Susan in FL

Delicious-looking and pretty food -- as always, but it's all so good I just have to repeat that every now and then. For a change in the shots of dinner tonight, first the cooking of it... I knew today was going to be a long and busy day of work, so I decided I would go to the store after work and buy what looked good for the amount of time I wanted to spend on cooking. Lamb rib chops were on sale, and the broccoli and turnips looked good in the produce section. Dinner was quick and easy and tasty: The lamb chops skillet-seared; the turnips boiled, and mashed with butter and S&P; the broccoli just a little past blanched; creamy Israeli couscous; and my current favorite "house wine," Meridian Pinot Noir. I love it.

Susan, the description of that sounds so good and it looks so good! P.S. Your photos have been shining recently. Awesome!

LOL, there was a table with Chief Petty Officers near our table. They were a rowdy bunch! And I must say they did appear to be having slightly more laughter than everyone else, and might have been having the most fun of all. I was kind of curious and had I not been on my best behavior, I might have wandered over to them to share in what was going on.

Homemade brownies sitting out at work. No, it was the lamb chops at dinner. Or.... it's one of those days where it was all good.

First I want to thank you for your military service, and then I want to thank you for taking and diligently answering our questions. I am so much in awe of this thread that I can't even think of a question right now. It is fascinating, and it is very touching to me. I looked at your profile and you are barely a year older than my son. Congratulations on your achievements! They are very impressive. My son has been in the Navy for two or three years now. (I have lost track of his time.) He is an NFO and will be carrier based, navigating the Super Hornet. He expects to be deployed in the spring. His grandfather was a submariner in WWII. When you said the food on carriers sucks, I thought oh my..... But it's good to hear that overall the Navy has good food. He invited and escorted me to his first Dining Out, and it was a great dining experience! Great food and wine, and lots of Port and toasts afterwards... From that I can attest to good food and drink from the Navy. I wish you the best and thanks again.

I thought these pairings of soft -- soft meaning non-alcoholic -- drinks with foods were interesting. There are times when I wonder what to serve or drink with fine foods or cheese/hors d'oeurvres, if not wine or beer. We're cutting back on our alcohol intake right now for calorie reasons. There are other times we have guests or are dining with people who are in recovery or aren't drinking alcohol, for whatever reason. Have you discovered any other "soft" drink and food matches that you recommend?

We have been gradually using up Thanksgiving leftovers. I think that after tonight, all that will be left will be in the freezer. This was the night before last... Left over eGullet Famous Roasted Cauliflower, used in a pasta sauce on Bucatini. Last night we took a break from using leftovers and had roasted chicken and potatoes, corn, and a spinach salad. Tonight we're having turkey-barley-mushroom soup.

Cool! Thanks.

I like them crispy & crunchy, too, so thanks for the info Andie.

I too was wondering if anyone has used that method. It's breakfast or brunch when we eat the most potato pancakes. We often use our leftover mashed potatoes that way, but we also do the grated potato kind as well. My favorite go-withs are sour cream and "caviar" and sometimes smoked salmon. [i use quotes because it is usually the inexpensive supermarket stuff.]

I have never tasted it. I always assumed it would be too sweet for me, but I think it's time to give it a try. Thanks for the post, Ellen!

LOL! Good one! I think that's a first on the Beer Forum. Daniel is an inspiration everywhere.

That was great! Count me among the insane. Thanks, and thanks Lesley for posting the question.

This is awesome! I'm glad you are blogging. I wish you shipped! (You don't, do you? )

Thanks, I understand about not using exact measurements, so I especially appreciate your posting it. Yum! LOL Daniel... "Thanks for the breakfast recipe, Ling."

I'd be happy to. A friend gave us the recipe like this. Pardon me for posting it the easy way, but as you can see, it came to us in very general terms... Like, how much grits before cooking them? What kind of cheese? Anyway, Russ doubled the recipe and used a mixture of pre-grated cheddar and Monterey Jack. I think he pre-cooked about one cup of grits and the yield turned out to be about three cups. Then he used two, as per doubling the recipe. This was a version quite different than I'm used to. It is good to make if you're hoping to lighten up, yet it's satisfying. All the baked cheese grits I made before were very rich! I love that, too , but this was a nice change and it was rewarding to see it turn out as well as it did. And, it's the recipe of our friend's 96 year-old mother.

It was OK. I would be interested to know if other brands do a better job, because overall it was a disappointment. However, as I posted in this Turducken thread, I don't regret having bought it. The novelty of it (even though they have been around since the 80's) was fun for us, and we got lots of laughs about it. Neither did my husband particularly like the idea, but since I was the sucker who impulsively went into the store and ordered it and paid for it, he didn't complain.

Lorna, I'm sure that how you make it would be the best, so will you please tell us? Any chance you will put it in RecipeGullet?

First of all, thank you for answering our questions in this Spotlight Conversation, and welcome. I am a nut about food magazines and Gourmet is of course one of the dozen or so to which I subscribe. I am fascinated by what it must be like to be an Editor in Chief, so my questions are asked out of that curiosity. What months' issues do you like the best in general, and are there any certain months that you have any sense of dread about? Out of all the contents of Gourmet, what features, columns, or what kinds of pieces are your personal favorites? I read the Letter From the Editor in all my magazines. Is that something that comes easy and enjoyable for you? I especially enjoyed your Letter in the November issue about the turkey and your determination never again to ruin anyone's meal.

Well it's the day after the days after now, but we are still slowly finishing up the Thanksgiving food. Last night we ate left over green beans and wild mushrooms with cornish hens and cheese grits souffle. Tonight we will use up left over roasted cauliflower (this was the first time ever we've had any roasted cauliflower not eaten in one sitting) by roasting it a bit more and turning it into a sauce for pasta, and perhaps have a fried egg on top. Then, it's all over except for the making of soup and perhaps freezing the makings for a gumbo later.

Lucy, once again... This blog was awesome, as you are! It was so well written and photographed -- truly reflective of your talent, skills, passion, and your dedication to good work. Thank you very much! Congratulations on the decision, and the process of becoming a professional writer of stories. You do it so well.

LOL, I wonder if she has any idea that she has become infamous on eGullet.

Sandy, that looks good! It is especially interesting to me, since I like fish -- even tuna -- cooked through, or else raw. I love ceviche and sushi and other raw fish dishes, but if I'm eating it cooked, I want it cooked through. And of course still moist, but that isn't easy with tuna. Congrats!

Thanks, Sandy! There was quite a while that I was not ready to come out of the closet and admit such a thing as how much we enjoy watching TV, including during meals. A few years ago that would immediately mean to some people that we did not converse while watching; and so I often didn't admit it especially when the kids were home, lest protective services would come and take them away. Just kidding, but there was a while it was a taboo. However, we have always been able to manage to have good conversation and eat and watch TV at the same time! Amazing, huh. So anyway, with the Giants and Seattle tonight we had, cooked by Russ... Herb Roasted Cornish Hens Grits and Cheese Souffle Leftover Thanksgiving green beans and wild mushrooms Georges Duboeuf 2003 Moulin-A-Vent, Tour du Bief And a shot of the souffle just out of the oven, it was so pretty...

Both yesterday and today were beautiful mornings and warm enough for breakfast on the porch. Today it was even warm enough to be a bathing suit day at the beach, for our walk. Yesterday at the bar, potato cakes from leftover Thanksgiving potatoes and eggs: Today at the table, roast beef hash & eggs and mango slices: ...and a yolk shot of Russ's plate.