Shelby

+1 My husband thinks that appliances (washers, dishwashers, fridges etc.) should last like, oh, 30 years or more so he gets livid every 5-6 years when something simply wears out and quits. Hey, so do I, but they just don't make 'em like they used to. IMO, 5-6 years on your dishwasher with the amount that you've used it is a good usage amount. I, too, have read that Bosch is the way to go. P.S. Don't ever buy a front load washer and dryer. Just sayin'.

Kim, it's good to know I'm not the only one still looking at Christmas lights and Santa Claus Your ribeye looks perfectly cooked! The oyster stew was a bit 'o this and a bit o' that. In butter I sautéed onion, celery and carrot until very soft. Then I added a cup of dry white wine, cooked that down a bit and then I added about 1/2 a quart of homemade shrimp stock. I let that simmer for a while then I added some heavy cream, thyme, salt and pepper. Just before eating I threw in some smoked mussels and fresh oysters. I hate to follow something as lovely looking as PrawnCrackers' meals! Chili cheese dogs and curly fries last night.

I'd risk my health and my husband has a stomach made of iron...but I would never want to give anyone else any issues with their stomachs.

I freeze my chili verde all the time. It doesn't compromise anything IMO. Maybe if it were just my husband and I, I would reheat something that's been in the fridge for 6 days, but.....not for guests....but that's just me.

Oh Anna, can you tell me how you make those??? They look scrumptious.

FauxPas, first off, I'm glad you're feeling better. The flu this year is nasty nasty. Hits fast and hard. Secondly, I'm pea green with envy! Everything looks delicious. Thank you for the pictures!

I hope your first night was a huge success! I also hope you're still sleeping because I bet you're exhausted.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr! Baby it's cold outside. High of 9 here tomorrow. Mr. Shelby got a deer for us yesterday morning --an older doe. We like older does for a couple of reasons....they are more tender than bucks and they have no little ones that they are taking care of. She's hanging in the garage right now. We will process the meat in a few days. After removing the innards we always take the tenderloins because they will dry out quickly. So, last night we had venison tenderloin, baked taters and salad. After removing from the deer All cleaned up. The smaller ones on the right are the tenderest strips that come apart from the main tenderloin. I simply slice them a bit smaller and we gobble those up, too My plate. I like my venison very very rare.

Ohhhhhhhh, it is the last day of the holidays (to me) I still have all of my Christmas lights and decor up...I'm still enjoying it too much to take it down. Tonight started off with some foie gras Then we had some oyster stew It's going to end with Mr. Shelby and I snuggled in bed....him watching a movie and me reading a book that I can't put down

Nina, that looks divine. How long did you cook your cheeks?

Beautiful pickles, Chris and I love the jar lids!

I'm snacking on Fritos while I wait for our chili and bread to be done

Interesting! I love art hearts. I'll have to try this combo.

Thank you! Maybe it was just the angle of the picture.....for us, this goose was on the bigger end than normal. Yes, it was a Canadian Goose. I don't know the gender....I'll ask when the great hunter returns home. He just pulled out of the driveway for a day of bird and deer hunting. Quite a few of the guys that my husband hunts with detest goose....I will go to my grave saying that they just don't cook it right. Consequently, our house ends up with quite a few birds throughout the season so I try to come up with creative ways to fix them. I bet your smoked goose was quite good! I like to add some BBQ sauce and make sandwiches out of smoked goose. Our New Year's Day meal--very similar to yours, Kim! Ham, stuffing, breaded tomatoes and blackeyed peas with a bit of andouille sausage

Welcome!

I reeeeeeeeealllllllly want to just thaw some chili out and do the same, Tri. I have black eyed peas soaking, though.....sigh.

Happy New Year, everyone!!!!!! I hope you all had a safe and happy night We had a great evening full of fun things to eat. I've been eying this chashu pork recipe http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/03/chashu-pork-marinated-braised-pork-belly-for-tonkotsu-ramen-recipe.htmlso since I had a pork belly in the freezer, I decided to make this for NYE/anniversary dinner. You should have seen the struggle I had trying to tie this sucker up lol. You bring the soy sauce etc. to a boil, then place the rolled pork in, then stick in a 275 F oven for 3-4 hours. All done! After a nice long overnight nap in the fridge, you slice it thinly and heat it up in the sauce that you baked it in. Or, the recipe says you can make ajitsuke tamago using the sauce. I was going to do that, but I got lazy and only made the eggs. I didn't marinate them. We had a little shrimp cocktail to start off Tuesday I made tons of pork spring rolls and crab rangoon (I rolled them up like the pork spring rolls) and froze most of them. Goodies to put in our pho (it's probably not traditional pho, but it's what I call pho) I FINALLY got the eggs right.....set enough to peel, but a bit runny in the middle. My bowl: I have my black eyed peas soaking....now I need to figure out what to have with them. Mr. Shelby is going deer hunting in a bit, so I have some time to decide

We are definitely in the "drinking in" group. In fact....it's almost 3 p.m.......is that close enough to cocktail hour?

LOL, I HATE surprises too. But, I bet his will be a good one You're realllllllly making me hungry for lasagna. I will have to make it this weekend!

For a dessert party, I think that an evening party works best. I'd do it around 7 p.m. I'm not a parent, but I would think kids could come and still be in bed at a reasonable time. Plus, it's a Saturday night, so they could stay up a bit later. And, definitely include the champagne

I spent the day yesterday prepping for tonights NYE/anniversary meal, so since I was kinda busy, I decided to utilize the slow cooker and make goose and noodles for last nights dinner. Mr. Shelby shot this goose last weekend and it's been brining ever since. Dr. Lecter has a high interest in anything bird....especially geese. I roasted it Monday on the rotiss. Did I mention Dr. Lecter likes geese? Or maybe he's just in to photoboming? Along with the meat I used carrots, onions, celery, mushrooms and tomatoes that I canned. Roasting the bird first gives it a great flavor. Then when it's in the slow cooker for hours, it gets fall apart tender.

Kim, I hope you know how much I love seeing your meals!

Kim, your family traditions remind me of how ours are/used to be. Mimosas are a MUST when I'm with my Mom .......sooooooo I try to carry on the tradition when ever I can

I know you'll be putting a runny egg on that breakfast slice

Hmmmm.....something like cookies and cream? A mousse? Maybe in a dark chocolate "cup"? Then there's always cake pops. I know, I know, overdone, but they could be cute and fun.