patti

You are living my dream, successfully eating carby food and then pulling back and dieting. I'm pretty sure I'm incapable of that. Last night's dinner looks awesome, really each dish looks like a winner! (And so have many of your other meals.) Really enjoying your blog.

Color me naive. Since I'm cutting the rind off of the cantaloupe and not eating the rind of any melons, I don't wash them. Have I just been lucky these 56 years?

Congrats, Fat Guy, on doing it in a way that works for you!

Crawfish boil, all the way. Zatarain's, both liquid & powdered seasoning in the water. Corn, new potatoes and small onions boiled first so they don't get overdone when the crawfish are cooked. Easily my favorite food in the entire world.

But the cost to the store is nothing, so how can it be factored into the price of the produce?

Fantastic blog, thank you so much for showing us your world.

Home fries, tater tots, scalloped potatoes, au gratin potatoes, potatoes O'Brien, hash browns, onion rings, hush puppies, mac 'n cheese, fried chicken livers, fried oysters, oh and really good warm bread with butter. Condiments of malt vinegar, ketchup and tartar sauce. And a FULL SUGAR Dr. Pepper. Sigh. I've been on a diet for almost a year.

Ditto! And grape Popsicles. Butter rum Lifesavers.

I do not know, but I also haven't worried. I love boiled crawfish too much to let them stay in the bag too long.

Turnips. Nope, can't make me.

I don't understand serving shrimp with their "pants" on, particularly in a salad. I want every morsel of shrimp, dammit! I confess I have eaten the tail of fried shrimp, but it depends on the company and the place. If I'm cooking shrimp, you can bet I peel them completely before cooking and serving (unless they're boiled or barbecued, then it's every man for himself).

Tiger Sauce

I'm on a modified low carb diet and am seeing success with it. The weirdest part is what I'm craving. Not rice or pasta or bread (TOO much), but grapes and watermelon and satsumas. And I can't get enough sugar free Popsicles. Strange, huh? I was going to cook a small hamburger patty the other night, but saw that I had some leftover shredded cabbage that needed to be used up. Sauteed the cabbage, along with diced onions and green peppers and browned the ground beef and made a sort of hash. It was satisfying and tasty. I also added a few frozen green peas near the end, but they are a higher carb content, so I didn't use many. Pine nuts or some other nut or seed would have also been good. (I am a simple cook, I am not on the level of many other cooks/chefs here at eGullet.) As far as bread, I am allowing myself half a toasted sandwich round for breakfast, topped with ham and cheese or scrambled egg and cheese, run under the broiler or microwaved to melt the cheese. Anna's pork rind nachos look wonderful! Here's a quick and tasty baked ricotta dish: Mix 8 oz. ricotta with half cup grated parmesan and one large beaten egg. Add a few chopped herbs like oregano and basil and put it in small baking dish and top with marinara (I make a meat sauce) and more grated parm (or swiss or cheese of choice). Bake for 20 minutes. Delicious! When my family is having spaghetti, I use the meat sauce in my dish, while they have pasta. Chili with beans has been a staple on this diet. I do miss having crackers or cornbread (or even Fritos!) to go with, but it's still a satisfying and filling dish without them. When I do have crackers, five crackers constitute a serving and I have been able to limit myself to that.

You must be exhausted from all of this! I can't believe how much you've shown us in a week! The jerky looks perfect. How does it taste?

Crawfish bisque, according to the timeline! I love it. But the crayfish were rock lobsters, if I'm reading correctly.

Shelby, I don't recall if you mentioned venison sausage as one of the things y'all make, but that might be good with your game bird gumbo, particularly if you smoke the sausage. Now that wouldn't preclude the addition of a little pork to the gumbo, too!

Pheasant Casserole looks outstandingly good, as does Quail Alfredo. I have led a sheltered life! Ever make gumbo with any of your game birds?

Wow, what an amazing variety of game you're showing us this week! Your husband is certainly a talented hunter and a seasoned pro at processing his game. The kitty is beautiful!

Fascinating and fun foodblog. Thanks so much for going to all the effort. I love your farmhouse and your style!

Merci. Merci beaucoup!!!! Wonderful blog, even from the peanut gallery.

Hoppin' John and ham hocks, smothered cabbage with tasso (so good) and hot buttered cornbread. Gotta have two dishes full of porky goodness. Mama always did a cabbage slaw with a vinegar dressing instead of the usual sweet, creamy dressing.

Is that a doberge cake? Could be someone from New Orleans.

I did a non-scientific facebook poll of friends from my hometown. Seven out of 8 respondents have holiday dinners at noon. The one who has it in the evening started it because of her husband's work schedule. By the time his schedule changed, her kids were grown and married and the evening dinner works because the kids have NOON T-Day with their in-laws, and come home for dinner with their parents.

Thank you, Chris. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'm going to be heating up a smoked brisket that was prepared earlier in the week. After defatting, there isn't a huge amount of liquid (now gel) in the pan. Should I add some liquid? Beef stock (store bought)? Beef base? Sorry if this is too basic!