Betts

Melissa thanks for the links- I have checked them out. Tony, Hoity-toity and frou-frou probably won't cut it but thanks for the heads up on Pete's.

I am escaping the drears of winter in the north to tag along with my husband to a convention in Ft Lauderdale next week. Can anyone give me a heads up on interesting dining spots? It's lunch on my own but I'll probably be recommending the dinner places for a group. We are not the Early Bird Specials sort - this is a group of world travelers. If a fellow eGer has a restaurant in the area, I'd love to know and try it. BTW - last time I was there we went to a restaurant on a canal that was entirely lit by candlelight. Way cool on atmosphere but I don't remember what I ate. I don't remember the name either but a couple of Cosmos might have been a factor.

If you can move to Minneapolis, I am an ex dietitian who has a personal chef business. Otherwise - call a hospital or clinic and ask to talk to a dietitian and ask for the professional association ( Canadian Dietetic Association) local president's name. She or he may know or be able to track the info down for you.

I cannot deal with those purple potatoes and I will pick around any blue frosting. However, there has never been an M&M that was unappealing and cheez curls are my secret vice.

My favorite for the LC - I have a white oval one that I got at TJ Maxx for $49.99 :) Jewish Style Pot Roast Brown a large chuck roast and mix 1 c red wine, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/4c red wine vinegar, 1/2 c ketchup, 1 TB soy sauce, 1 smashed clove garlic, 1 tsp grd ginger and a good grind of black pepper. Pour over the browned meat, cover and bake 2+ hours. Serve w/ mashed potatoes and any freshly cooked vegetable or cook a pound of carrots in with the roast the last hour.

I was in a gourmet group where all the men were engineers. We once got a packet of recipes done as flow charts and timing notes at 2 minute intervals. Dinner was on the table 2 hours later than "projected". So true to form!

I've heard Gale Gand recommend mixing Tahitian. Madagascar and Mexican beans when making your own infusion.

My 2 best meals in IST were lunch at Pandeli , upstairs from the Spice Market where I had a chicken dish with walnuts and yogurt and dinner one night in the Intercontinental hotel terrace where one selected mezze from a huge display and then selected a skewer of meat that was grilled before your eyes. A wonderful relaxed and romantic dinner.

The implication of "organic" seems to be that it is more flavorful and more healthful. Is there a long term controlled study to verify that people are indeed healthier consuming organic food rather than the same food from conventional sources? As far as perceived flavor differences - maybe but I'd bet that small production and local sources influence flavor more than the lack of pesticides etc. Personally I just love to have some cityboy droning on about benefits of organics and then explain the role of manure in the balance of nature.

Well done on the pizza and the photos. When my son was about the age of your's, we frequently did mass pizza feeds for his friends - make up a double or triple recipe of dough, get a good assortment of toppings and make an assembly line. With a really hot oven you can crank one out every 8-10 minutes and can accomodate about every taste. You can get really creative with all the leftover bits of vegs and cheese in the frig - my personal fav - alfredo sauce( jar type), fresh tomato slices and proscuitto ( add after it comes out).

OOh I so miss peameal bacon. There is absolutely nothing resembling it in the States. Also, Canadian corn syrup is superior to the American stuff which is just sweet goo. I think the Canadian product is closer to the Lyle's but let us know what you think. Good luck with the pecan pie- butter, syrup and nuts, what could go wrong - even scrambled it would taste great. And you are the only person that I can say this to this year "Joyeaux Noel et Bonne Annee" !!

Lunds and Byerly's have lignonberry preserves, sauce and plain berries in just about every aisle and even the meat counter. They also have recipes for meatballs at www.byerlys.com Happy Holidays to you and Paul and all the little angels.

I put them on tonight's mac and cheese - very nice.

Cream cheese and pineapple on wheat bread Chicken salad with curry and chutney Smoked salmon with caper and egg butter Salmon with butter and sweet pickle ( a Canadian specialty) Cream cheese with candied ginger on date bread

If this is a special dinner you could hire a bagpiper to accompany the dessert course. Makes a spectacular finish for a large crowd but might empty a restaurant during regular service. Has anyone mentioned flaming it at the table? I think the comment upthread about not messing with tradition too much should be heeded. This is an item that will appeal to a segment of the population that gets dessert only a couple of days a year and they probably have very definite ideas about how it should look and taste. Small, perfectly flavored and beautifully plated - yes - but the essence of Christmas pudding should be there. Phyllo, meringues, chocolate are better elsewhere.

I've had good luck and delighted the older crowd doing the kind of things that were popular or considered worldly when they were younger. If you are doing lunches - then small servings are in order but you can still do 3 courses. A small serving of soup- especially a vegetable puree like butternut squash or mushroom, a composed salad and a small dessert or cake. Also never underestimate the popularity of a well made chicken pot pie. My best advice is to keep the food relatively simple and pick things that are significant to the guests. Your mother sounds like an amazing and wonderful woman.

"I won't tell them about the beef cheeks until they're done" Just say it's braised beef from a special muscle in the front quarter and talk a lot about how long and slowly it was cooked. Some things you just need to tap dance over for the ultimate pleasure of all.

Back when my kids were in school -I used to give the teachers a basket with a good homemade pasta sauce, a quality pasta and bread sticks( I think, it's been a while) but the card always said -- "What the working woman really needs ... dinner!" Always a big hit.

OOOOOOOh!! Yummy idea

As a Canadian and a person with a catering business that has clients like you this is what I expect would be popular and a few editorial opinions... Asiago/proscuitto twists .... immensely popular Mini cornbread w/ chicken Candied almond and brie tartlettes ... women love these Smoked mozzarella and chicken puff pastries Prime rib ... always a hit Tortellini Alfredo... can be dreadful or sublime lyonnaise potatoes ... meat and potatoes of course Green beans ... safe and comforting Marinated antipasto salad -- for the Italian theme Mandarine orange and almond greens ... very popular Chocolate fondue .. this will be a big hit but could be messy Fruit .. good fruit is hard to find in Dec but is welcomed by those on the party merry-go-round

Personally, I've only had a mishap when I left the burner on with a pot on it. If the apartment really smells like gas - I'd turn the stove off and get it checked. Stock be damned.

Yesterday was lox that had been in the freezer for at least 6 months and THEY WERE PERFECT. Served with goat cheese/ cream cheese mix, onion, capers and tomato slices. All items left over from various catering events and needed to be used. Today it was a banana, a few strawberries cut up with a couple of dollops of full fat yogurt and a sprinkle of granola and a drizzle of Attiki honey. I love that stuff.

Marlene - wonderful, classic Canadian cuisine. Made me long for home - that roast looked just like what my sister made on my last visit. Except that we had Kent County peaches for dessert.

Add some crumbled Maytag Blue to the basic apple, celery, walnut and mayo mix.

I think that the quality of the food varies from the worst commercial tasteless dreck ot some very fine offerings. Many times the packaging is a bigger deal than the contents. My mother in law was a recipient of a " bouquet of the month " and was pretty tickled. She could pick from a seasonal selection at her local florist.