Kim Shook

Now those are some onion rings. I detest the puffy heavily coated battered ones - the onion just seems to steam inside. Those look perfect!

I'm thinking that the steam bake option on the CSO is probably my best option. These hams are small enough to fit.

Sage sausage with maple syrup and toast:

NO! I wouldn't microwave it at all. What I meant was that some of our guests might slip into the kitchen and microwave a slice for themselves.

That was kind of my thought, too. However, some folks might sneak into the kitchen and heat it a bit in the microwave. I think in that case, a glaze might be tasty.

Thanks so much, ladies! I'll do this then.

I am planning on serving this ham for our Christmas Eve open house. My plan is sliced thin, room temperature with rolls. I should know this already, but do I really need to cook this, if it is going to be served room temperature? I know that it is safe to not heat it, but is there some flavor component that I'd be missing if I didn't?

I see it. It's the presentation, isn't it?

Cheese toast and local canned Brunswick stew:

Sous vide pork chops seared after reaching 140F: Really moist and tender. Served with green beans, Stove Top cornbread dressing, Bob Evans mashed potatoes and jarred gravy: With gravy: Which I was surprised at. I’ve had jarred chicken and beef gravy and not cared for them at all, but the pork was pretty tasty. Rolls:

Here you go. (I thought I already did this - sorry to take so long!)

Frozen waffles: With real maple syrup, though. 😏

One of the best summer meals we had on a regular basis was salad stuff piled on the biggest platter we owned topped with canned tuna on one end and canned salmon on the other. Baskets of crackers, bowls of Miracle Whip and pickles and oil and vinegar cruets on the table. I have 3 stepsisters and we always had a crowd of friends around - this meal could be easily expanded by adding a few lettuce leaves and another can!

I'm with Moe. I love fresh salmon, but like canned also. I actually grew up on canned salmon on top of salads and in croquettes. When I was a teenager, my mother started working for the top guy in the DC Boeing office. He would have whole salmons shipped out from Seattle and give them out. I remember the first time I had grilled salmon - what a revelation! I still like them both - but I view them as two different things! 😉

Corned beef hash (from a can 🙄) and toast: But I did make it super crispy and the toast has excessive amounts of butter 😉.

Lately I seem to just be grabbing various sh*t I have and throwing it together with a can or jar of something I grab in my quick runs to the grocery store to pick up necessary cat food and prescriptions 😏. Tonight was a salad and Chicken "Alfredo" on egg noodles: Along with leftover green beans. The sauce was a jar of Classico. The chicken was an enormous breast half (made enough to feed 3 of us with a full serving leftover) I did in the CSO. The chicken was incredibly moist and the skin was divine (cook's treat!).

Yup. That's all I do anymore. But I still have to use the spoon trick sometimes. When I get eggs from Mr. Kim's co-worker who keeps chickens, I always have to - too fresh to peel easy.

I know there are a billion "tips" out there for peeling eggs, but I'll offer one more. Do you know the 'spoon' method?

I almost never host Thanksgiving because we always have the big Xmas Eve family/friends/friends of friends/neighbors etc. gathering at our house. Long time eG’ers might remember that I used to make the full sit down turkey and fixings dinner for 50+ people. I got increasingly frustrated at folks who wouldn’t RSVP and who treated it like an open house – arriving whenever. So I changed things up and now we actually do an open house. I’ve done beef burgundy, a sandwich buffet, assorted appetizers and such over the last few years. This year for Xmas Eve, I’m planning to scale down even farther, despite the sad looks I’m getting from Mr. Kim and Jessica. All the sweets will be the same. All that stuff can be made ahead of time – most all of it freezes well. But for the food, I’m planning on ham, a platter of cheeses and crackers (for the vegetarians), rolls, salad with two dressings, slow cooker sour cream mashed potatoes, and these pineapple upside down biscuits: Thanksgiving this year is a whole ‘nother thing. I think that Jessica is feeling pushed aside and neglected with my mother needing so much care and time. So, she has pleaded for us to host Th’giving as well as Xmas Eve this year. Sigh. Did I mention that she is a very much indulged 34 year old only child? That menu is: Turkey Gravy Challah bread dressing Sweet potato gnocchi Corn pudding Roasted Brussels sprouts Butternut squash soup Broccoli casserole Fruit salad Cranberry sauce Slow cooker sour cream potatoes Rolls Pecan pie Apple pie Supposedly, I am only responsible for the turkey, gravy (already in the freezer), cranberry sauce (also in the freezer), and the sour cream potatoes. She has promised to make the dressing, gnocchi, corn pudding, soup and sprouts. The rest of the family is bringing the other things. We’ll see how this turns out.

That spinach recipe looks good, but the instructions confuse me. At the end of the recipe, it looks as if they are telling you that you can refrigerate it to serve later. But then no directions are given for heating in a casserole. Am I missing something? If you do decide to make it ahead (which I love doing), I wouldn't bother cooking the frozen spinach. I think that the reheating in the oven should be enough - otherwise I think you'll get spinach mush. Or, add a couple of beaten eggs and get a really nice souffle! 😁 And I think the deviled eggs will be absolutely fine. They will probably be good through the weekend, actually. Let's see if anyone else has any other opinions, but that's what I think.

Thank you, @David Ross! I've made gougeres plenty of times, and never thought to stuff them. I definitely want to try them when I have the right opportunity. They would make a really elegant NYE dish. Unfortunately, our NYE are seriously less than elegant and the folks we spend it with wouldn't touch fish in any form 😄. But they look wonderful and I certainly trust your taste! I still make your Apple, Pear and Parsnip Salad and the meat filled cannelloni recipe that you so kindly and laboriously typed out for me years ago (I actually put the recipe in my online cookbook on 11/11/2007 - almost 11 years ago to the day!!!).

Possibly. Also, there is one market that is done at a nearby 55+ upscale neighborhood that a lot of our members live at. I am going to suggest that we rent a table at that market, if they'll have us. Table rates are generally $30-$60 and we usually make upwards of $700 (this year, even with the lack of turnout, it was $500).

It went ok. We had a very poor turn out - even our own parishioners were few and far between. The people who were there loved everything they tasted. We are starting to think that, at least in our area, the whole craft/vendor markets are played out. Everyone we've talked to in other churches and venues has seen a real decline in the past few years. I'm guessing that this was the last one that we'll host. But the bake sale brings in so much money, that we'll probably continue to do that in some form. Its too bad, because I've always enjoyed doing it.

This is me, too. Until I found Bourdain's recipe , I could not make them properly to save my life. The parboil is really the secret, I think.

How far in advance can these be filled? They sound spectacular!