Deryn

My mother's homemade angel food cake with 7-minute icing for me. My kids always seemed to like chocolate the best. I went to great trouble every year to give them elaborate decoration and/or shapes depending on their current interests or party theme. Doubt they cared much about that, but, I had fun.

Canadians (at least eastern Canadians, can't vouch for those out west) love their Costco I have found. Parking lots are jammed at all times of the day in my experience, though I am sure on Thanksgiving weekend it was worse than normal. I too have gone elsewhere and paid more for less on occasion when I didn't have the patience to deal with the madding crowd. Haven't found the same when I go to the nearest one to me (Greenville SC) down here - where Costco shopping is often a peaceful experience (and quick checkout). By the way, I am not Thai but I could eat Thai food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, 7 days a week - and in Canso, I don't believe they have ever heard of Thailand, much less its foods. So I have been deprived for a while now - and I have to thank you, Kerry and Anna, for so many pictures of Thai food to salivate over. I read your 'ladies who lunch' thread avidly. And since I hit Asheville the other day, I have eaten nothing but Thai - though I doubt I will ever get it out of my system. Keep those Thai lunches coming though because I won't be down here for too long.

Yes, Kerry .. it DOES count. We can all be thankful that you finally found a cider press to use, and because the results of your efforts will no doubt be delicious. Sounds like a great way to spend any fall day - why not Thanksgiving? Have fun!

My next door neighbour's son is starting a craft beer company in South Carolina. They intend to grow their own hops, etc. and are working on their own beer 'recipe'. In time they hope to open their own 'pub' where they will sell food as well - all made with beer I gather. As a result, my neighbour has been experimenting with adding various beers to a variety of dishes, including sweets/chocolates. Thank you for your very interesting post. I shall pass on this idea to her if you don't mind. I am trying to encourage her to join this forum - and if I am successful, perhaps she will be able to contribute more on this subject than I can. I am fascinated by what you are doing but currently can't be terrifically helpful on this subject, sad to say. And welcome to eGullet. This is a wonderful place for sharing results, ideas and solutions to culinary problems. I am sure you will find others here who like to have fun with beer (other than by just drinking it).

I also cooked up, froze and delivered meals for my parents beginning in the 80s when my mother was ill with cancer, and then again a bit later when my father was getting much older but still lived at home alone. I probably did most of what others have suggested above, so I have no specific recipes to add but I always tried to vary the meals and make them as appetizing as possible. Also, because back then I found some relatively durable tv-dinner type containers, I would include a number of plainer (unembellished meat, starch, veg) type meals as well. I would deliver and pick up the containers from the last week's meals so my parents didn't have to cope with the washing up. After Mom died, I was actually quite impressed with Dad's ability to cook healthy food for himself. He used a slow cooker and kept it going all the time adding fresh stuff to it every day. It was always hot but the contents varied by the day - soupy one day, stew-y the next, depending on what he added and how much liquid was in the pot. It also went from chicken based to beef based to lamb based over time it seemed. He had only one usable arm so peeling vegetables (especially potatoes) and cutting them to size was not easy for him - but he did it for years.

Turkey. And I personally don't fool around with the stuffing. Mine must be sage-y and savoury, no sausage, no apples, no oysters - purely made from childhood taste memory. As Darienne said, Thanksgiving in Canada is more of a low key event - though the food is central to its celebration. It is not about the pilgrims either. It started in Canada to celebrate the end of the harvest season, which in northern climes is earlier than it is in most of the US. It is wonderful if family can congregate for the meal, but, people usually don't rush from all corners of the world to get home for that weekend. And football isn't (as far as I know) the main activity aside from eating. When I am putting on a T-giving dinner (which unfortunately recently I have not been able to do), I generally serve brussel sprouts in some form (these days usually quickly pan fried and tossed with pecans, not like the overboiled version my mother served), green beans (but not in a southern mushroom soup casserole style - fresh, very green, slightly crisp, with perhaps some lemon zest and/or almond slivers), mashed potatoes (I grew up with rice to go with turkey but over the years have migrated to potatoes as the standard), fresh cranberry sauce with oranges and Grand Marnier, and pan gravy. My mother would have also served a carrot/parsnip/rutabaga mash - and I have done that on occasion too. Pumpkin pie is probably the go to dessert - though I have been known to play around with that course too. While living in TX I learned that Thanksgiving dinner there is not complete without a lot of 'grey-green' green bean casserole topped with mounds of deep fried onions and an overpoweringly sweet marshmallow'd, pecan sweet potato casserole. In deference to my late husband's southern upbringing I added those to the menu down there, but, also kept my own more colourful, crunchy and less sweet versions on the table. I also dumped out a can of cranberry jelly for him to use as he never 'got' my fresh version - apparently it was too lumpy, tart and undercooked. And devilled eggs seem to be the de rigueur appetizer in many southern households during the Thanksgiving weekend.

