Joyce Brennan might credit the luck o' the Irish for a recent trip to North Carolina.

* Where: Outback Steakhouse, 2120 Hamilton Place Blvd. and 501 Northgate Mall.

I think I’ve heard it all. Weight Watchers and McDonalds plan to team up, promoting their Filet-O-Fish, Chicken McNuggets and Sweet Chili Seared Chicken Wrap. Let me say first that this is happening in New Zealand, but my best guess is that it will take wing and appear in the U.S. before long. I mean, who wouldn’t love to scarf down a Filet-O-Fish for just 6 1/2 Weight Watchers points?

Q: Is skipping meals is a good way to lose weight? A: Studies show that people who skip breakfast and eat fewer times during the day tend to be heavier than people who eat a healthy breakfast and eat four or five times a day.

We're definitely into baked goods this week. Sally A. wrote to ask, "Where do you buy really good homemade rolls in Chattanooga, or how can I make them? I want to have that good yeast aroma in the air when my guests arrive. I would also like recipes usin

Congratulations are again in order for chef Daniel Lindley, owner of St. John's Restaurant, The Meeting Place and his newest restaurant, Alleia, all in Chattanooga's Southside district. For the second year in a row, Mr. Lindley is a semifinalist for a coveted James Beard Award. He has been nominated for Best Chef: Southeast for his talents at St. John's.

You wake up in the middle of the night with hunger pains ricocheting through your stomach. Your first thought is bread and peanut butter waiting in your kitchen. But you've always heard that snacking at night is one of the worst things you can do if you're trying to stay in shape.

* Where: Hillbilly Willy's Bar-B-Q, 115 Brown's Ferry Road.

Today's requests are full of flavor ... Linda Graydon of Chickamauga, Ga., would love to have the old Vine Street Market's chocolate mousse. Then, a certain Paula is hot on the trail of more instructions about hot spaghetti. To freeze a spaghetti dish, should it be baked or unbaked? Finally, Marsha Fetherolf wants any Mount Vernon Restaurant recipes but particularly asparagus soufflé and mint tea, which she believes is no longer served at the Broad Street eatery.

Target just announced on their Web site that it’s eliminated all farmed salmon from its shelves nationwide. In its place, all salmon sold by Target brands will be wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Well, it’s a shame that we don’t have a Super Target in our area selling wild salmon. But you can get it at most every grocery store in town. Just watch the labels.

I've started adding avocados to my shopping list every week, buying them when they're still firm, then letting them ripen in my kitchen windowsill. Getting two or three each week lets me have them ripe and ready for several meals. When I have too many ripe ones, I make guacamole. They're just so good for you, with lots of heart-healthy fats and vitamins.

Want a tomato on that burger? Try again.

Q: How can I be sure that the foods I am eating do not contain trans fat?

There's a lot more to macaroni and cheese than a blue box and powdered cheese.

The Choppin' is an eight-ounce French-cut pork chop marinated then grilled and served with Chuck Norris slaw and Not Your Mom's green bean casserole.