Jaymes

As others have pointed out, Texans very much prefer an expertly smoked beef brisket to southern-style pulled pork. And you very rarely (if ever) find sweet baked beans with that brisket. It's soupy pintos for us, spiked with jalapenos or other chiles, and slurped up from a bowl or cup with a spoon. Our sauce isn't particularly sweet either. We do like smoked ribs and pork chops, but as far as flavors go, think more about chuckwagons and cowboys out on the open range and less about brown sugar and molasses. I guess Texans aren't big on cornbread (or sweet potato fries...chuckle) either? And I was born in Texas...you'd think I'd know these things having lived there the first few months of my life. Should add a caveat here. Texas is such a big state that the style of barbecue does vary. As you get more east, and closer to Louisiana and Arkansas, you'll find the barbecue changing along with the scenery. It's very likely over there to find more typically "deep south" style barbecue, which is sweeter. So you'll get sweet baked beans instead of western-style cowboy pintos, sweeter sauce, ribs and pork. And for dessert, sweet potato pie instead of banana pudding.

As others have pointed out, Texans very much prefer an expertly smoked beef brisket to southern-style pulled pork. And you very rarely (if ever) find sweet baked beans with that brisket. It's soupy pintos for us, spiked with jalapenos or other chiles, and slurped up from a bowl or cup with a spoon. Our sauce isn't particularly sweet either. We do like smoked ribs and pork chops, but as far as flavors go, think more about chuckwagons and cowboys out on the open range and less about brown sugar and molasses. I guess Texans aren't big on cornbread (or sweet potato fries...chuckle) either? And I was born in Texas...you'd think I'd know these things having lived there the first few months of my life. Texans are very big on cornbread as long as it's not sweet. Often served as a side with a bowl o' red (chili). Or with those Mexican-style soupy pinto beans I mentioned. Or with stewed greens. Or stewed okra and tomatoes. Or gumbo. Or black-eyed peas, especially on New Years Day. Or mixed with seasonings and stuffed into our Thanksgiving turkey. Or crammed down into a glass with cold buttermilk. Or crumbled into a bowl with milk poured over and eaten as a morning breakfast cereal. Or as a side to the 'blue plate special' at a meat-and-three home-cookin' restaurant. Oh yeah, we're plenty big on cornbread. And sweet potato fries are available everywhere in them trendy restaurants. They're pretty good, so I'd say we're 'big' on them. But I'd be surprised to discover that they're considered traditional Texas food. ________________

With the exception that there's no mayo at all, I'd call this pretty much a classic Waldorf: apples, walnuts, celery.

Holidays on the way and I'm thinking of Waldorf Salad again. Thought I'd bump this up to see if there are any new and interesting variations.

As others have pointed out, Texans very much prefer an expertly smoked beef brisket to southern-style pulled pork. And you very rarely (if ever) find sweet baked beans with that brisket. It's soupy pintos for us, spiked with jalapenos or other chiles, and slurped up from a bowl or cup with a spoon. Our sauce isn't particularly sweet either. We do like smoked ribs and pork chops, but as far as flavors go, think more about chuckwagons and cowboys out on the open range and less about brown sugar and molasses.

Me, too. And the hot air popper works great. In fact, I gave a popper and some green beans to my nephew last year and he roasts all his own coffee now. Wonderful fun, he says. And he adds that one of the best things is that his house "always smells like a Starbucks now."

Instead of regular sherry, you might try using the sherry peppers from these nice folks: Outerbridge Sherry Peppers from Bermuda I made this tonight. Fried up some pork chops with a little TexJoy seasoning (my go-to seasoned salt), and then made the sherry/cream/mustard/horseradish sauce. I did shake in some of the Outerbridge Bermuda Sherry Peppers. Served it over egg noodles. Fabulous. Going to be a standard from here on out. Thank you so much.

I find this post immeasurably cheery. Thanks.

Corn flakes are a great extender for ground beef for hamburger patties. Corn flakes and a beaten egg will help 1 lb of ground beef go a very long way. Not only economical, it helps hold in moisture.

That's all well and good, as long as you're not serving any southerners. In the south, we've got to have our bourbon: 1 Cup bourbon, 1/2 cup rum for the flavor, 1/4 cup brandy/cognac for the kick. That's the perfect combination. ___________________

Jaymes, I respectfully disagree. An example for me was Gold Medal flour. Used it for years because my Mom did, then I started working at Trader Joe's and tried the King Arthur flour because everyone said that their baking products turned out far superior with it. I broke down and tried it and in my experience it was a solid recommendation. Same with Nestle Chocolate Chips, then I saw that the Trader Joe's chocolate was Calumbet (spell?) and tried them and they are excellent. Now of course TJ no longer has King Arthur and the chocolate chip private label has changed which makes me wonder if it is the same.... Well, then. Sounds to me like your answer to the question would be that you're not particularly "loyal" to your brands. And that you buy the best product for the best price that you can find available.

