BeeZee

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.

Trader Joe's run this afternoon, the line to get in (one in/one out) moved quickly. I found everything on my list, including some Holiday indulgences like Gingerbread Cream Liquor (it's probably going to be horribly sweet, but for the price, I'll put it in coffee or something). Vegan gingerbread (nice loaf, going to slice/wrap and freeze), single serving size marzipan stollen (99 cents) - tasty, Fuyu persimmons (bought 2, have never had them), and of note: the gift box with the maple syrups is back...they have not advertised this and it was pretty hidden when I did find it, for $9.99 it's a steal, grab one if you can find it.

Used some LGD mixed with additional vinegar as a simple salad dressing (romaine, cherry tomatoes, avocado cubes), it was a nice counterpoint to the creamy avocado. The mint flavor seems more noticeable cold vs when I used it to dress warm vegetables.

Similarly, when you make something time and labor intensive, and someone says “next time you make this maybe you could change X, Y, and Z” (ie, completely different flavor profile).

The lesser clean up this year was a pleasure. Once I carved half of the turkey breast and plated it, we decided to leave the dressing and twice baked potatoes on the counter and do “buffet style”. Also left the gravy in the small saucepan it was made in. I realized how much of the clean up was due to both the baking pans and the serving dishes! To cap off our minimal dish meal, pint of ice cream was shared on the couch, one spoon, passed back and forth.😋 Don’t tell my mother.

I am going to use this hack, I have a box of cornbread stuffing mix in the pantry (DH request) and will add some plain cornbread to it, since the sodium level made me not want to use it.