Margaret Pilgrim

The biggest problem or goal of Thanksgiving and a few other major family get-together meals is ascertaining and including the disparate parts that various members consider mandatory. When demands/expectations get out of line, it sometimes works to parcel out dishes. The final menu can get pretty bizarre, but so are family gatherings. As a child, I remember the laborious production of stuffing with rigorously chopped onions, cubing and oven drying of bread, carefully measured herbs. I use Pepperidge Farms corn bread stuffing, and God help you if that's not what our son finds on his plate. No longer the fight over there being too much sage in the dressing. Traditions morph, for better or worse. But their tie that binds remains.

Peppera Brandade cakes, dill/tarragon sauce

Several thoughts. re Waldorf salad, it does seem to be traditional for some people. Decades ago, I was out of town when Husband called to say that we'd been invited to Tdinner in the country and asked to bring Waldorf salad. Saint and engineer that he is, but no cook, he said that he'd pulled out Joy of Cooking, ascertained and bought the ingredients, all ready for me to put together after sliding into home base later that day. So Waldorf is definitely part of some people's Thanksgiving meal. Regarding the travesty to your expected bird and remains, rather than throw an ax into a family gathering that is at best fraught with emotional chaos, I'd just look for turkey sales at your neighborhood supers, pick up the smallest birds you can, like a 13 pounder, and roast one for your nuclear family, resulting in gravy, stuffing, and carcass. This meal, so uniting is also so dividing. I need stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. All else is fall decor IMHO.

Thanks for this good read and enlightenment. Our son recently brought the family over for dinner, along with the meat. He had discovered the newly coined "Denver stead" which is also an underblade chuck cut. It was, like yours, tender and delicious well beyond its price, altho lacking your sublime aging and technique.

I love your priorities!

Invited out! Invited out! Invited out! Had thought it would land in our dining room this year again but we're all (7) invited out! We will bring baked stuffing, gravy, 2 loaves 18-hour bread, maybe cranberry sauce, just because, since no one ever eats it. Son and d-i-l will bring wine and desserts. Am TRULY thankful!

Fuyu with Russian"ish" dressing, blue cheese Pork meatballs Marsala, pappardelle

John Lanchester's A Debt to Pleasure. I realize that this book is meant to be a tease, but the protagonist is such an unlikable pompous putz that I have to keep slapping myself upside the head not to get infuriated with him and abandon it. Almost half way through and I'm told that's about where it starts getting good. In the meantime, swap, swap.... Furthermore...while most critiques praise his food knowledge and the breezy recipes, I have had many quibbles with descriptions of a dish, procedure and seasonings. But it is, we have to accept, written from a British POV.

Clay feet take many forms.

Parenthetically, I had occasion to be in a Carl's Jr. last week. I wanted something small, so ordered the smallest burger. Very good bun, a ton of fresh veg (iceberg, tomato, onion), pickles, mayo. Then the beef. A third inch thick patty of dry, dense, well done ground meat. Toss it and you have a good sandwich. I'd blind choose the Beyond easily. But I am judging strictly on my personal preferences, not on nutritional or ethical concerns. I just can't swallow well done ground beef. BEYOND has the mouth feel and texture I look for, plus enough grill flavor to trick my palate. I know. I'm weird.

Interesting point. I could never sub ground turkey for beef No comparison IMHO. Turkey always tasted like, well, er, turkey.

The solution to half of life's problems.

I am close to recovered from a 4+ day bout with some kind of food borne agent. The only food that husband did not share around the time of the on-set was organic spinach. I can't find a recall, but have a call into Earthbound Farms customer care who should respond tomorrow. I am sure this was not severe enough to be ecoli, but is as much as I ever want to experience. First food in 4 days = cream of rice cereal. Tonight, I'll try a piece of baked potato.

This is absolutely the way to go. I am not trying for sourdough tang, but for a country sweet dough flavor. One of these days I'll remember to try the legit way.

I ALWAYS let mine rise in front of a furnace outlet. But then I live in SF ...

Known also as cocktail onions, for obvious reasons, you might try your local liquor store. Kewpie is not mandatory at all. I often think that calling for it is kind of a conceit. I've heard that chefs like it because it has a bit of MSG, and they can use it yet technically remain MSG free. So if you have a secret confidential supply (as I do) you could always toss in a dash.

Interesting. When I was last in ER I learned one phrase. I was next to a loquacious middle aged man perhaps best described as no permanent address. The doctor chatted him up familiarly, he actually asking her how she'd been. Finally my turn, the doctor shook her head ruefully and said, "Frequent Flyer".

Seated comfortably in his business seat aboard an A380 headed for France, husband mused about commuting from Butte to SFO on a DC3, often in winter. The changes we live through...

Reminds me of a story. I had a roommate who was the world's biggest ditz. Very bright, but her mind on the moon or Mars. She asked me for a ride to her flight attendant interview at SF airport. She got the job and told me, "If you're ever on one of my flights, I'll give you the best service you'll ever have." I responded, "If you find me on one of your flights, just let me know before we take off so i can get off the plane."

We don't tend to acciumulate cheese rinds. We eat most, save parmesan type for soup additive, and toss the waxed ones. Actually, the wax falls away from, many like Jarlsberg, so you can eat all that remains.

This question is somehow mind boggling on this or most internet boards. I mean, how do we really identify the nuts among us, ourselves included. To see ourselves, etc, etc.

That works for me. Actually rillettes is one of my favorite lunches.

You mean brut doesn't refer to the champagne that you're serving?

I think it's stunning!

Indeed! A pioneer in commercial aviation.