lesfen

In my family, no matter who hosts, everyone brings something. Everyone has something that they do well, so that's usually requested, and if we want to branch out and make something crazy, that's welcome as well. We're all food lovers, so it usually doesn't cause a stir. I am in charge of the stuffing because my mother claims that she can't make it, which I think is her way of saying that mine is infinately better than hers. Now, my fiance's family... not so much. A couple of years ago they told me to bring a veggie, so I made a really delicious, and basic, artichoke and tomato dish. No one ate it, except myself and one brave aunt. I could hear them all hovering over it... "What is this? Who made it?" I should have known better. Now they just ask me to make a cheese ball.

Onions... always with the damn onions. My beloved gets a wiff of an onion and he freaks out. "Are you chopping an onion?! Oh god, my eyes. Phew! Oh, the smell... waaaah." Geez. I tried to explain that you NEED onions for everything, and that he'll never even know that they're in there, but still, the crying and whining.

To egg or not to egg? I don't do cornbread stuffing (my aunt used to make cornbread dressing and when she'd show up with it, there would always be holes in the foil that covered it... At 5 years old I decided that I wouldn't eat anything that ate through foil), but do you guys use eggs in your "white bread" stuffings? I've seen recipes both ways, but I tend to think it makes it too gummy, and frankly, just weird!

To egg or not to egg? I don't do cornbread stuffing (my aunt used to make cornbread dressing and when she'd show up with it, there would always be holes in the foil that covered it... At 5 years old I decided that I wouldn't eat anything that ate through foil), but do you guys use eggs in your "white bread" stuffings? I've seen recipes both ways, but I tend to think it makes it too gummy, and frankly, just weird!

SO MANY stories popped into mind when I saw this! I grew up in a rural area, so there was usually a pretty long drive home from where ever the party was. Windows down the whole way, smoking cigarettes (you could always blame that smell on someone else!), and chomping gum like a mad woman... and it NEVER worked! They always knew. The fact that I am now someone's mother is absolutely terrifying.

Lot of pork rind and Slim Jim fans in here. These are my people. I have to say that I love Stove Top stuffing. It always seems to come out at just the right texture... something I haven't quite achieved with my favorite recipe. Honestly, the only thing that someone has ever actually given me a hard time about is cottage cheese. My mom made us eat it with dinner every night and it's just something that's carried over. When I set it out at dinner, people always look at me with a look of disgust like, "Ew... you eat that? I'm not eating that.".

Chick-fil-a employee asked me the following: "Would you like butter on your sandwich?" What?! Really? YES!!! Yes, of COURSE I want butter on my sandwich!! I love Chick-fil-a.

I think I'm going to try again, (I did like the bread) but this time I'll carefully consider my topping options before ordering. I should probably play it safe and go with a cheesesteak or something.

It's pretty bad when you're ripping of the sample guy in the mall for sandwich flavors.

Did I just order the wrong thing, or are all of their sandwiches this gross? It was lunch time, I was hungry. I made my deposit at the bank and I remembered that a Quizno's had just opened up down the street. Mmmm... something new. Mm... mmm... mmm... toasty. So I order my Turkey, Bacon, and Guacamole sub... what could be better? I love turkey, I love bacon, and I would tackle my mother to get to a bowl of guacamole. Plus, they're gonna toast it!!! Oh man... this is gonna be great! First things first, I told them to keep their funky ranch sauce to themselves. I don't understand the fixation with ranch dressing on everything... another time. So anyway, I got a bag of their Salt 'N Vinegar chips to tide me over until I got back to the office. They were foul. I can't put my finger on the aftertaste, but it decidedly chemical and wasn't enjoyable, so I pitched them. But who cares! I've got a TBG sandwich waiting for me! It's toasty!! I couldn't get it out of the wrapper fast enough. Big bite. -Bread... not bad. I'm a sucker for sesame seeds and it was indeed toasty. -Turkey... had that "smoky flavor", but I'm guessing that it didn't come from actual smoke. -Bacon... nasty! Very thin and rubbery, also with that suspicious "smoky flavor". -Guacamole... DEAR GOD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GUACAMOLE. You have to understand my love of all things avocado. I adore them. I want to put them on everything that I eat. I think this came out of a can. Is there such a thing as canned guac? It's a shade of green that I thought only existed in pool toys, and it's kind of sour and almost slimy. I'm disappointed. This combination of flavors is only made worse by a sprinkling of their seasoning. I don't know what's in it, but it's making this sandwich taste like a turkey, bacon, and guacamole pizza... with a side of ass. Edited for spelling.

