In the past 15 minutes I just came across a wire story about the woman who won the $1 million Pillsbury prize for a cookie recipe that starts with refrigerated peanut butter cookie dough, and ran across the article about Baltimore’s Berger cookies in the May issue of Saveur.

I’ve never been tempted by a peanut butter cookie, although I surely wish I’d created this one. But the Berger cookie is another matter. It’s a vanilla cookie topped with a fudgy icing and looks dee-vine. What I miss the most about Seessel’s is the turtle cookies. I loved them from when I was a kid until they served the last one–and I would love them still if I could get my hands on one. What’s your idea of the quentessential Memphis cookie? We get many requests for the Memphis City Schools butter cookies, and Makeda’s makes one that’s nearly a deadringer.

I found a recipe online for what might be the turtle cookies from McKenzie’s Bakeries in New Orleans, which were nearly as good as Seessel’s. Here’s the link, if you want to take a look: http://herbsaint.wordpress.com/2006/01/13/turtle-cookies/ (here’s the picture, above). I’ll let you know if I try the recipe.

I’m putting together a list of Downtown favorites for Memphis in May. What are your top picks? I’m also doing a roundup of barbecue joints around town for BBQ weekend, and the blogger who created the Google map will finally be revealed…

Everyone ready for a little wine tasting tonight? I am. The saga of the sick dog continues and I’ve given the muscle relaxers for my back a rest for the day so I can enjoy the wine tonight. Be back at 7; Scott Smith from the Wine Market on Spottswood will be here and we’ll have a good ol’ time.

I’m crazy about the new book “Things Cooks Love,” even though some of the items are not exactly ones I consider indispensible. It’s part of a series from Sur la Table, so there’s incentive for selling, but I like the book anyway. There’s more about it in tomorrow’s column, but I want to hear about your favorite kitchen gadgets. A few things I’d hate to do without are my mandoline, my standing citrus press (serves one purpose only, but it does so beautifully), my garlic press (I finally found a good one and I’ll never chop garlic again), and my Kitchen Aid.

What are your favorite things?

It’s a nice night for a crisp white and I’m ready to get home, get the grill going and start tasting wine. So I’ll see you back here at 7 p.m. and we’ll get going. I, for one, will be working from the porch. Remember, we talk in the “live blog” box below.

First of all, I’m in a semi-revolt against our constant level of connection at so many electronic levels. Cells phones, Blackberries, laptops, constant e-mail, working at all hours because we can connect to our work stations at home, television on demand, etc.–tell me, does any of this really make your life easier? Or is the price we pay for convenience too high? Jury’s out, I guess. But THIS is going too far:

If you just can’t STAND not knowing what’s going on with your pizza from the time you place the order till the time it arrives, then Domino’s has the solution for you with Pizza Tracker. Order online and you can track your pizza, within 40 seconds, to find out how it’s coming along. I’m not kidding. This is straight from the press release:

“Once customers place an order, they can go to www.dominos.com and click on the Pizza Tracker icon. They will see a horizontal bar that lights up red as each step in the process is completed. Customers will see confirmation of their order being received by the store; when it’s being prepared; when it’s been placed in the oven; when it’s been boxed and placed in the Domino’s HeatWave bag; and finally, when it’s on its way for delivery.So customers using Pizza Tracker will no longer have to wonder where their pizza is in the ordering process - it takes the ‘mystery’ out of waiting for their pizza.”

Wow. Aren’t you all excited?

Here’s a slide show of a few pictures of Matt Brewton, a chef at The Savvy Gourmet in New Orleans, making a roux for a mighty tasty gumbo. The recipe is in today’s Food section and you can also find it online at commercialappeal.com. Click here to watch it:

SLIDESHOW: Gumbo

Yes, you can cast your vote for the best sandwich in town here if you’d like, but I want to tell you about the best sandwich that I DIDN’T eat last week–and talk about entree envy. When the people seated at my right and left were served these incredible BLTs with fried oysters at Cochon in New Orleans last week, my rabbit and dumplings seemed pretty weak. Luckily the whole group was the sharing kind, so I was able to get a bite or two of the one pictured here. Wow!

I just came across a wire story about the great sandwiches in New Orleans and it’s po’ boy, muffaletta, po’ boy. I’ve got nothing against either, but I don’t think any of them could take this one.

I’m looking forward to tonight’s tasting with Arthur Kahn of Athur’s. One of the guests on the Louisiana tour was a big fan of pinot noir and I believe I had a taste of a different one almost every night. I’m ready to see how this one compares.

Arthur suggests a pork, veal, chicken or a sturdy fish dish. I’m going to make modified spaghetti carbonara. Instead of pancetta, I’m going to use slivers of the tasso I bought back with me.

If there is a way to hinder technology, I know it. Not that I’m ever sure what I’m doing, of course, but I find a way to shut down a camera or a cellular connection like nobody’s business! Nothing’s lost, I’m glad to say–I have all the pictures, I have videos and I have notes upon notes from the Louisiana trip and will post tidbits over the next few days (I have to change software to use the pictures taken from the new camera).

Here’s a question, though, while we wait: Has anyone ever heard of boiling eggs in gumbo? I learned something new at every class I attended, ate fantastic food (La Provence, Cochon–although I had to keep running across the street to the Ugly Dog Saloon to watch the playoff Monday night–Ralph’s on the Park) in New Orleans and other places throughout the state. Details will come with photos–maybe I can get started after tonight’s wine tasting.