Special K

We've had the usual turkey sandwiches on white bread for lunches (the only time we eat plain white bread, with mayo for DH and Miracle Whip for me). We've also had full turkey dinners with all the sides the last four nights - but we're ready for lasagna tonight! I made a couple of turkey pot pies for the freezer, and since I still have leftovers, I think I'll do the casserole thing and freeze that, too. Now it's time to start planning for Christmas dinner!

We have a plastic bin on one side of the cabinet under the sink for recyclables (cans, bottles, most plastics, clean paper and aluminum foil, etc.), another on the other side for yard waste, and a very small trash bag hung on the inside of one door (I know I've posted a link to it somewhere, not too long ago, on a similar topic). We can get away with a small one because most of our "garbage" (even bones) goes into the recycle/yard waste bins. The trash bag doesn't have a lid (it had one, but I removed it) because it isn't needed. All of this somehow fits under the sink, along with the garbage disposal and various cleaning products (not home or I'd attach a photo). Both the recyclable and the yard waste bins get emptied daily into the big outside bins and the trash bag can go for days before it needs replacing. We have cats who regularly open cabinet doors, but for some reason they always leave this cabinet alone. If that were a problem, I'd install child safety latches. I wish every city would make recycling this easy! Edited for clarity.

Oh, and don't bother to really wash your hands - certainly never before you begin, and if you handle meat, etc., well, heck, a quick rinse, or just a wipe with a towel will do.

I do like my own cooking, and I very much prefer to eat what I have cooked over what anybody else (friends, restaurants, Mom - especially Mom ) cooks, because a) I know what goes into what I cook, and 2) ( ) I care what goes into what I cook. I'm very careful about checking where ingredients come from, how they are handled, how they are prepared, and I'm just not sure everyone else knows or cares so much. I guess I'm just not a very trusting person.

Oh, this reminds me of Thanksgiving the first year we were married. His Mom's dinner was at one - my Mom's dinner (about 2 miles away) was at three. We should have walked (waddled) over there, although I doubt if it would have helped much. Of course we had to load our plates at both places. The same thing happened at Christmas, and then we wised up and had Thanksgiving with one set of folks, and Christmas with the other (thereby offending both mothers deeply every year). Finally, we hit upon a solution: we moved across country, where we were finally free to cook our own holiday dinners!

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!