Marlene

Let's talk about timing a bit. For your Hors d'ovures, the nuts can be made ahead, and I think the gazpacho can be as well. Are the filo rolls served at room temp or hot? The brie en croute needs to be done ala minute, and depending on when your guests arrive, the turkey will already be in the oven. You've at least three things that need oven time here, stuffing, roasted potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. You could braise the cabbage stove top, and I have no clue whether the potato custard is a stovetop or oven thing. The thing is, all of these will take varying times and temps, in particular the roasted potatoes. I'll say it again. Beg, borrow or buy a toaster oven. The brie can be done in it, without worrying about the turkey. The filo rolls, if you need to serve them hot, can go into the toaster oven before or after the brie. The roasted potatoes could be done in it while the other things, which are closer in temp and time can be done in the oven while the turkey rests. Cranberry sauce can and should be made ahead so the flavours can meld. Potatoes can be mashed when the turkey comes out and held, covered. I still think you've got too many starches here: 3 potato dishes and a stuffing. If I was going to remove one, it would be the goose fat potatoes. Yes, they are lovely, but unecessary to this meal. Mashed potatoes are kind of a must for gravy and you can perk them up with chives or thinly sliced green onions or something. Sweet potatoes just seem to go with Thanksgiving dinners. I'll be interested to see your timing and prep lists when you have them. And there's nothing more exciting than doing a meal like this for the first time. Scary sure, but it can also be a lot of fun!

It might help if you posted your menu, including what you plan on serving for hor's d'ouvres. Potatoes can be mashed as the turkey comes out of the oven, and held with the lid on. Is your stuffing being done inside or outside the bird? You don't have a micowave, but do you have or can you borrow a toaster oven? They're extremely versatile in situtations like this.

I cooked my way through two family illnesses and subsequent passings. Therapy indeed. I cooked for my brother and gained 20 lbs myself, trying to put weight on him. I cooked during my mom's illness, even though she could not eat, and I did not. It was all about the chopping, the stirring, the making. Having the knife in my hand, and yes I have all the toys, but during that one year, they rarely got pulled out, as I needed to do everything by hand. Cooking is my greatest stress reliever, but it is also the place where I find my greatest joy. I don't need to be stressed to cook. I find it just as much "therapy" to cook when I'm happy as when I'm sad. It is, to a large extent, what defines me. And for some weird reason, I find making stock to be about the most relaxing thing I can think of. When I get stressed, I'll start a batch of stock. I have a lot of stock. Something I wrote elsewhere sums it up for me: And I agree 100% with this statement

Let me know how the vacumn sealer works! I've been thinking about it!

Lasagna and garlic bread Dinner

Now I'm going to have to check and see if they've hit Canadian McDonald's. I don't care how bad they are, I loved them.

Chocolate chip cookies I'm hoping to get to a coffee cake later today.

Enjoy your last weekend, Susan! We closed ours a couple of weeks ago, (although technically we could use it all year) and there was frost on the ground when we did. Braises were certainly in order then.

It could have been the Star. I assumed the Globe as my husband left it for me to read this morning, and he's a Globe reader. In any case, the review discounts the waygu it seems but gives it 3 solid stars and suggests it will be worth more when the growing pains have stopped.

Anna, I bet your grandchild would love it too. What a great idea, particularly with Halloween around the corner.

Fairy tea! I'd think would be perfect with Fairy bread!

Mmm, egg rolls. I must try making them one of these days. I'd guess, Kim, that they freeze well. How do you reheat them for crispiness? No cooking last night, but tonight we'll do either crispy pork chops or prime rib.

Has anyone been yet? We have reservations for next week and will report back, but I'd be interested to hear the views of anyone who's been. It did get a decent write up in the Globe today.

Or Canadian. Our bread was toasted first, then the buttered , and cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. My parents used to call it "special toast"

We're doing Gumbo as a group cook elsewhere, so tonight was Chicken and Sausage Gumbo With biscuits I think I may have finally nailed this biscuit thing.

Perhaps he would like to go on a trip. I can send him to you, and maybe you can take a photo of him near one of your local landmarks. You can then do as you wish, wrap him around a book or pass him on to another person. ← I think it's hilarious. I also covet it. It could also be the start of something fun. Kent can send it to Jensen, who could wrap it around a book (a cookbook of course) and send it to another eGulleter, who could maybe make it into a paper airplane and fly it to another eGulleter and so on. Each person taking a picture. How far around the world could we make this little bag travel?

I have the progammable one and haven't ever had a problem with it, and I use it to make onion confit which takes about 20 hours or so in a crock pot. I start it on high then when I go to bed, just reprogram it for the 10 hour low and it's fine. Andie, I really like the looks of the one you linked to, and being able to use it to brown stovetop would be a huge bonus. I wonder if they ship to Canada.

I very much like Costco meats, and if you don't have a regular butcher that you use, and have to choose between regular supermarket meat and Costco, I'd choose Costco everytime. And their prices for meat are excellent. Cheeses and olive oil and balsamic. Almost all of our paper goods, kleenex, paper etc. Up here, every now and then our Costco has Jamacian Blue Mountain coffee, so I grab it when I see it. laundry detergent and fabric softener the large bottles of water for our water cooler cases of coke for us and cases of gatorade for the lad frozen cookie dough. Yes I know I can make my own, but sometimes, for a kid's bake sale at school this is just more practical. Butter Bacon I'm sure there's other stuff, but I can't think of it right now.

I did for about 5 minutes, then stuck them in the fridge for the afternoon. I also always use a cast iron frying pan when making them, and I use yukon golds, rather than russets.

The fresh hocks and feet are for pork stock. They are usually readily available at my local Sobeys. I've never seen pigs feet anywhere else.

Thanks Andie. It comes from being left handed and being forced to make sure I didn't have that backwards lefthanded slope. My husband's handwriting is some form of alien communication, I'm convinced. I'm also old enough to have taken 4 years of shorthand through high school, although I can't remember a single squiggle, even though I aced the course. It would sure come in handy when taking down recipes now. There'll likely be more added to this list in the morning, as I'm still taking stock of what I brought back from the cottage and what I don't have since I wasn't here all summer. Next weekend, when I host a dinner party, there'll be other lists, such as make ahead lists, etc. I'll try to remember to take pics of them.

Tomorrow's shopping list.

Thanks. There is a crunchy something. The rack is seared first in butter, then brushed with dijon and the coating is finely minced garlic and parsley, sauteed in butter then some breadcrumbs added to the pan and cooked for just a couple of minutes. The breadcrumbs get spread on the rack of lamb over the dijon. Then the whole thing goes in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Rack of lamb with rosti potatoes, and the last of the fresh peas I vacumn sealed earlier this summer

I have the corelle rice bowls too, in both sizes. They're also great for whisking eggs in.