Lilija

That cake is so much sexier without all that frosting... If someone presented me a cake like that, in the first picture, sans frosting, I might come over to the cake team.

Lilija -- Just wanted to thank you for the homemade egg noodle suggestion -- did this yesterday and it was TO DIE FOR. You are right -- the extra flour on the noodles made the broth thicker and silkier... This was just the thing since I've been sick with a cold since pre-thanksgiving... ← This is good with spent chicken carcasses, too, or whatever you would normally make broth with, only halve the water. I'm so glad it hit the spot

Ususally, I have pie, along with a bowl of cranberry chutney. This year, I had a breakfast thing with family, so we went out early for that. When I got home, I had pie. Waffles, sausage, and pecan pie for dessert. Lunch will be stuffing with turkey shreds, and cranberry chutney.

We pick at the carcass for a day or two, then make stock on Saturday or Sunday. My favorite use is to make turkey and dumplings. Break the carcass up, and just barely cover it with water. Throw in all manner of stock vegetables, the more the better, including carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, and or turnips. Seasoned with salt, pepper, sage, and other turkey-appropriate flavors. Simmer all day, keeping the carcass barely covered, but not a whole ton of water. This is very intense broth. After a few hours, strain, pick off the meat save it, feed the spent veggies to the dog. While that cooks, I make up a double batch of homemade egg noodles, and cut the dough into little pillows. Dice up some more celery and carrots. Add the meat, celery and carrots to the broth, cook till tender, then add the egg noodles, and all the flour clinging to them. When the noodles are done, there's just enough thickened, silky, ultra rich broth clinging to them, to inspire you to eat with a spoon. I've started anticipating this meal just as much as the original Thanksgiving meal.

We like popcorn so much, as an impulse buy, the mister bought me one of those movie-style popcorn makers, over the summer. The glass cube type, with the kettle, and all? Oh yes, it's got a place of honor in my living room, and we use it at least twice a week. Our company thinks it's the coolest novelty, to come over and have movie popcorn. So do I, actually... I will never. ever. look back to microwave popcorn.

I don't know about you, but for me, the first thing that popped into my mind would be the scent. I abhor the scent of raw chicken. When I was pregnant, I couldn't even prepare it, I was so sensitive about it. Maybe that's why I feel that way. Texture is a close second.

Good first post! I've had some local delicacies from the Caribbean, and...well, that whelk stew doesn't sound too far from accurate.

I'm not one to judge other culture's cuisine. I'm not the kind of person that reacts with a huge "EW!!" to stuff that's out of my personal norm. I do have to say, honestly, that I literally flinched, and my insides folded up on themselves, upon reading the title of this post. Cheers, because it takes a lot to get that reaction from me.

I'm a big fan of a basic Waldorf type salad. Sliced celery, diced apples, walnuts and raisins or craisins, bound with a bit of mayo. I love all the different kinds crunchy, and the simple flavors go well together. I've been known to go through a bunch of celery in 3 days with this salad.

Pastina, with butter, grated parmesan, salt, and pepper. My dad's favorite, and now one of mine, good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, hangover food, late night snack, good for babies, and old people, good for what ails ya.

Yes, you beat me to it! I was going to add "seasoned as for sushi rice" but you're spot on with the furikake. also: Good crusty bread, dragged through some rich deep green super flavorful Greek olive oil, and a grind of fresh black pepper. Picking the stringy cooling strands from the breast of a roasted chicken, with the same olive oil/pepper treatment, plus a few grains of crunchy salt. Good crusty bread again, and a chunk of sharp cheddar. Honey on plain yogurt.

I'm not sure what to think about this... I don't know whether to be happy, or horrified.

This thread kills me. I have not seen a McRib since 1998. Apparently, they think NJ doesn't like them, or something.

I really want McDonalds for breakfast today. The one side of my brain reminds me "if you eat that, you are going to feel like crap for the next 6 hours, and get hungry again real fast." Then, the PMS side goes "bissssscuuuiiiiiiiitttssssss...droool".

This reminded me of my worst customer ever, not as bad as some of yours, but I never worked on a waitstaff. This was when I worked at a crappy deli, with crappy customers, all around. One stands out as the crappiest customer ever! Me and the only other girl behind the character were facing the usual Sunday morning rush, this warm, tolerant, kind woman marches up to the counter and snaps, "a pound of the seafood salad, the one on sale, but I want it fresh. I pull the bowl out of the cooler, (which I had just set out that morning!) and offer her a sample, and she declares it garbage, insists that it's been sitting around for weeks, that I go get a fresh tub out of the cooler, and she wanted to watch me open it. The tubs are the typical food service sealed things, with the hard plastic band around the lid, and the plastic peel-off lid. I was already pissy because I had to open ANOTHER three pounds of seafood salad, and the line was building out the door. I grab the closest knife, and start slicing the little tabs around the band, wiggling the knife under the lid, to pry it open, all on this narrow counter where she could SEE me open the damn thing. Well, the knife slipped and sliced a deep 1" puncture wound in the soft meat below my thumb. I held my hand up away from the salad, and fled to the back...all the while, she's yelling "WAS THAT MY SALAD?! DID YOU BLEED IN MY SALAD?! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?! WHO IS GOING TO GIVE ME MY SALAD!?" My manager asked her to leave. I needed 4 stitches to close that bitch up.

I eat this exact salad about twice a week, I looooove it. The different kinds of crunchy, bland, tangy, creamy, it's one of my all time favorite salads.

I really like sriracha and dijon, too, especially on hot dogs and burgers.

Vinegar, soy sauce, and jalepenos or chili sauce, in varying combinations are my go-to dipping sauce for anything dippable, including my fingers.

I really cannot think of any better side to a nice Cuban brined roasted pork shoulder than some super-ripe fried platanos, graced with lime, chili salt and cumin. Sweet, caramely, silky, salty, spicy, tangy. I like basic tostones, too, the fried unripe kind, but the really meltingly ripe plantains are special.

I had the best damn sandwich I've had in months. A double decker "deli combo" with pastrami, corned beef, and swiss. The rye bread was perfectly soft and very lightly toasted, the meat was warmed up on the griddle instead of the microwave, so it stayed moist but lightly carmelized, there was just enough cheese, and just the right amount of spicy mustard. With pea soup and coleslaw on the side, what an awesome memorable delicious lunch. The sandwich took the cake, though.

Sometimes, I *like* cheap-nasty. Just sayin'

I think in our "your way, right away" culture, this is rather refreshing. But then, a friend and I were joking about opening up a restaurant and calling it "Our Way" and having sort of a western omakase thing going, so perhaps I'm biased.

Oh man, yeah this is really dissapointing, I love their holiday cookies! The holidays have landed, when I can get those little cashew snowball things. Another rare treat, reserved for camping and other occasions when calories don't count, were their iced oatmeals. Drat. DRAT.

Great thread! My breakfast, today, a heel of homemade zucchini bread, with cream cheese, and a cup of gen mai cha (that toasty nutty brown rice green tea).

That's how I normally do it too, which is why I wasn't sure of the results from frozen, but since this is a catered gift, I wanted to see if I could pull off their request. I've been giving them entrees, (along with desserts, snacks, and homemade breads) and suggesting they have it with rice or noodles and a veggie, or something. This year, they were like "we love all the entrees, but could we get a few ready-made meals all together?" It seems like it will do. But yeah, nothing beats fresh noodles.