Margaret Pilgrim

Husband thinks that more fun is in their consumption.

Interesting observations. I have never paid that much attention to these luscious nibbles I don't eat them, but husband sits at table in anticipation like a hunting dog waiting for hush puppies.

We need you to post "what happened next". Did it eventually cook through? Was it recognizable as challah or even bread? Did it release from the pot? I sympathize with your disappointment. Unless it "ate well".

What a treat to meet up with and exchange food with international travelers.

Brown and/or grayish are where the flavor is.

.Curry dusted grilled shrimp on cauliflower puree; hash browns

Wow! Who needs meat?

We just eat it straight. Thin sliced, small forkfuls. Savor its special flavor nuances. Small glass of sherry or alberino. Wonderful suggestions upthread for less exalted jambons

I read and accept your aversion to rolled oats, but I wonder what your well-meaning mom tried to sell you. I can't abide sweet cereals or gummy "quick oats". Nor have I tolerance for breakfasts that take more than 10 minutes. My solution: Old fashioned rolled oats, covered with water, microwaved for 5 to ? minutes, depending on the power of your nuker, splashed with heavy cream and good sprinkle of kosher or Maldon salt. A cousin to grits or savory porridge.

Since you didn't ask, and possibly also avoid chocolate and stout, I'll toss out an outstanding recipe, Guiness chocolate gingerbread cake. The name kind of takes all the surprise out of it, but you can wow guests by just calling it "cake".

I used to lightly saute pear slices in butter, add brown sugar to caramelize, and serve with blood sausage.

I like a very small drizzle of dark chocolate and dollop of whipped cream with a DROP of anise oil.

In Girl Scouts camping, we used to heat applesauce to a simmer then drop gingerbread dumplings on top. (From a boxed gingerbread mix.) Rather good. A little whipped cream on top ouldn't hurt this.

How so?

In the (Sierra foothills) country, we are seasonally up to our ankles in acorns. But they are certainly not edible off the tree or ground. In the past, we have made green walnut wine and liqueur, and wonder if a similar process might work for acorns. Simply, smashed and left to macerate in sugared vodka for several months, then left to age for a LONG time. We have some sublime from 2004.

@Norm Matthews, a lot of your plates qualify for that designation. Charlie lives well.

Planned-overs = two for the price of one. My favorite deal.

And your cupboard now can support a tremendous number of dishes already. When one cooks from a variety of cuisines, the number of condiments or ingredients can become mind and space shelf boggling.

Our household really creates very little food waste. Leftovers become tomorrow's lunch, and quantities too small to make a meal become refrigerator-prowl snacks. Those few dishes that fail to hit the mark usually can be foisted off on son's family, i.e., into the freezer and sent on to a better place. I am guilty of some degree of produce waste when my shopping eye is bigger than our appetite or my energy to create a dish from stuffs that require "work".

And one of my favorite ads in which a brown and white border collie is sitting up in front of the refrigerator, caption, "You and I both know there is one leftover pork chop in there."

These are a good product albeit a little thicker than most Italian pappardelle and require slightly more cooking time, IMHO.

I'm lucky in that my public library keeps fairly up to date on cookbooks. I just about always check one out for a relaxed perusal before ponying up retail.

Absolutely agree. I can't count the number of favorite gizmos I've tried to "sell" friends. I just categorize them as NIH (not invented here). Their loss.

Amen. And it's always fun to track down the various beeps. Is it the fridge? Door ajar? Someone accidentally hit the bottle chill button? It's the Cuisinart oven? Preheat is complete? OI bake time is complete? Or, it's battery alert of one of a half dozen smoke detectors on several levels?

Husband and I were both taken by this recipe for quick NAAN. He surprised me by printing out the recipe which I had previously and unknown to him bookmarked. No pics, but simple prep and quite recognizable product. Tender and flavorful. Only butter on hand to dress them, so next time will have a tasty curry ready.