That's my understanding of brand loyalty. I think it's a merchandising term. Buy until it you find something you like better or can buy cheaper. I hope I don't treat my friends the same way I treat my brands! I don't know... I'm certainly aware of some folks that do indeed feel a sort of "brand loyalty" for reasons other than quality or price. One friend said she still buys Durkee's Famous Sauce, even though they've changed the formula, because she wants to support the feeling of the "old south" and it's what her family always bought. She actually tries to find ways to use it up. Another friend buys Hellman's/Best Mayo because as a girl her grandma told her it really was "best," even though she confessed to me she likes another brand better. A third still buys the product of a company that her grandfather worked for for decades. Another just "likes the way the box looks" in her pantry, reminding her of her first marriage (she actually said that). It was for a cereal. All sorts of emotional and nostalgic and not particularly rational reasons. You're undoubtedly correct that "brand loyalty" is a merchandising term, so my personal definition of loyalty may not be relevant. But to me, it does involve some degree of sticking to something even though you well understand and acknowledge that something else may be superior. ______________________

Tap water. Except for coffee.

Not sure that "brand loyal" is a really good term for how I feel about it. I mean, I don't feel what I personally would call "loyal," in that I have some sort of emotional attachment to which I'd be true, no matter what, like one would be "loyal" to an erring friend, for example. I do have brand names that I prefer because of a particular quality - taste, feel, etc. But I'm always testing and checking and I dump even my dearest brand "friends" in a heartbeat when I find a superior product, or a comparable product at a cheaper price. So is that "loyal"? I wouldn't think so if I knew that my friends were willing to dump me at the first sign of something better.

Instead of regular sherry, you might try using the sherry peppers from these nice folks: Outerbridge Sherry Peppers from Bermuda ___________________

I felt the same way, years ago, when I first started hosting parties using my Waterford crystal. But then I discovered Replacements (now, of course, it's a "dot com" but back then, just an 800 number). Even my most expensive glasses were about $50 a stem. So they weren't irreplaceable if one did get broken. I relaxed considerably. I mean, I didn't WANT to fork over $50 for essentially something I already had. And there were surely times when I couldn't afford it. But just knowing that I could replace them eased my mind. And through the years, occasionally a guest has broken one. They always insist on replacing it. I always say that they don't have to - I have the glasses so that my guests can use and enjoy them and I expect an occasional loss. But without exception, the guest has gone ahead and done it anyway. So, my advice to you would be to go to Replacements.com and see how much your glasses are. Perhaps that will put your mind at ease. Unless, of course, they're $200 a stem. Or not available at any price. In which case, if I were you, not only would I reconsider using them for guests... I'd be afraid to touch them myself.

You do realize that the cooking process removes almost all of the alcohol? If you usually put, for example, a spoonful of bourbon in the sweet potatoes, or a dash of chardonnay in the gravy, or a dollop of port or Grand Marnier in the cranberry sauce, I doubt that'd be enough to cause any problems, even if the alcohol didn't cook out. Your wife might be wise to eschew a glass of wine with the meal but, if any of your favorite traditional recipes call for a splash of booze, speaking as the mother of three healthy babies carried to full term, my heartfelt advice to you would be to not worry about the relatively minuscule amounts of alcohol in the food. ________________

I doubt that the Skor bar will compare well to your homemade either. And if you make toffee often enough that it's on hand when you want it, if I were you, I wouldn't bother "trying" to learn to like those commercial bars. The thing for me is that I usually only make toffee once a year, at Christmastime, and the commercial bars are easily and readily available for a quick fix.

When I do a dessert party, I always include a cheese tray and some fruit. Frosted grapes make a nice presentation.

And Almond Roca, too, if it comes to that. However, See's is pretty regional, except for mall kiosks during the holiday season. Not sure it would qualify for the throwdown if one of the requirements is mass availability. ___________

Boy, have I ever been there. As to which I prefer, it's Skor. I still remember the first time I had one, years ago. Only bought it because at that particular store, no Heath. Figured it probably wouldn't be as good, but of course it was. Although if I can't find it, I'm fine with Heath. Like that old song advises....love the one you're with.

Which has got me to thinking... What are his three favorites? And do you like any of them?

And plums?

I don't remember those from my grandmother's kitchen. My granny served coffee and hot chocolate from "Franciscan" cups. I am, however quite familiar with those cups. I saw them not that long ago in the waiting room while getting my new tires installed.

A good reason to prefer eating Heath bars only when they are enrobed in ice cream. They're quite crunchy when frozen. Heath vs Skor - Battle Royale