Susan G

Blue ribbon winner (at the Litchfiled, CT County Fair) for watermelon pickle and for rasberry jam.

The oyster-shaped truffle The peppermint cream in dark chocolate The caramel trapezoid Anything but white chocolate..............because what's the point?

(By the way, how *would* one butcher a chicken, then get rid of the feathers and dress it?)

I bet most of us are caught on that hamster wheel of high expectations and shrinking time!

Amen! Oh my god it's good!

This week I brought my neighbor a pie as a thank you for some help he'd given us: He was astounded that my pie was homemade, and that the crust wasn't a frozen or pre-prepared one. It's not just the American South that's facing a decline in standards of meals. I'm going to guess part of the cause is the declining economy (we're working longer hours for less money, and most families *have* to have both partners working to fiscally survive)............that's means far, far fewer women dedicating long days together to the food in the kitchen. My grandparent's generation could reliably count on extended family to gather and cook meals.........grandmothers, maiden aunts, unmarried cousins, widows without children, etc., would all be cooking together in the same kitchen for the Sunday dinners, or the holiday meals. It's extremely hard for a single person to provide that standard of "man-hours" of labor.

I can't enjoy sauerkraut unless it's been cooked for hours with caraway seeds and chopped garlic. Mustard goes on the side. And a dill pickle spear. Any bowl of Indian curry has to have a blob of lime relish at twelve o'clock, and a blob of chutney at three o'clock. (I started reading this thread thinking, "I have no food quirks".) Edited for gross spelling errors!

So now I have an answer to *my* question: Where did all these 1/3 cup measures come from? No joke: Last week I counted six.........otherwise I have three complete sets of dry measures; four sets of spoons, (2) one cup liquid, and (2) two cup liquid When I'm making The Silver Palate's Carrot Cake, they are all used simultaneously!

Chocolate dipped bananas. On a stick. With chopped peanuts.

Lemon poundcake with confectioners sugar glaze makes a manly (boring) cake..............me, I never assume that the presence of flowers will make a man's testicles shrink. Chrysanthemums in yellow and white around the rim of the cake plate, and tall birthday candles on top?

I thought Chef Boyardee's Beef Ravioli was as good as food could get when I was 12. Haven't had it in about 15 years: The texture? I can't go there anymore! My grandmother made Campbells soup on most afternoons with grilled cheese sandwiches..........alphabet soup was great with saltines! I still liked the cream of mushroom, but I haven't tried it again since I started making my own mushroom soups........I might find it too salty now. My guilty pleasure is Pringles. There. I've said it.

I use extra-sharp cheddar in mine, swirled into a bechamel sauce, and baked extra-long to get a golden crust on top. (I'll have no truck with breadcrumb or crushed-potato chip toppings!)

Christmas eve is a "fasting" meal: oyster stew and oysters on the half shell. Christmas morning we have corned beef hash.............the dinner that day is usually a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, the desert is a steamed plum pudding with a brandied hard sauce.

Congratulations on going through the application process! I'm starting down that road myself - going for P.A., and it's an anxiety-ridden time. I'll echo the concern that if you're asking yourself if there's a problem, that's a red flag. What's *your* comfort level with your drinking habits? To self-evaluate: www.recoveryresources.org. Scoll down to Basic AA Information: The Twenty Questions.

Well, it's not classically breakfast, but this morning I had a turkey and rice soup: The turkey was purchased at my local farmer's market, and spent the night in my crockpot, brewing with some celery and onions. My whole house smelled so good this morning!

Cod was the principal food of the Plymouth Bay Colony for several decades.........can you stick some in the clam chowder? Or make a seafood chowder?

Walk me through your process: You're boiling off the wine, right? Shredding the cheese? Adding the cheese to the wine *on the stove* and adding cornstarch? Boiling hot water is placed in your water bath? How big is your sterno flame? My fondues have occasionally started soupy, but after a few minutes more of cooking (while we're dipping) they thicken........and the last pieces of bread have gooey melted cheese like the ones hanging off a melted cheese sandwich.

Note to self: Don't drink hot tea in front of the keyboard when reading remarks from a French chef. Toothpaste! And overpowering peanuts! Twice I had to clean up a mess! (But I was chortling as I did it!)

I think iceberg lettuce was the first thing to go when I started making an effort to eat better........it's got no vitamins, no minerals, and no fiber. But it *is* good in BLTs and tacos!

Hot and sour soup with pork leftovers and extra wood ears Potstickers Brown rice

And what do your guests think of pumpkin pie? Best of luck to you in finding your turkey..........is your oven big enough to hold a 20 pounder?

Chocolate Tao: Going with the flow of the ever-changing process. Thanks for that explanation!

Love, love, love Waldorf Salad............served it last week to my in-laws: I got a bushel of apples and I'm up to my ears in crisp, pie, and slices-with-cheese (not that I'm complaining). Why mess with a classic?

I've got my grandmother's LC 2 1/2 quart Dutch oven............it was a wedding present in 1933. Still works beautifully. The price amortizes out over the decades...................

Crows eat carrion, yup..........like ravens and vultures. No way kosher, no how.