Gifted Gourmet

a distinct understatement, Lucy, in light of your exceptional contributions to this site ... I can hardly wait! Your photographs are nothing short of professional quality .. the matching descriptions? even moreso ...

and married .. with a child of their own ... should have thought about the topic of holiday "kids' tables" .. that would have made a neat thread ...

Skipping backwards just a bit, Pontormo, an answer to your question: here are the incredible Dutch babies ... and, had I asked your question of my daughter when she was younger and still living in my home, her answers to what I really should eat (and revel in!) would reflect, I assume, her favorite foods: steak teriyaki, baked potatoes, her only green vegetable: tiny green baby peas, and a dessert of chocolate pie ... and I would have eaten it if I had known she'd grow up to be a hardcore vegetarian ... Skip forward to the present ... Jessica is now living in the heart of organic central California and is making dishes appropriate to her milieu (and she hasn't a clue as to why I don't adore these) tofu and seitan for main courses, freshly trucked-in produce from the local open air market, artichokes from just south of her in Castroville, garlic from neighboring Gilroy, and her peppered strawberries over vanilla ice cream from Watsonville ... while I envy her her proximity to the gorgeous produce in her area, I do dearly miss that damned teriyaki steak ...

Now the pastry cornucopia shown in your link looks terrific and not too difficult ... I have a straw cornucopia that I have filled and used on occasion .. this one looks much more interesting and I still have time to bake and set it up as a centerpiece. Thanks for digging up the link, Andie!

eGullet thread on cornbread stuffings here cornbread stuffing, killer recipe? which has a number of incredible ideas! you did say cornbread stuffings, didn't you? using an iron skillet ...one here , scroll down, using an iron skillet ... Old-fashioned Cornbread Dressing

Because it is time to get real about the food I plan to serve for Thanksgiving, and because you have given me such incredible ideas on this topic of stuffings for my huge onions, which I have now purchased, I think I will go with a rice, sausage, chopped onion innards, red bell pepper, and sage leaves as BarbaraY mentioned above. Cornbread is part of my turkey stuffing already so I will use rice. Can't use cheese because meat is being served (kosher requirement). Will take a picture of the finished items and post here ... Thanks, everyone, on this topic!

speaking of cipollini ... there is a recipe I am dying to try ...

Thank you for sharing that piece with us here at eGullet, Rogov! I think that this book probably serves to confirm and extend exactly what you have written here ...

John and Amy are most decidedly the top talented chefs of Greenville, SC, and you definitely owe yourself a visit to 33 Liberty to taste the beauty of their cuisine ... I can see those Michelin folks in your restaurant, John, and your descriptions of this event are, as always, beautifully written! A cook and a writer ... talent in every cell of your body ... bravo on knocking their socks off!

You have read my mind, Jennifer, on the reason for the decorations for this festive meal! The initial view of the table makes people even more receptive to an elegant meal ... I do use (low) candles made of beeswax among the gourds and fruits ... color being a priority! Guests have to be able to see across the table to converse.

If it is the gadget that you roll the garlic clove in until the skin comes off, I think that the onion skins might be attached a bit differently. It is worth a try but I am not planning to buy one of those for this express purpose ... appreciate your idea however, Katie!

I always think that the smooth sharp bladed carving knife is far preferable to the serrated for the very reason you have offered. The only time I use a serrated knife really is on bread products. back to the article:

article from Canada Post An interesting article ...

Brining a kosher turkey will only serve to add more salt to the taste ... the reason one can taste the salt in kosher turkeys and chickens as opposed to beef or lamb is that the flesh absorbs more than the dense meat of, say, a cow. Brining won't ruin the turkey but it isn't worth doing ... your choice of the term "overkill" pretty well sums up the dilemma. Kosher turkeys are not brined but salted after being killed to extract blood as required by laws of kashruth. but I have always tasted the salt, even mildly ... source for the quote:Empire Kosher Poultry

article from Slate online Dickerman evaluates knife-and-fork carving sets on presentation value and performance ... One example is found here: What about your carving sets for this holiday season? What do you use? More important to you: style or performance?

back to those greasy, drippy tacos ... mentioned at length here which are always best served at 0 mph

and you can just bet that it wasn't Dasani, Perrier, or even Evian ...

this from Sports Illustrated ...

My initial reaction was one of "eh, so what's new here?" then, upon deeper investigation, found much which lay beneath the surface ... the reviews on Amazon actually made me stop to rethink the book ...

There is, if you read (or even want to) read that website carefully, a method to do this activity which need not lead to gastronomic distress ...

When time is of the essence to many a household between jobs, activities for their offspring, and a million other time-involved situations, these multi-purpose centers will become increasingly essential. When "wants" become "needs" ... What no mammogram and healthcare, beauty shop, pet grooming, bank, and laudromat on site? Harrumpf, I'll go elsewhere ... but where? So long, mom-and-pop grocery ...

check this out if you want a real deep belly laugh ... sorry for that! If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes: I.F.O.C.E., simply hard to digest ....

Yep! You are the first! And I can easily visualize Dan Ackroyd doing the pitch ..

scroll way, way down for the recipe for Crammed Chowder!

article in Christian Science Monitor The book looks like something which might make for a nice host/hostess gift for the holiday... an even more interesting review and info ... all Amazon reviews are excellent and 5 stars