munchymom

The Thanksgiving meal is definitely one I take personally. That's why I persist in making a full-on feast for a household of three - we could go to a restaurant, or order in, or eat something more appropriate to 90-degree days. But it wouldn't be my Thanksgiving, with my dad's stuffing recipe, and cranberry-orange relish the way my mom and I used to make it (with a hand-cranked meat grinder back in the day - I've since decided to allow myself the use of a Cuisinart). So I roast the turkey and make the sides and dessert (must be pumpkin pie from the recipe on the label of the Libby's pumpkin can.) My concession to the weather is to spend the afternoon soaking in the pool instead of trying to play football in the backyard.

$1.25 per 8 ounce serving?! Literally no one is going to buy this when a 2-liter bottle of soda costs 99 cents.

More like "Unjust Mayo" amirite?

Yelling at a two year old is not likely to have the desired effect. Yelling at the parents, however, I am fully on board with. They should have left after the first five minutes or so and got the kid some food somewhere else. I wonder what's up with that poor kid that it was screaming for 40 minutes - my kiddo is autistic and experienced some severe meltdowns when he was younger, but there's no way he could have sustained it for that amount of time.

Go to the website Cruise Critic and find the forum for your cruise line - the people there are cruise junkies and experts who discuss everything including food in extremely specific detail. I just got back from an Alaska cruise on Celebrity - actually lost a few pounds, the food was really profoundly meh.

I use TJ's dough all the time and I love thin crust. For me one ball of dough = two thin crust pizzas roughly 12 x 14 inches. When you're ready to start, make sure the dough is at room temperature. Divide the ball in half and stretch to form pizzas - I usually stretch it once, let it sit for a while while I get toppings ready, and then stretch again before putting on the toppings. I bake at 450 until it looks done - maybe 10-15 minutes. Don't be afraid of a little trial and error - last I looked TJ's pizza dough is 99 cents a pound.

People must be more laid back down here in Florida. The head-to-toe tattooed and pierced checkout staff in the Whole Foods here are always super nice.

Turkish Delight! My only acquaintance with it came from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I didn't encounter the actual stuff until well into adulthood. I'm not sure what I thought it would be like, but - well - not that. "Edmund," I thought, "for this you betrayed your siblings not to mention an entire oppressed population? You asshole!"

I was surprised to see this topic pop up with the star next to it that showed I'd commented in the past. I couldn't remember it at all - now I see that's because it was over 10 years ago! Then I had a desktop computer in the bedroom so would drink but not eat while using it - now I have a laptop. I'm having a Moscow Mule and sesame crackers with salami and provolone.

The chicken curry recipe my (Midwestern) mom made when I was growing up looks pretty similar to this - though it had both apples and raisins in it. No milk, chicken broth was the liquid. It was always served with a bizarre arrangement of condiments to sprinkle on top - shredded coconut, chopped peanuts, I'm thinking even bananas?! I suppose the flavor profile wasn't so different from the curry chicken salad that's common now - much more sweet than spicy.

I like to eat local food, and in South Florida it's easy. Right now I have a big bowl full of avocados I picked off the tree in my back yard. But I agree that quality is more important than local, and I have no problem with buying imported food and wine - some things just don't grow here. What I've found particularly with fruits and vegetables is that local, in-season, and quality go hand in hand. I used to think I didn't like strawberries - what I didn't like were strawberries shipped in from across the country that might as well have been made out of Styrofoam. Same with tomatoes and peaches.

If you happen to have leftover pizza (and I have been known to order/make a bigger pizza just so there are leftovers), you eat it cold, for breakfast, as God intended.

To each his own, I guess, but I think your expectations might have been a bit unusual. I expected the outside to have more-or-less the texture of warmed pita, which it did, and if a mixture of curried potatoes and chick peas weren't mushy, I'd think something might have gone wrong with it.

TJ's just opened where I live, so I can once again participate in this thread instead of reading it enviously. Best recent find: Aloo Chaat Kati Pouches. They're sort of like Hot Pockets, except they're filled with delicious spicy potatoes and chick peas, instead of processed cheese and despair.

If your Chicago style pizza has a soggy crust, whoever made it is doing it wrong. The cheese goes in first, on the bottom, then the toppings, then the sauce on top. The cheese insulates the crust from becoming soggy.

I am willing to admit that Chicago deep-dish is not pizza. That's because it's better than pizza. It shouldn't have to share a name with those flimsy circlets of dough delicately topped with tiny amounts of ingredients. (Tongue slightly in cheek here - I do enjoy a thin crust pizza every now and then - but deep-dish is my favorite food in the world.) ETA: if anyone who isn't currently in Chicago wants to try for themselves, here's my recipe: http://goodformeblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/chicago-style-deep-dish-pizza.html

I can't bring myself to give up any of my favorites - turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie - even though they don't really fit with 80 degree temperatures. I'll have lots of sweet corn, so I might do a corn pudding or spoon bread. I'll have lots of tomatoes but I'm not sure where to fit them into the meal.

Last meal of the week: Chicken sandwich with tomato, pickles, and barbecue sauce, and potato salad. That was the last of the week's tomatoes, and the men of the household ate the remains of the broccoli and red peppers with some pasta for lunch. So we've eaten all the farm food for the week, and my refrigerator is ready to receive tomorrow's batch, plus the ingredients for my first hot-climate Thanksgiving. Thanks all for following along.

As the week winds down, I get into the "must use everything up" mode, because I know there's more coming tomorrow. A poolside mimosa with juice from the remaining Cara Cara oranges: Tomatoes and chevre on toast:

Pizza at the beach:

It came from the Wellington Whole Foods but I've seen it other places around town. The brand is Mozzarita.

October was the Month of Eggplant. I like eggplant, but it's usually a "once every month or two" thing in our house rather than a "twice a week" thing.

Smithy, not too personal at all. I'm cooking for myself, my husband, and my 11 year old son. We relocated here from Charlotte for my husband's work. The husband is easy to cook for - he likes everything except garlic and pork. The kid is kind of a challenge as he is extremely picky and not into most of what I make - he ends up eating a peanut butter sandwich a lot of nights.

The chevre I used isn't local - just Whole Foods 365 brand. There is local cheesemaking but I haven't really sought much of it out yet.

Last night's dinner was definitely not authentic, local, or artisanal, but it sure was tasty. Chicken tamale pie: Filling: 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast 1 can green enchilada sauce (10 oz.) 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1 cup corn kernels (from 1 ear of corn) Simmer the chicken in the enchilada sauce at very low temperature until chicken is just cooked through; set chicken aside. Boil the remaining sauce until it is thickened. When the chicken has cooled off a bit, shred into small pieces. Saute red pepper, scallions, and corn; add shredded chicken and enchilada sauce and heat through. Place in small casserole. Topping: 1 Jiffy cornbread mix (8.5 oz.) 1/3 cup milk 1 egg 3/4 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese Combine all ingredients and stir until blended; spread over filling. Bake casserole at 375 for 30 minutes.