Happy belated birthday, Shelby. What an amazing feast to treat yourself to! I hope you weren't too sad at hitting your 5th decade because, from this side of that barrier (by a long shot) looking back, I think my 40s and probably 50s were the best times of my life - and I am sure they will be for you too. Savour every moment ... and every delicious morsel of your favorite foods! Edited because I can't count.

Something is haywire with my fridge in Nova Scotia. It is set right according to the display (and a thermometer I set inside) but it freezes things. I upped the temperature a couple of degrees and get the same result. Getting a repair person out to look at it is difficult and expensive so this summer I have had to keep a lot of things out of the fridge that I might normally throw in there. At this point, I am considering buying a new fridge ... but .. the prices are horrendous and the fact that appliances are no longer made to last has me concerned so I have held off on a final decision. I never put bread, coffee, tomatoes, onions, bananas, garlic or potatoes in the fridge. Other vegetables (and fresh herbs) however I always have refrigerated. Eggs too. But who likes frozen eggs? And basil turns brown in a few minutes when colder than it should be kept. Parsley that is frozen isn't appetizing or useful either (unless you are putting it in a stew). Frozen cucumbers are interesting but watery when they thaw and not that fresh green they used to be either. No, most vegetables and fruits don't keep as well on the counter - particularly the organic ones. But, I would rather have them non-frozen for a couple of days than frozen for dinner (unless of course I purchased a package of frozen veg). I stopped putting ketchup, mustard, and many other condiments in the fridge - and so far so good - but I have to toss those anyway every few months because I just don't eat enough of them. I have never put fish sauce in the fridge, nor Tabasco type hot sauces. Butter I keep refrigerated but it is ok for a few days on the counter. I have easily used eggs a week after I bought them when I left them unrefrigerated. Due to my current fridge issues, after that I usually just throw them into the compost. Compost gets a lot of my failed 'out of the fridge' experiment remains. So if I don't eat it one way, I guess it will still do some good in the long run. That freeze drier is looking ever so much more 'necessary' to me these days after a summer with a malfunctioning fridge!

Thanks for the Crepes, I appreciate your tips on how to make crepes. I haven't made any in years to be honest, but, I used to make them the way you describe all the time and had good results. The crepe maker was an impulse purchase but since it is just a large round flat surface heated electrically, my kitchen-gadget-warped reasoning was that it also had promise for 'teppanyaki' style cooking (meats, veg, etc). I just haven't used it for crepes yet and do want to try it out. Oh and I think you should drive the 4 hours across the state to this area again - it is beautiful here. I doubt you would find it anything like what you remember. I expect it may have been when my aunt (who died in 1996) first came here in the late 50s/early 60s but you would probably have to go further out into the hills to find much of what you described in this area now. We now have running water. There 'is' a man who sells hand carved canes along the road not far from me once in a while. And the 'nut truck' comes to sit in parking lots around the area I live in November/December. Yes, there are a lot of people on food stamps around these parts I know, but, I know those are everywhere these days. I haven't heard of auctions such as you describe but it sounds like a 'small town' thing and Asheville isn't really a 'small town' any more except perhaps for the purposes of government accounting. It is just harder to get lost in than in the 'big city'.