My brother pushed his can of Pitch Black on me the other day, and I have to say that I don't think it's going to make it into my beverage rotation. It was a little too tart, at first. The first taste made me think of a Jolly Rancher, actually. As I kept drinking, it mellowed and wasn't bad at all, but it could never replace the greatest grape soda of all time... GRAPE NEHI (bottles, of course)!! Altho', I may have to send the baby to grandma's this weekend and indulge in a little experimental mixology with this stuff. Could be interesting...

God I love avocados. They're the only food that I absolutely crave on a regular basis. They usually don't make it past being skinned and sliced at my house, but if they do, I put them on sandwiches (love them on turkey burgers), in salads, and in sushi rolls.

This is how he excuses not cooking: "But sweetie... if I lived with Steve Perry ( ), I wouldn't sing out loud either." I used to try to get him to cook by handing him a plate of meat and sending him to the grill, but that always ended up with him shouting things like... "Sweetie?! How do these look? Should I turn them? Help!" It's not worth it. My boyfriend made me eggs once... 3 years ago. He used Pam and didn't put any S&P on them. I knew something was wrong with him at that point.

I don't really have the patience to type out a recipe for you, but I use my microwaver to cook my meatballs. I really like the texture of the finished product.

MUST... HAVE... SANDWICH...

God help me, I'm drinking Keystone Light. Nightmare of a day day... not a bottle in sight. Oh look, a Keystone Light.

I'm a dry salad person myself, but I do have a bottle of Wishbone Italian (chicken marinade) and a bottle of Ken's Country French, for the man of the house.

With all of the uber gas stations popping up, it's hard to decide what to get! I end up wandering around the place, picking up everything that strikes my fancy, and spending $30 on top of my gas. Sheetz actually makes some decent sandwiches and wraps, if you're looking for something hot. If I'm just making a quick stop I'll usually grab some combination of Diet Coke, jerkey, Slim Jim's, pork rinds, Nutty Buddy's, Donut Gems, Twizzlers (keeps the man of the house quiet), and some kind of salty snack mix. Yum. I wanna go on a road trip now!

Hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes. Oh buddy. I guess the only really badly made part about it is that I actually like it best with instant mashed potatoes.

I love them all, but almonds are my favorite. A few summers ago I was forced to attend a Medieval festival. Oh yes. It was torture, but they had these almonds that were coated with some kind of hot and crunchy cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar mixture. That's the only place that I've ever seen them, so if I want some more I will have to suffer the faire!

Love it!! I NEED that posted in my kitchen!!

Awesome, awesome, awesome! Thank you all so much. That doesn't sound too bad. Luckily, I have until October to take a few trial runs at this, but I think I have enough information to get things moving. I've got six molding trays, so I think I'm in good shape there. One last question... time frame and storage. How far ahead can I make the leaves, and how should they be stored until the big day?

Please, please make a stop in Temecula. It may be my favorite place in the world. http://www.cityoftemecula.org/

I foolishly offered to make some chocolate truffles for my sister's wedding reception. No problem there, pretty foolproof. Then, someone gave me some autumn leaf candy molds and my sister said that she'd like to have some chocolate leaves as well. Well, I've never worked with them before, and I know that I don't want to use those "chocolate" melts. You know what I'm talking about... little flavorless discs of something that some people mistake for chocolate. Blegh. How can I use real chocolate with these molds? Can anyone recommend a decent brand, as well? (Please keep in mind that we are on a budget. We have to sweeten up about 225 people.)

(hastily scratching out a new grocery list) Thanks!!!