When Anne started missing Greek yogurt in the wilds of Utah, you amazingly clever and resourceful people told her how to make her own! Rachel advised,

Strain plain fat free yogurt in a clean dish towel or a few layers of paper towels over a bowl until you get the consistency you want. Overnight will get you yogurt cheese.

And Andie makes hers super thick and then flavors it:

I'll add some liquid back in, in the form of apricot or peach juice.  A little honey, mix it up and you've got yummy yogurt.  Sometimes I'll add cinnamon too.  :D

When it comes to the preconception that it's traumatic childhoods that fuck us up so bad that our only friend is the all-night Quickie-Mart, Mary Sue tells it like it is:

My parents are still married to each other (34 years this May), I was never in need of anything as a child, I never suffered physical or sexual abuse at the hands of family members... I had one of those Very Brady childhoods. It wasn't a perfect childhood, but the drama I had was all pretty tame stuff.

And I was a competitive dancer for 8 years, the lowest my weight ever got was 225, averaged about 250, and I'm 5'4".

I'm just fat. And going to play tennis now, who wants to come with?

And the week wouldn't be complete without mentioning Leah's hilarious parents and her feelings about the communal power of food:

I agree that food should be more than just "eating".  My mom was an absolutely horrible cook.  And, she resented feeding us.  So she would cook one batch of something, and feed it to us NEARLY EVERY NIGHT FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH.  I am so not kidding.  (Mom - you missed the point of "once-a-month" cooking)

Even still, not that they're both retired, they serve us on PAPER PLATES when we go to their house.  (WHAT she serves is an entirely different matter...she served my husband "hot dog salad" (green salad with a random assortment of ingredients, topped with sliced hot dogs ("for protein!")) last time we got together.  I am so not making this up).

She uses the paper plates because she hates cleaning.  (Even though I do most of the cleaning - and now, the cooking - when we visit).  It makes me feel unworthy and unloved. 

Maybe this is why I have 3 sets of china and don't ever hesitate to break them out and serve my guests (or family) on them.  We use my Christmas china for breakfast all December long, and my kids love it. They look forward to the season and getting to use the special china every day.

I guess I'm just saying that hospitality and food goes so far beyond just the food served.  I've felt amazingly loved by take-out that a friend warmed up, served on nice plates, and accompanied by whatever-wine-was-lurking-in-the-fridge.  The food was fine, and filled my belly, but it was the relationship (dare I say "communion"?) behind it that made it a true meal.

And, for the record, we loved what you all said about what makes you beautiful.