Emphasis mine, spelling error yours <smile>. I miss the days of 'eating seasonally' probably much more than I care about local or not local. In general, however, if quality food is produced locally, I want to eat it, in season. When I was young, I truly knew the seasons by what was on the table. One never had asparagus for Christmas dinner. One never saw a 'fresh' strawberry in February. Pumpkin pie was only produced in the fall. And we appreciated our 'special' seasonal foods all the more for only seeing them briefly. Even today with strawberries available year round, I rarely buy them out of season, and I do prefer they are 'locally' grown. I think they have more flavour than those picked weeks in advance and shipped long distances - but, I do like the 'option' of buying out of season on occasion. On the other hand, I have never lived where olive oil was made locally and yet I use olive oil year round, and am thankful for it. I don't remember olive oil in anything my mother made when I was a child. But, butter came from a nearby farm. Nowadays, that is not necessarily the case (butter may come from some distance and I would not know the difference on that basis alone). When it comes to cheese, I am grateful that not all cheese is local for I would have missed out on a lot of wonderful and new tastes were that the case. And, I too really don't want to live only on turnips (really rutabagas - turnips won't keep that long but we always called them turnips) stored in the basement all winter if I can help it. And even though I can and dehydrate (and soon hope to freeze dry too), there will be days I want a fresh lemon or a fresh sprig of parsley in mid-winter - and believe me, unless I grow them myself indoors, 'out of season' can be long 'season' where I live. Stuff that arrives in my grocery store from foreign lands usually costs me more than locally grown fare - that is the price I pay for shipping - that, and the fact, that the freshness sometimes is not optimal. So, the local thing is a mixed bag in today's world. I would prefer all things be made/grown locally but since they are not, and since I am now spoiled when it comes to food diversity and availability, I am going to take advantage, when it suits me, of what foods I can 'purchase' locally, no matter where they come from, as long as the quality is good and I have a hankering (and the $) to buy and consume them. Perhaps that is selfish but I long ago came to the conclusion that I cannot save the world all by myself so I may as well enjoy the world I make for myself.

I love cashews. I generally buy them 'raw' - in Canada and the US. I have been known to absent mindedly munch on many of them at a time while watching a movie. I have never been ill from such consumption. My vote is with those who explained above that 'raw' merely means, in our northern American society, steamed but unroasted.

Welcome to eGullet. I too lurked here for years, mostly from North Carolina, the western part. Moved fairly recently up to Nova Scotia, but, tonight as I write this, I am back in the Asheville area for a few weeks so will wave to you across the state. You just reminded me that, not too long ago, I bought an 'almost' professional electric crepe maker that I have yet to try out yet. Thanks for the recipe.

Rooting for you and this starter, Anna! When I was moved to the Yukon when I was 12 (1962), my mother acquired some sourdough pancake starter from a neighbour who apparently had had it going for about 10 years before she dipped out a bit for us. Every Sunday morning for 5 years, my mother dished up sourdough pancakes, from the same starter. My parents moved back to Ottawa in 1967 and the starter went with them. 10 years later she was still serving my father (and me when I came to visit with my kids) sourdough pancakes, still from the proceeds of that 'original' batch. She gave me some at that point and I took it back to the Yukon - and killed it in 2 weeks (so I feel your pain when it comes to starter). When my mother died in 1986, I think my father left it in the back of their fridge and no one ever made anything from it again. A few years later, helping Dad defrost the fridge, I found the jar with its contents all dried up and we tossed it. I wish I had known back then that it might have been possible, even at that late stage, to resurrect it. Had I done that and had it worked though, I am sure I would have felt more guilt when it only made it through a couple of Sundays before it was declared dead for good, under my obviously less than careful watch.

If you were talking to gfweb, Alex .. I will defend him if he was the one who invented the dish I had never had till I moved to Texas - green bean casserole. If he did, I can vouch for the fact that there are probably only 2 or 3 people in the whole state who didn't copy the trick of using mushroom soup and a can of French's onion rings to amp up their holiday meals. It's a shame, mind you ... but ... it IS popular.

Kerry and Anna ... I so enjoy your trips to Manitoulin. Thank you for all the wonderful posts/pictures and adventures you have taken me on over the years during your time up there. Hope the weather clears up and is delightful for your stay this time. And I pray that Kerry won't have nasty midnight calls and sudden medevac flights to Sudbury - I hate it when she misses dinner and her cocktail. Glad you made it there safely despite the rocky boat trip. What freeze-dried stuff did you bring along to savour? The tomatoes? Okra? Or just fruit for chocolate enrobing or snacking?

I love popcorn, especially with cheese and herbs on it. Sadly, I am not allowed to eat it any more.

