red sauce on the stove for hours, which led me to believe that you need a full day to make a good tomato sauce yourself. So, even though I will probably get tomatoes thrown at me from the foodies of the world, I have to admit that I have in fact picked up a jar of sauce for quick and easy weeknight meals. I try to stick with the good stuff like Rao's (which is a little pricey) or the less expensive but still tasty Silver Palate line.

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Food & Recipes Pancake Art Posted on Feb 23, 2009 6:03:00 AM  |  By KathleenHarris

Want to make pancakes even more special than they already are? My friend Eric taught me this really fun and easy pancake trick. Drizzle  pancake batter on your griddle in the shape a letter or design. Let it cook for a minute or so, then cover the design with batter to create your traditional pancake shape. Since the letter cooks longer, you'll get this amazing tone-on-tone effect. It's so simple and looks amazing.

Eating Out | Restaurants How Much Would You Pay For This Dinner? Posted on Feb 17, 2009 9:50:46 AM  |  By Lygeia Grace First restaurants lowered prices. Now some of them are abolishing them altogether. A few days ago I came across a piece in the London Financial Times about Little Bay, a cafe in London where the owner has started a month-long... Comments (4)|Continue Reading » Drinks | Holidays Valentine's Bubbles for Every Budget Posted on Feb 11, 2009 3:35:51 PM  |  By Lygeia Grace I just wasted 30 minutes in the Rockefeller Center Hallmark store opening (and slamming shut) singing Valentine's Day cards. When the rack is clearly labeled with the song "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)," is it really... Comments (3)|Continue Reading » An Update on Real Simple's Peanut Butter Road Test Posted on Feb 11, 2009 3:14:06 PM  |  By KathleenHarris Despite the recent peanut-butter salmonella scare, none of Real Simple’s winning peanut butters featured in the March issue have been affected. Each company has issued a notice to assure consumers that its peanut-butter products are not made with peanuts from... Comments (8)|Continue Reading » Healthful Eating Easy Healthful Eating Tip (That's Economical, Too) Posted on Feb 9, 2009 11:53:36 AM  |  By KathleenHarris Use whole-wheat bread crumbs. You can't even taste a difference (as proved by my husband who didn't make a peep and he typically notices the whole-wheat swap). I had some chicken cutlets in the freezer, so yesterday I defrosted them,... Comments (4)|Continue Reading » But wait, there's more! Posted on Feb 3, 2009 1:47:17 PM  |  By Lygeia Grace I just read some sad news. The dapper bearded gentleman who sold carrot peelers from his perch on the northwest corner of the Union Square Farmers’ Market died on Sunday. If you ever heard his spiel, delivered in a booming... Comments (9)|Continue Reading » Read Earlier Posts »