suzilightning

here's one mother-in-law #3 told at christmas need i say she is blonde: Blonde Construction Worker An Irishman, a Mexican and a blonde guy were doing construction work on scaffolding on the 20th floor of a building. They were eating lunch and the Irishman said, "Corned beef and cabbage! If I get corned beef and cabbage one more time for lunch, I'm going to jump off this building." The Mexican opened his lunch box and exclaimed, "Burritos again! If I get burritos one more time I'm going to jump off, too." The blonde opened his lunch and said, "Bologna" again. If I get a bologna sandwich one more time I'm jumping too." The next day the Irishman opened his lunch box, saw corned beef and cabbage and jumped to his death. The Mexican opened his lunch, saw a burrito and jumped too. The blonde opened his lunch, saw the bologna and jumped to his death as well. At the funeral the Irishman's wife was weeping. She said, "If I'd known how really tired he was of corned beef and cabbage I never would have given it to him again!" The Mexican's wife also wept and said, "I could have given him tacos or enchiladas! I didn't realize he hated burritos so much." Everyone turned and stared at the blonde's wife... "Hey, don't look at me," she said, "he makes his own lunch."

10 months later.... and the polar express has hit northwest new jersey so after 2 hours of shoveling and spreading seed for the birds this morning started roasting turkey necks, chicken rib cages and capon bones with aromatics to make a rich turkey stock(got them turkey necks for 1.35 for 3 lbs). still haven't decided what to make with the stock - possibly some risotto... right now have a macaroni cheese in the oven for my dinner. along with some garlic broccoli johnnybird is in poughkeepsie for a family event and won't be home till tomorrow so i think i will make some banana bread for a welcome home snack. i do have a yen to make some cuban black bean soup, though....... anyone else inspired by the colder weather?

finally made the butter braised beef(though with olive oil not butter so johnnybird could eat it). what a wonderfully simple but elegant dish. i had gotten a piece of beef from my butcher that i cut in half then cooked. we had half the meat with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. i took the rest, cut it into smallish pieces, resurrected some beef gravy from the freezer and cooked up a some potatoes, carrots, and onions then made a truly great stew.... thanks klary!

how about roasting them in a hot oven with some onion and carrot then serve as a side? or roast and add to some risotto? or roast and add to some chicken stock, some thyme and shredded chicken for a soup?

AVOID CHUMLEYS!! i stopped in one day to get some takeout. the pulled pork was totally flavorless and the beef was stringy - like it had been cut across the grain the wrong way. haven't tried indigo smoke or the one in summit/chatham - pop's? but am now craving the brisket wrap from hot rod's

i have been the unfortunate recipient of several horrible items including: http://www.slatonbakery.com/images/cj/IMG_1964.jpg cat with goldfish bowl and my mother-in-law informed me it wasn't cheap - 20.00 at a yard sale. johnnybird said this was my best bit of acting ever... this year - a bottle of Andre from father-in-law and mother-in-law #3.

i, too am a dinosaur. my "recipe box" now is two big workout shoe boxes that i am constantly adding to and deleting from. i copy out recipes from my cooking magazines then pass them on - cooking light to my friend 'chelle, other assorted ones i hoard up and throw in whenever i send cookbooks out to eg's who reply on the FREE COOKBOOKS thread as a lagnaippe... when i want to do some cooking or try a new recipe(or an old one) i pull the boxes out and start going through them... i pull the cards move them around, thinking of the colors, textures, temperature the food is served at until i get a menu i like. right now i have recipes for a sweet potato pie and sweet and sour onions pulled to go with our christmas dinner on new year's eve.

put something in the toaster at work WITHOUT FIRST checking the darkness level. i had made a blue cheese buffalo burger yesterday for lunch and had toasted the bun. went to do the same thing today and it seems the director, who has a passion for well browned bread, must have made some yesterdayafter me. i set the fire alarm off and cleared the whole library and recreation department out into the rain.... i'm so ashamed...

we're 2/3 of the way through the celebrations: christmas eve was at my sister-in-law's house with all the crew including 4 brothers, 2 wives, her boyfriend, father-in-law and mother-in-laws #1 & #3. cheese and crackers veges and dips scallops wrapped in bacon shrimp lasagna bread beef pot pies(sister-in-law's first attempt at this - we WILL be having a crimping seminar later) fried potatoes salad cookies christmas day- ham sweet potato gratin carrots with thyme and honey white and green asparagus baked beans saturday will be johnnybird and my christmas celebration. so far i am making roast capon sausage dressing smashed potatoes sweet potato pie still ruminating on the veg and i may do what daniel did and serve a hot cheese course of those wonderful looking rarebits. any suggestions?