A dash of sherry in soups or anything that needs a bit of extra flavour. Stir in just before serving. Or, for lentil soup in particular, a finishing touch of sherry vinegar. Balsamic can also be used depending on the type of soup. Also, you can glam up most creamy soups with a dollop of sour cream or greek yogourt on top, along with a bit of freshly ground pepper and/or some finely cut herbs. Even canned soup can be quickly doctored up to be company fare with these little additions. I like colour on my plates. White plates, colourful food. Tempts the appetite. Gets oohs and ahs even before anyone tastes the food. I just can't serve (or eat) an entire plate of solely brown food. Get out the fresh herbs and strew them liberally on top if all you have is brown stew. Even before I could cook well, years ago, I had a sense that I could improve the taste of food by improving the looks of food - and when I got those raves it certainly increased my confidence, which then encouraged me to widen my repertoire. I noticed after I did that, when I went for dinner at others houses, they began adding these little embellishments too. Tarragon is an underused herb. Use it sparingly but try it with chicken (the logical choice) but also with pork, seafood (shrimp and salmon in particular), mushrooms and in salad dressings for what, for most people, is an unexpected accent. A touch of cinnamon in espresso, or swizzle coffee with a cinnamon stick. You can add ground cinnamon to the grounds before brewing or sprinkle it on afterward. Nothing magical or unknown about any of the above and one would think that just about anyone who cooks would know/think of these little touches but apparently they don't.

I wanted to edit my last post but I guess I waited too long. I was going to add that despite the difficulties/expense I might have with purchasing a lot of ingredients others may find cheap, I COULD put on a lobster dinner for 4 for $10, in season - either whole lobsters or lobster bisque to start followed by seared scallops on an arugula salad - which would probably leave me with enough cash for a simple dessert of some kind (pavlova or 'eton mess' with wild blueberries perhaps, or a 'wild' apple pie). Haddock is also relatively cheap in these parts. So, I would add to the list of 'variables' which may go into costing a meal (presumably for 4), seasons and local availability/specialty. I apologize for not suggesting specific recipes. I tend to go by 'ideas', what I have available/can get easily, what would be 'fun' to make, etc. rather than by using actual cookbooks these days. I collect cookbooks for ideas, not for recipes. And, no, meat/fish are not a necessity for a great meal either.

I am sure one can feed a family of four for less than $10 somewhere (maybe even most places), but, unless I got a great deal on the meat - which does happen sometimes - I might have difficulty where I live. I have trouble feeding my dog for that amount every day here (though admittedly he is spoiled rotten and dinner for him includes one whole chicken, roasted and deboned, daily). In North Carolina I can buy him 2 days meals for $10. Here, unless chicken is on sale, I would be pushed to buy a single chicken. I also have to consider that it costs me $40-$50 dollars in gas (and 3 hours time) to drive to the first largish supermarket to take advantage of 'sales'. However, that said, a simple roast chicken dinner would definitely fall in the range of possibilities for a 'cheap dinner' anywhere but here I am sure. Of course, there is always the ubiquitous 'beans and rice' type dinner which even I could fit into a limited budget. And homemade pizza could also fit the profile for a $10 dinner too most likely if one uses more expensive ingredients judiciously. A pork roast (in its natural cooked glory state or pulled) may also work. Pork seems to be reasonable here right now. My initial post really was just trying to get Sophie to define who she wanted her meals to address (are these 'family type' meals or 'company coming' meals, and how many people will be fed?)

I would need to have a lot of things in my pantry/fridge/freezer to even be able to make hamburger soup for $10 where I come from these days. Lean ground beef alone can easily be $6.99 a pound and up lately. And, that is my first point (it depends on where you live as to the cost of ingredients). My second is a question - how many people is this $10 meal to feed? And does that number include tax? Sophie - you may want to look for recipes Rachael Ray and other Food Network TV host(esses) have put out over the years under the banner of 'low cost' and 'less than $10' meals. Not all of them, as I recall, were casseroles. One could always 'deconstruct' a 'cheap' casserole as well - producing a meal with a 'twist' by separating components on the plate for the same price.

I suspect ... 5500 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls Ontario. Had you not given me the name of the restaurant though I would never have been able to look it up online, nor guessed where it was.

I have the Lee Valley maslin pan. Love it. Great quality. Would highly recommend it. Get the lid too (doesn't come with a lid but they sell one to go with).

Haven't tried this but it occurred to me that perhaps a hand held can opener (the kind that doesn't cut the top but pries off the lid from the can at the side) might fit and at least be able to break the seal if you can get a turn or two in before it realizes it was not made for that job?

I looked for that info too, rotuts. All I could find was a link to a 'StreetInsider' report that I could not access that indicated some kind of 'strategic alliance' between Breville and PolyScience - but even the date was cryptic. I am obviously not an 'insider' (but it does appear there is some kind of deal between those two companies).

http://www.spokaneareasheepproducers.org/ is the link to your local area sheep farmers association. I would bet someone there may be able to point you in the right direction. Board member email addresses seem to be listed.