Jaymes

In addition to the waffle iron, you can also do this with your George Foreman Grill, or panino maker.

If I have learnt one thing from my "years of wisdom," it's that some secrets in my culinary closet are best left in there. And serving this to my kids might be one of them: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/tamale-casserole/ But ya'know, now that I read this, and see the photo, and think back, you're right! Looks pretty tasty after all. God, I was a GREAT MOM!!! Oh, and PS - I was definitely young, but not callow. Never callow. And being young was a hell of a good time. Wouldn't mind going back to the days when my knees worked great and my beautiful, thick, bleached-blonde hair stayed well stuck into the top of my head. Instead of fluttering continually into the tamale pie.

How about the head-in-the-fridge style of eating leftover pizza?

I do. As a mother on a budget raising three growing kids, I always had some of those dreadful canned tamales in the pantry for nights when Daddy had to work late. Then it was tamale pie and a salad. It was perfect for those nights: quick, cheap, kids loved it, Dad wouldn't eat it. And we're basically Southwesterners - Dad originally a Texan and, while we were raising the kids, we lived all over the Southwest - Arizona, New Mexico, etc. So I figured that the chile flavor of that tamale pie was at least getting the kids accustomed to the chiles and salsas, etc., that we're all so fond of today. That tamale pie is pretty retro. But not sure I'd want to serve it to any guests today. Not even as a joke. In fact, I think the next time somebody asks me if I remember it, I'm going to deny the entire thing.

Not to mention some pretty fabulous upscale restaurants specializing in it.

You mean these, of course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186779687/vintage-western-stoneware-monmouth?ref=market Yep, I'm pretty sure I still have mine. And that would be an absolutely unbeatable idea for an "unfashionable dinner party" in the US. And you'd have to do it up right - bowls and all. But surely folks in France never served "French Onion Soup" in those bowls. Did they? I'd be mightily disillusioned on so many levels to learn that they did.

Ah, thanks. I'll just wait and try it again later.

I'm interested in this, so tried to click on the link. Didn't work. Is it just me? Or are others having the same problem?

Regarding fondue - I recall a great many dinner parties that featured fondue, but not the cheese kind. It was chunks of good steak - ribeye or fillet or something - and a pot of boiling oil, along with special dinner plates that held a selection of sauces. One of my fondest memories of that time was a bite of steak that was amazingly tender - far tenderer than the other bites. Only later did I realize that, because I had drunk a great deal of wine, I had forgotten to cook that bite. Yum. Unintentional steak tartare.

I feel pretty sure this fad never made it to France, but it was quite the rage in the US for a while: Harvey Wallbanger Cake http://allrecipes.com/recipe/harvey-wallbanger-cake/ Oh, and PS - I really love Coquille St. Jacques. Interestingly enough, just ordered it last Friday night at a local restaurant that bills itself as offering "fine Continental cuisine." Only now, speaking of fads, the Coquille St. Jacques was "Deconstructed."

I remember Harvey Wallbanger cake showing up at just about every dinner party I went to for a while there.

Lobster Thermidor.

Great post, except for this part. Everybody knows that, in addition to pimento cheese, Velveeta is essential for combining with Ro-Tel for chile con queso dip.

My recipe for spiced ham: Score your ham. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes per pound. While it's baking, baste frequently with glaze. Glaze 2 C brown sugar 1/2 C white wine 1/2 C honey 1/4 C Dijon mustard (or sprinkle of dry mustard) 1/2 C frozen OJ concentrate 2 Tbls powdered cloves 2 tsp white pepper 2 tsp ground ginger Put all ingredients into small saucepan and heat, stirring until well combined. Then baste baking ham, about once every 15 minutes or so. Time it so that you run out of glaze when the ham is done. Important note: Baste with the concentrated glaze from the saucepan, not with the juices from your baking pan. Important note #2: This glaze does not make a good sauce for the ham. The texture of the powdered cloves is not pleasing. If you want to make a sauce for the ham, strain the pan juices through cheesecloth to remove the powdered cloves.

I just want to reiterate that anyone interested in savory dishes featuring lemon would be badly remiss not to at least give these two of the several above-mentioned suggestions a go: avgolemono soup, and chicken/veal piccata. Two of the world's great classics.

Wow, Franci, thanks! They all look so good - and easy. Hard to know where to start.

Speaking of fruitcake cookies, here's a link to my recipe, which I have been making for many years, always with great success. http://forums.egullet.org/topic/13510-christmas-cookies/?p=160269#entry160269

Franci, if you feel comfortable and have the time ( ) would you mind sharing with us several of your favorite "go to" pasta sauces? Especially any "stand-bys" that you go to when in a rush? Everything you've posted on eG has been pretty wonderful in my book, and I'd love to know more.

Rather than trying to "reharden" cheese and hoping for its original texture, maybe you should just go for a spread - in essence a spicier pimento cheese. Sounds like the taste is wonderful. Think if it were I, I'd just serve it with bread or crackers and a spreader. Or maybe plop a spoonful of it on top of the patties next time I make burgers. You must have thought of this but decided you'd rather have a solid block. I'm curious as to what you see as the advantage of having a solid block of cheese over a spread.

To say it's legendary is no exaggeration. Mom & daughter started selling them in their garage years ago. It's a great story. And now it's considered by many to be the finest burger in Texas. As of the last time I was down there, a few years back, it's still a "you've got to know" kind of deal. Still selling them out of the garage in the old neighborhood. No sign. No regular hours, really. Like I said, you've just got to know.

Well, don't expect too much! In-N-Out is my favorite large-chain burger, by far. However, it is a large-chain burger. It's not going to beat a burger individually-made at one of the few (and dwindling) mom & pop-style burger joints still left. In-N-Out has really fresh bread, meat, veggies, and I love them. But they ain't no "Gonzales Burger" is all I'm saying: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/217/1476309/restaurant/McAllen/Gonzalez-Burger-Donna

Interesting. I suspect that the melting and then cooling of the shredded cheese might account for the weird texture. I am reminded of trying to cool and then reheat pizza. Sometimes the cheese doesn't come through the process with the best of textures. But, makes me think about trying to make something more akin to the traditional pimento cheese but, rather than cheddar or other typical "pimento cheese" sorts of cheeses and pimentos, going for jack cheese and jalapenos - a much spicier version. I always make the ubiquitous pimento-cheese-filled celery stalks for our Thanksgiving relish tray. Maybe I'll try something considerably spicier this year.

I am reminded of this. And can't help but wonder... Shel, did you ever try to make pimento cheese? And, if so, how did it go?

Personally, I think there's probably a very good reason why pimento cheese is a popular classic, while pimento cheese mixed with canned potted meat ain't. There aren't many festive holiday tables in the South that don't feature a relish tray including celery stalks filled with pimento cheese. I like to add finely-chopped green onions or chives to my pimento cheese.

Thanks for letting me know. It really is the number-one way we've fixed squash in our family for generations. My granny would be pleased.