BeeZee

Better late than never...oven baked latkes. Mixed results, some stuck (needed more oil on baking pan), but not bad.

Peanut butter bird feeders?

Beet borscht? I like making soup with roasted/pureed root vegetables, adds more depth of flavor. Chips - slice very thin and fry (a la Terra Chips). Beets can be used in chocolate cake, carrot/parsnip cake...

Office "Holiday Lunch" - COVID style. Box lunches eaten in everyone's own office. I had chicken salad on a brioche roll, it was good (white meat chicken, not too much mayo). Came with cut up melon, homemade potato chips, brownie, and pasta salad ("bruschetta style" - and the pasta was cooked properly). Too much food, I'll be taking half of it home.

Never again will I buy soda and not put it in plastic bags for transport. I bought a couple of 6-packs of mini cans of soda for the office this morning and apparently when arranging them in my arm for carrying I must have caught one of the tabs just enough to open it slightly and to get soaked on one leg with Coca-Cola. Of course, it was the ONE variety with sugar, couldn't have been the sugar free types...at least I am wearing a base layer under my jeans so I don't really feel the soaked denim. Yuck.

Bag of assorted Lindt truffles and box of TJ's truffles from my Admins at the office.

Alternately...go a little more savory with the yogurt and have it with fresh herbs and vegetables (or fruit masquerading as veg like tomato!).

I guess this has become quite a thing...the local pastry shop posted that she sold out all 300 hot chocolate bombs in an hour today. Must be people stocking up for gifts, I don't get it.

We got takeout a couple of weeks ago from a new Thai restaurant that opened mid-pandemic, it wasn’t very good (lack of flavor), which was disappointing because it is only 2-3 miles away. There is a Chinese restaurant that we have gotten take out from twice, it is solid. I am really jonesing for Japanese food, no close by options.

Roasted shrimp scampi style, asparagus cooked on the same sheetpan, couscous (lemon/herb) from mix.

Not an appliance, but a kitchen tool...meat tenderizer (mallet type with one side flat and the other sort of spiky). Can't remember the last time I used it and it takes up a fair amount of space in the drawer.

We got our annual gigantic tin of Danish butter cookies from the office cleaners. One of our vendors sent some kind of cookies, my Admin put them in the freezer at the office so I never saw them. Like Mitch, I would treat myself to some treats most years, but shipping being the nightmare that it is this year, I am taking a pass. I buy Prosecco for my hairdresser and a nice bottle of red wine for our golf instructor. I will miss the tray of homemade cookies my coworker’s wife used to make each year.

I've purchased them in the past and used them as Heidi notes, in a dish that would have liquid to reconstitute them a bit. Although I have also sprinkled them "as is" over salad, some of the ambient water takes the edge off them.

@liamsaunt, I actually went to my local grocery store around noon today and there were plenty of vegetables and fruit. Judging by the carts I saw, people don't equate "snowstorm" with "vegetable"😄

or in NJ...Local 130 Seafood, which is based in Asbury Park, delivers next day, if ordered online, to NJ residences.

Looks like local shop is making them using two half spheres https://www.instagram.com/p/CIy5nLerOd5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

@liamsaunt, have you noticed much difference in the taste or texture of honeynut vs butternut squash?

RBP stuffed with a mixture of ground chicken, kasha, onion, and mushrooms. Stripe of catsup on top of each before covering and baking. Comforting. Have a fair amount of the stuffing leftover to repurpose.

Last time I made them, I cut in half, tossed with oil, S+P, parmesan and roasted. Very good.

Hoisin glazed salmon, haricot vert, wild rice with sauteed red bell pepper and some diced fresh orange added before serving.

These apples had a non-standard sign/shelf label, likely from the supplier since it appeared to have more of a “logo” look. I hadn’t seen the price first time I purchased, I think they were $3.99/lb when I looked on Friday. Not sure I liked them enough to pay the premium on a regular basis, but fine for a bit of variety.

Regarding applesauce, I found that if using store bought, I prefer to mix half unsweetened/half sweetened. However, I do prefer sour cream, if I have to choose one over the other.

I don’t fry. Mom’s latkes will be missed, she makes them with shredded potatoes so they get awesome crispy edges. In fact, when she makes them in advance for transport to our dinner, I put them single layer on sheet pans to reheat and get even crispier. I may try to make oven baked version.

I had a piece of the gingerbread this morning, it is moist, a bit sweeter than I'd like for breakfast (Whole Foods gingerbread is good), but perfectly snackable. Sliced, wrapped, froze the rest.

Currently in the pantry I have some wild rice (not rice), farro (nice chew), quinoa (good vegetarian protein source), kasha/buckwheat groats (not in love with them, likely to give up and toss), barley (love the texture). Couscous I have in both traditional small grain (white and whole wheat) and large "Israeli" style. The larger grain is good for salads. I tend to use grains more than rice because with a husband who is diabetic, having white rice, for him, is like eating straight sugar.