Why??? I mean, is there a rampant family allergy??? ← this family doesn't believe in any vegetable - especially "rabbit food"

it wasn't a holiday pot luck but my husband's grandmother's funeral luncheon... my mother-in-law ordered subway sandwiches - then took out the lettuce and tomatoes edited to say i am a librarian - we always have good potlucks since most libarians live for two things - food and sex and not necessarily in that order. this year we started with crudite and a sun-dried tomato dip, homemade pimento cheese with bread to slather it onto. then came grilled filet, ham, shrimp, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus, chocolate silk cake and a grasshopper pie.

a standard shelter island, ny funeral food

just back from the inlaws and still have christmas with johnnybird to do friday night was just three of us - chicken ruby(chicken breasts lightly sauteed then baked with a sauce of cranberries, onion, orange juice and spices), green beans with garlic and whole wheat noodles. christmas eve was at my sister-in-law's place. all i had to do was make salad, a dressing for it and bring bread. sil made beef pot pies though we have to work on her crimping skills since the pastry tops collapsed and burned and fried potatoes. mil #3 brought lasagna and precooked frozen shrimp . christmas day was at my mother-in-law's house. ham, a sweet potato gratin, tarragon carrots, baked beans, macaroni and cheese and white and green asparagus. right now at work but saturday, when we celebrate our christmas, it will be a capon,sausage stuffing and the rest is up in the air now....

chef - Red Hat Ladies are groups of women age 50+ who get together for social gatherings based on a poem including the lines...when i am an old woman i will wear a purple dress with a red hat. kinda between Junior Woman's Club and the Senior Center...http://www.redhatsociety.com/ now the Sweet Potato Queens have mush more of a southern flavor. currently we are using the newest book to help a coworker through the "suprise" divorce her husband asked her for...http://www.sweetpotatoqueens.com/spq/

this morning the other half of the box of jimmy dean precooked sausages with real maple syrup (the other half having been devoured last night after work - reference the pms thread) and a cup of essensia orange cappaccino. susan - congrats on the egg. when we used to do them at work we used to stir the simmering water so a small vortex was created then, just before it disappeared, slip the egg out of a side dish. father phil said he started the eggs this way because the vortex helped hold the white and yolk together better and kept them rounder. don't know why but several thousand eggs later i'm still doing this...

last night after work... 1/2 package of jimmy dean precooked sausage patties with real maple syrup 2 egg omlet with jalapeno and ketchup cup of swiss miss double chocolate cocoa sigh and it's really good when some of the syrup interacts with the eggs

i agree with ling - sear quickly. deglaze the pan with some port and maybe some blackberry jelly to create a sauce

7/8 ths white here(great grandma was from the west indies). never had this growing up but now i make it from scratch using tyler florence's recipe with fresh mushrooms, beans and pearl onions. my mother-in-law loves it...

wow - alinka thanks for that recipe. i think even i could do those chocolate truffle cookies.. last night was soup and sandwich night - a chickpea and kale soup with turkey and provolone panini...simple but hearty for a cold night at home

last night as per johnnybird's request a vegetarian soup- ceci with kale, thyme and a bay leaf, onion and garlic, some saffron and plenty of carrots

this is when johnnybird and i actually celebrate our christmas. good bottle of champagne, little bites and presents. usually a dip in the jacuzzi then the next day we pick a spot to go birding. last year was oberly road and scott's mountain hawkwatch. don't know where this year - maybe along the delaware river and the lackawaxen for eagles or possibly round valley reservoir for long eared owls.

yesterday it was my blender... i used a thin spatula, i swear!! but those last little clingy bits of the PIMENTO CHEESE i made just were right for my fingers to liberate from the nooks and crannies of the blender and blade

stopped by the place i usually buy this yoghurt and <grumpy face> since it will blow this reply away if i use the smilies - THERE WAS NO YOGHURT!!!!!

i agree with katie and love bele casel though here in nw nj we can't seem to find it. i am now sipping on a zardetto brut which should go with our dinner of crabcakes, green beans and coleslaw. i have also been drinking Z which is zardetto's next step up - so to speak- and a bit drier and more elegant than their zardetto... course i also like a good cava and anything else that sparkles ....... hmmm, seems i go after drinkable sparkles rather than wearable ones

last night a german supper - bratwurst baked in the oven, salad with cucumbers in oil and vinegar, red cabbage with red onion(and a bit of grape jelly), garlic mashed potatoes(ok- i have spaetzle but john wanted mash) and home made applesauce - how hard is that? apples, water and toast dope. tonight, after i wake johnnybird up from his nap and he is hungry - onion and garlic beer soup(over at that soup thread maggie started) there are crabcakes chilling which will be lightly coated with cornflake crumbs then sauteed green beans coleslaw probably a reisling or pinot grigio to go with the main meal - haven't decided yet happy eatings to all....