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RRO, those ribs are about enough to persuade me to make the plunge into the world of sous vide. Franci, love the cauliflower! I will have to try that. Also, the risotto al salto looks wonderful. What's the difference in that and arancini, other than the shape and the cheese inside the arancini? dcarch, the leftovers -- I'll eat leftovers at your house any time! Paul, good-looking chicken fried steak. You could shame a lot of small-town Southern diners with that one!

Over-easy egg, country bacon, roasted sweet potatos with barbecue spice rub. Followed by gluten-free pumpkin walnut bread, with sweet potato butter.

I consistently shop the "used meat" section in the supermarket. Yesterday it yielded me two whole fryers at 49 cents per pound, one of which went into my oven as soon as I got home and the other of which went into the freezer for a similar treatment later. Also scored two four-pound chuck roasts for a little more than $14, and one of those is in the fridge waiting to be turned into bouef bourguignon today for consumption later this week. The other is vacuum sealed and in the freezer. I also have about four pound packages of ground lamb, reduced price between $2 and $3, in my freezer; need to get busy and use those. I buy my ground beef and steaks from the farmers' market, but for meat preps that are going to be highly seasoned/sauced, I find little taste difference in "used meat." I did buy some marked-down ground turkey, planning on turkey meatballs, and wound up throwing it out when I didn't use it in a day or so.

Is there a difference in rice starch and rice flour? (newly diagnosed celiac is trying to learn all I can...)

Mallet -- re: the succulence of squirrels, have you ever had squirrel and dumplings? Marvelous stuff. I have not hunted squirrels in years, though, since I shot one out of a tree and went to pick him up, only to discover I had only stunned him. Said discovery made when he bit through the web of my hand between my thumb and forefinger. Put me off hunting squirrels for good, but I'll happily cook any that someone else kills. ETA: And the meat pies look marvelous!

Ditto Diet Coke. Not Coke Zero, not caffiene-free Diet Coke, not any variety of flavored Diet Coke, and most assuredly not Diet Pepsi. Diet Coke.

I went back to traditional Hoppin' John this year, after a few years of using black-eyed peas as if they were beans in a prep similar to red beans and rice. It was good; never anything wrong with tradition. Topped them with a heaping spoonful of sweet chow-chow. For cabbage, I was hankering for German red cabbage, so that's what I made; in the past, I've sauteed green cabbage with garlic and ginger, then added coconut milk to braise until it's tender. Or sometimes I just do coleslaw. We had brats, just skillet-fried, to go with the cabbage.

Shelby, my daughter, who's been diagnosed for five years, assures me I can occasionally tiptoe off the wagon once my system gets cleared out and my intestinal lining regenerates. I'm figuring 60 to 90 :days without gluten before I go exploring. Meanwhile, I'm playing with gluten-free bread -- made some rolls yesterday that were passable. As for my rolls -- I promise you can make them. They are just about foolproof. They are also wonderful. Recipe here. My blog will also attempt to keep up with my gluten-free baking adventures.

Lovely meals, everyone; glad to see you back, RRO. dcarch, astounding knife work; I don't have the patience. mm84321, between you and dcarch, your lovely meals (both artistically and the flavors I can but imagine). mgaretz, the beef stew made me hungry for beef stew; I must make it soon. Scotty, congrats on the kitchen and dining area; please post pics soon! Due to a frantic holiday travel schedule, I didn't cook a great deal. Here was my New Year's Eve dinner -- pepperoni and abruzze from DiBruno Brothers in South Philadelphia, with gouda, Wisconsin garlic cheddar, Parrano and some other kind of cheese, with honey and gluten-free crackers. Christmas dinner, as it was just myself and my 16-year-old son, was lasagna and yeast rolls (my last fling with real bread after having been diagnosed with celiac disease). And one in between was oven barbecued pulled pork with Southwest Potatos, recipe courtesy the New York Times. Happy New Year, everyone!

Add me to the butter list. And Lawry's Seasoned Salt. I'm quickly getting to the point where I'll do without eggs, too, if I'm out of fresh organic free-range from the local farmers' market. I can do without half-and-half for my coffee and sub with milk, but I am not a happy coffee drinker when I have to do it.

