Special K

I think Jaymes is right - during the summer, when we're not teaching, we revert to this schedule. It does seem natural. As to your question, for Thanksgiving we usually plan on starting the meal at around six p.m., just because not everybody gets here until around five. (The ones who do show up earlier get drafted into helping out in the kitchen - which is where they'd hang out anyway.) I guess there's some kind of game played with a pointy ball that people like to watch on that day? Oh, I am so looking forward to Thanksgiving - it's my very, very favorite holiday, even on years when it's been just the two of us. Our first date, 40 years ago, was the day-before-Thanksgiving sock hop.

According to Wikipedia, the kabocha is commonly called the "Japanese pumpkin... similar in texture and flavor to a pumpkin and a sweet potato combined." Sounds good! I'll have to look for them. Thanks for the tip! I'm also making mincemeat pies, probably using Alton Brown's recipe. I think I can get beef suet at our Bill the Butcher's here.

Maybe he could try it first?

Another vote for TJ's mini-cups! Dangerous.

I always roast the veggies rather than boiling/simmering them. But then, I do that for stews, too. Searching the 'net to see if anybody else uses roasted veggies in their pot pies, I found this: http://poorgirlgourmet.blogspot.com/2009/02/roasted-root-vegetable-pot-pie.html Edited to add that I do add chicken!

Thyme, dill and oregano should do well, I think. Here's the link to the Arizona Herb Association: http://www.azherb.org/growing.php

Was it this? http://commercialkitchenrental.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/shared-kitchen-seattle/

Yesterday I found "Press N' Close Salt and Pepper Shakers. They're clear plastic containers with white or black tops - press the little red button and the top flips open, press it again and the top flips closed! Sweet. Apparently there's a cam with a spring ... anyway, it'll get a lot of use in my kitchen (for truffle salt and garlic seasoning). They come empty, with labels that peel off easily. $3.99 at my local Safeway.

I always went straight for the carbs. It's a good thing he doesn't travel any more!

Forgive me for hijacking the thread momentarily, but I have a quick question: I have a side-hung double casement window over my stovetop as well and I love it (gorgeous view of Mt. Ranier, really makes my very small kitchen seem a lot less claustrophobic - sorry I don't have a photo on this computer), but I've often wondered if it's legal, especially over a gas cooktop (mine is electric with a downdraft because I thought I couldn't have a hood over the window). Our window was installed by the house's previous owners, and I don't know if they had a building permit or not. The inspector we hired to look over the house before we bought it had no comment on it, but a kitchen designer who saw a photo of it recently just about had a heart attack ... I'm fire-phobic (grandpa died in a fire that started in his kitchen), and I've often thought that maybe I should replace this window with a fixed plate-glass one. It might be safer if it didn't open, and I'd have the whole area unobstructed by the window frames. So the question is, is this window legal? Am I worrying needlessly?

This is one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. Do professional chefs really "often grasp two knives in one hand when mincing or chopping large quantities of an ingredient?"

Can't eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice because it interferes with my meds. So of course now I want it so bad!!!

Thanks. Great article, Janet! Last night we had roast chicken thighs with a salad. Our guest (newly learning to cook) was over the moon, and insisted that I write the recipe down for him immediatly. Here it is: Pat the thighs dry. Rub a little olive oil on the chicken thighs Salt and pepper the chicken thighs (OK, I used truffle salt and freshly cracked black pepper) Toss in a few pieces of preserved lemon (Sorry, Janet, but that's what he's getting for Christmas) Toss in a few cloves of garlic Convect roast 40 minutes or so, until it smells so good you can't wait any longer Serve with a salad of mixed greens, sliced pear (he's also getting one of these, which does a great job: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/outlet/food-prep-&-storage/adjustable-apple-slicer-corer/s609717), toasted walnuts, and crumbled blue cheese. Not exactly onerous! Once I learned how much better chicken thighs are than breasts (probably here), I quit fooling with whole chickens. Oh, if I'm in a huge hurry, I might buy one from the grocery store, but really, this is so easy and much more satisfying. P.S. I love it when friends are learning to cook - makes finding gifts so easy! We've already given him a jar of truffle salt and a pepper mill.

Porthos, I think Pauraphael is right. Probably the oven just wasn't up to temp or something. It happens! I'd just try again. Plus, gooey undercooked brownies? Delicious!

"Storage time: In the shell, hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated safely up to one week. Refrigerate in their original carton to prevent odor absorption. Once peeled, eggs should be eaten that day." from the Incredible Edible Egg website: http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes-and-more/recipes/basic-hardcooked-eggs As for the unrefrigerated boiled eggs, if they're out for longer than two hours, you should not eat them, according to the USDA: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_032105_01/index.asp Interesting this comes up today - I boiled six eggs yesterday, put them in a container in the 'fridge, took them out this morning to bring to work, and left them out on the counter at home. Dang.

Here you go: http://ridiculousfoodsociety.blogspot.com/2008/11/bacon-rice-krispies-treats.html Enjoy!

I have an LG french door model (ice and water in the 'fridge section) with one freezer drawer below. I'm happy enough with this arrangement, but if I had it to do again, I'd get two smaller freezer drawers rather than just the one with the basket pull-out, so I wouldn't have to open the whole freezer to get at what I want.

Sure wish I could travel to Key West in January!!! http://www.kwls.org/lit/2011/

One last note: Turns out the Olivator works perfectly to both remove the pit and stuff the cherry! Just insert the plunger in the bottom of the cherry, find the pit, give it a little twist, and pull it out; then insert the plunger into the cheese, chocolate, whatever, and pull out a plug of it and insert it into the cherry. Voila! Thanks to Prasantrin's answer to my original question - the blog which mentioned the Olivator, I now have the coolest new little gadget to play with -- and that's why I love eGullet!

I would love to have room for a big roll of commercial wrap. Amen to the 1/4 sheet pan! Don't know what I did without them. Also amen to the precut parchment paper, dishers (every cookie is exactly the same size as every other cookie!) and tongs. To this excellent list I would also add a large pot-rack (I guess they're not in every professional kitchen) - frees up room in the kitchen cabinets and makes selecting and storing often-used pans (and anything else that's hard to store but can be hung on a hook - right now I'm looking at my copper egg bowl, my big colander, various ladles, etc. - and whisks.

Got "Italy" at a yard sale for five bucks. Woo-hoo! Gorgeous.

No yeast?

And the winner is: ChefJohnny's "X" and needlenose pliers! Worked like a charm - neat and fast. I stuffed the cherries with plain mascarpone (Trader Joe's), and they were great! That was easy - just used the old zip-lock bag-with-the-corner-cut-off technique. Lovely little bites - hard to stop at just one, and there's just something about keeping that stem on that makes it kinda elegant, y'know? (I tried photographing them, but my photography skillz aren't so hot, sorry.) Now that I have the de-pitting technique down, I'll be having fun stuffing cherries with all sorts of things - I'm thinking chocolate ganache to start with. Ooh, and maybe hazelnuts covered with chocolate! And the whole thing dipped in chocolate! Maybe I'm getting carried away, but what the heck! Thanks again, everyone.

Ah! If the lady tools or the multisexual tool don't do the trick, go in with the pliers! Thanks