Porthos

Yet another reason my DW and I will be leaving this state when she retires.

@heidih Wow. Just wow. That plant is less than 10 miles from me and I'd never heard of it.

Bread Pudding using whipping cream is rather decadent.

We've made Scottsdale potatoes for so many years I have no memory of where the recipe originally came from. Sometime over 20 years ago we made them when visiting my brother who hates sour cream. He loved the potatoes. We never told him that they had sour cream in them.

The SV'ed bones were not photogenic but I did enjoy eating them cave man style, gnawing the meat off of the bones.

Because of the amount of time the bones sat out I'm going to sous vide them at 131.5 F as if they'd never been cooked.

Now we've seen all of the beautiful dishes from our Christmas dinners, let's see how we use the leftovers. I'll start. I had these 2 meaty ribs from my Rib Eye Roast. Since I have to be away from home tonight, but with access to a kitchen, I'm going to have there for my dinner.

She's thinking outside of the round and inside the box.

A potato casserole using mostly already-prepared ingredients. Minced onion cooked down in olive oil is added to frozen cube-style hash browns, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and cream of mushroom soup. It's topped with crushed corn flakes and butter, then baked. It is a family favorite in a family full of good cooks. The Rib Eye Roast ready for serving after I clean up the platter edges..

Beautiful presentation.

We finally put together a Christmas Dinner Menu. It will be for five adults and one child. Dessert has not been decided on. Rib Eye Roast Bouillon Gravy Scottsdale Potatoes Green Salad Corn Pudding Pearl Onions in Cheese Sauce Devilled Eggs Hawaiian Rolls Butter Olives

I believe Yukon Gold is a trademarked name. Similar potatoes can be called gold. Random commen. Because I tend to be a rustic cook I prefer red potatoes for mashed potatoes and I don't peel them. Similarly, I almost never peel carrots either.

... and wonderful. My MIL used to make a steamed plum pudding, flamed with brandy, and served with hard sauce. She has long since passed away and several years ago I started making them, especially for my FIL, but it just didn't happen this year. I have taken possession of the mold. There will be more in the future.

Final Count: 15 varieties of cookies -->> 34 plates and one 1/2 sheet pan used as a platter. For reasons I resent and can't control (time taken away by my DW to do something away from the house) I don't have a clue how we're going to have a Christmas dinner, let alone have friends come stay with us this coming Friday night.

Is that a warming drawer beneath the Wolf?

We "sort of" make Rice Krispies Treats. We alternate years between Cocoa Pebbles and a blend of Rice Krispies and Fruity Pebbles. Fruity Pebbles are way too sweet to only use them. The Fruity Pebbles Treats are colorful without having to add any extras.

Cookies so far: Chocolate Chips cookies by my DW, the balance by me include Oatmeal Raisin, Cherry Icebox, White Chocolate Chip Craisin, Chocolate Crinkle and Pferrernuesse. Still have 10 to go by next Thursday, not all chosen and on the list yet. In other news, we're planning on a Rib Eye Roast for Christmas dinner.

I did buy The Ultimate Bar Book a few days ago.

I so understand this. My DW and I have been married 40 years and we've accumulated to the point the cabinets are bulging. Between the excess in a closet and the garage, and all of the equipment I have for my ren faire kitchens out in the storage shed, I can't think of a single thing that I would want to add to my kitchen. Well ... not practical ... but I wouldn't turn down a Blue Star range 😁.

I have a drawer full of stained "faire" t-shirts. I wear these in my ren faire kitchens and at home when doing messy jobs. I, too, own plenty of aprons. I find that I prefer just to wear shirts that don't matter when cooking.

@kayb Your post about pecans reminded me to comment on one self-imposed restriction on our list. We will make up individual plates of cookies for my DW's office co-workers, 2 platters for the warehouse workers, and plates for various family and friends. The possibility of nut allergies puts the brakes on cookies with nuts. I'd love to include some cookies with nuts but would feel more than terrible if I caused an allergic reaction.

I live in southern California and my kitchen is normally at least 75 degrees F or warmer. My kitchen is on a southern-facing wall and even if the weather is in the low 60s solar radiation heats it up. Since I'm not baking anything fancy, mostly drop cookies, I doubt (but don't know for sure) that air pockets are really of much concern.

First Hiccup of the Season. My DW got home before me. She put the pound of butter I had on the counter softening back into the fridge thinking I left it out by mistake. That was the end of baking last night. When I went to make the Cherry Icebox Cookies this morning, the house was a bit chillier than normal and the butter didn't want to mix with the powdered sugar and eggs. I had to put the balloon whip on the mixer and let it run for about 10 minutes before it blended together. The last step is to roll the dough into logs and chill. The dough was stiffer than normal and required more elbow grease to shape. Since the weather is supposed to remain cool for the time being I'm thinking of putting the butter I need as I go for other cookies into a 78 degree F Sous Vide water bath to soften it.

@MelissaH Bought it for my DW.

We (last year mostly me) typically do around 16 types of cookies. My DW has been very focused on completing a Victorian-era cartridge-pleated skirt to wear this weekend as part of a Victorian costume. As such I've left her alone about other things until she is done, so we only have 6 of our must-dos on the list so far. I will be making the White Chocolate Craisin Cookies this evening, and if I have any oomph left I'll get the Cherry Icebox Cookies mixed up and into the fridge. Last year I set a a computer monitor on the kitchen counter and hooked it up to my laptop to display whatever recipe I was working on. This year I get to use my newish Samsung Tablet. I've been using it for other recipes and really like it. So far: Springerle Oatmeal Raisin Wadleigh’s Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cherry icebox White Chocolate Chip Craisin