My plastic cutting boards go in the dishwasher, but not my wooden ones; they will, in fact, eventually split. My paring knives, steak knives, etc., go in the dishwasher, but not my good chef's knives. China, yes. Crystal I don't have, so not an issue. Cookware usually gets handwashed because it takes up too much room in the d/w.

Agreed, on both counts. Also, charcuterie. In the South, while the cured hams and bacon and summer sausage are pretty outstanding, that's about the limit. I brought back a little over 5 pounds of assorted charcuterie from DiBruno's in the Italian Market area of Philadelphia; TSA looked askance, but I defended my right to pepperoni, sopressata, abruzze, proscuitto, et. al.

Not a lot of kitchen stuff, but I did get a set of mixing bowls from my daughter, since I threaten to steal hers every time I cook in her kitchen. Oh, and a way-cool trivet made of wine corks by my youngest daughter; big enough to set a sizeable casserole on! ETA: Merry Christmas/Happy Chanukah, everyone! My biggest Christmas present arrives next week, when my granddaughter comes for a four-day visit, along with her mom!

Well, I didn't cook it, but..... Ravioli and meatballs, from Villa di Roma in South Philadelphia. They've been judged the best meatballs (professional) in Philadelphia. I will not argue with this!

That is a thing of beauty.

Kill me now, because that looks like what I'd love to have for my last meal. Oh, and would you come cook it for me?

Here's one that I've used a number of times: 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling, chilled Directions In either a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment or using a hand held electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk mixing on low speed until well combined. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla and pour into the crust. Place the pie into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to overnight, until well chilled and set. Top the pie with the pie filling just before serving. I see no real reason why you couldn't add the zest and change the cherry topping for chocolate ganache. And add an egg, if it makes you happy; you'd want to bake it a bit, I guess, to help it set due to the additional lemon juice. Anyway, sounds like it should work. I'm intrigued by the idea of chocolate on top; I may have to try that!

Just fascinating -- both the Bedouin village and the chocolates! Keep going -- loving it!

Pardon my ignorance. TSA?

Ginger-glazed chuck roast over rice, with a caprese made with tomatos from the Mennonites' greenhouse -- how I do love a fresh tomato in the winter! I used basil oil instead of fresh basil, which I did not have, my plant having succumbed to frost. It has the most amazing fresh basil-y taste. Today I'm on the final stage of cassoulet, from Paula Wolfert's classic recipe. I sincerely hope it's as good as the work and expense would indicate; this is not a cheap, nor easy, dish to make! I'll report.

Calzone, with Marcella Hazen's Tomato Butter Sauce. The filling was ricotta, pecorino, herbs and Italian sausage. Marcella sauce over the top of the filling. The top crust, with a couple of thin spots And the finished product, after a brush with an egg wash and 30 minutes at 375.

I've got the makings for a huge honkin' batch of bacon jam, which I think I'll can for gift-giving and preservation purposes. Homemade crackers. Pralines, because I can't not do pralines. Some fudge, because I can't not do fudge. Lots of pumpkin bread (found a kickass recipe that I love). More to be determined, but probably to include breads of some sort.

Rory -- welcome! Meatballs formed around water chestnuts....who'd'a thunk it? Must try that. JMahl -- loving the chorizo. Prawn...we should get together and try barbecuing one day!

Andie, do you not put any fat in your cornbread? Mama never made cornbread (nor do I) without a couple of tablespoons of bacon drippings. In a pinch, and without bacon drippings (the horror!) I've used vegetable oil. But always a couple of tablespoons of a fat.

I cook pork shoulder often, either on the grill with indirect heat, or in the oven. My procedure, which has proven itself over time, is a dry rub 24 hours ahead of time, wrapped tightly in plastic and stuck in the fridge; roasted low-and-slow (I tend to start at 200, and bump it up, 25 degrees an hour, until it finishes about 350 to develop a nice crust; on my barrel grill I just heap coals as far to each end as I can and put the shoulder in the middle. I find about five or six hours gives it the right level of pull-apartness. I will often baste with a vinegar-based sauce, every hour or so. You can make up for the lack of "real" smoke by adding a healthy portion of smoked pimenton to your dry rub.