I've never actually been laid off, but I dated a guy who turned me onto your site while he was laid off.  I read it every day! 

Fried Apples:

Butter

Bacon Grease (gross, but makes the bestest apples ever!)

Brown Sugar

Apples (use lots because they cook down - I prefer Granny Smith)

Salt

Melt butter, grease and sugar in a pan.  It will be a little thick, but don't add any liquid.  Salt the apples and add to the pan.  Let them cook down over medium heat.  Do stir the apples fairly often so the sugar doesn't burn.  You'll know when they are done because they will be very soft and all coated with this amazing syrupy sauce.  Lots of water will come out of the apples as they cook down - so don't add liquid to the pan.  Serve hot.  These are awesome reheated for breakfast the next morning. 

I think most families have some sort of veggie casserole recipe, but this one is really good.  How can you go wrong with a stick of butter and 8oz of Velveeta!  It is good reheated the next day too.  I like to make mine with one bag of broccoli, but my mom usually prevails and we use 2 bags.  This recipe is very easy and tastes awesome.  This is good for a big gathering and it is also good if you have to take a veggie dish to a pot luck meal.  I promise there won't be any leftovers. 

Broccoli Bake

1 or 2 bags of frozen Broccoli florets (1 bag if you like more sauce and less veggie...2 bags if you like more veggies and less sauce)

1 stick of butter

8 oz of Velveeta

½ package Ritz crackers crushed

1 can of cream soup (mushroom, chicken, celery...any of these work)

Cook broccoli and drain well.  Melt and combine butter, cheese and soup.  Crush crackers.  Combine in casserole dish with crackers as the topping.  Bake at 325 for 20 minutes until bubbly.  Let sit about 5 minutes before serving.  SO GOOD!

Hey Todd, got some holiday grossness here for you. It's not really a recipe
or anything, just something very nasty at grandmas house a few years ago.
It was the typical family gathering, and my brother Jake was poking through
grandma's old refridgerator in the basement. She made alot of jam and
preserves and stuff that she kept in there, along with like pop and beer and
whatever. There was also a 2-liter of "cola" which we never went near. It
was there every year. Always the same spot, always. Well Jake picked it
up, opened the cap, and drank it back....sorta. It had turned into a gel!
It was like sliming down the bottle and he was looking at it thinking that
to keep macho he had to drink it now....as soon as it hit his mouth he threw
the bottle across the room (nearly killing a mini-reindeer!) and spit in the
sink. We smelled the stuff and it was frikin revolting.

Luke