MaryIsobel

I'm in Canada and the asparagus roll-up were a staple at my mother's bridge parties in the 60's. I'm quite certain it was white bread spread with creams cheese. Cream cheese and maraschino cherry pinwheel sandwiches also made a frequent appearance at said parties. My mom would always make extra of those because to us kids, they were five-star food.

Had our family Christmas turkey dinner last night, due to a crazy work schedules of some. Having come down with a really wretched cold a few days prior (not Covid, was tested) I wanted to keep things as stress free for myself as possible. I have made make ahead mashed potatoes in the past but they take forever to heat up and usually develop a crust. Came across a recips for mashed potatoes in the Instapot, which said you can hold them on the keep warm setting for up to 3 hours. https://www.melskitchencafe.com/life-changing-instant-pot-mashed-potatoes/ What the hell said I. Not exagerating when I say they are the best, creamiest, easiest mashed potatoes I have ever made and every single one of the the 8 people present complimented the mashed potatoes. I can honestly say I don't ever remember being complimented on mashed potatoes before. I ended up keeping them on the keep warm setting for four hours and I'm pretty sure I will never make mashed potatoes for a crowd any other way. That said, I used all the butter and all the sour cream in the recipe for 5 pounds of potatoes, but probably only about 1/3 of the milk/cream and it wasn't necessary to add any more before serving.

I think your neice and I would get along famously! Sadly, one of the very few things my husband won't eat is any kind of curry. That and cilantro and peanut sauce (apparently tastes like someone spilled soy sauce in a jar of peanut butter) are about it as far as it goes for blacklisted food for him. Yes, I have explained to him that there are many flavours of curry but he has a mental block about it. Curry is always my "home alone" dinner and yours looks fabulous.

Thank you Night Scotsman, wherever you are. I have been making his recipe for vanilla marshmallows every Christmas for about 10 years. I finish them in toasted coconut and they are my 94-year-old father's favourite Christmas treat. It's funny, I have made crocombuche and buche noel and eleaborate Christmas treats, but people are blown away that I can make marshmallows! It's really quite simple as long as you have a candy thermometer and a sinkful of hot soapy water makes short work of the clean up.

Lots of cream cheese here. Light, regular, brick tub...Bricks are about 2.50 Cdn., same price as usual.

That is our traditional Christmas breakfast. Along with monkey bread and fruit salad for the one who doesns't like salmon or cream cheese! Pretty sure there was a mix up at the hospital with that one...

i have not. Just an assumption on my part.

They are definitley crunchy. I baked them longer than sugessted because i want them to be crunchy.

Second batch of biscotti for the local ER where my daughter is a CCRN. Almond and dried cherries plumped in cherry brandy. I'll send them in with her on her next set with a note thanking them. These great nurses and doctors and clerks works crazy hours and tons of overtime these days, yet keep their senses of humour. Cookies seems like little thanks, but I can't send in kegs of wine and bottles of scotch!

In our family it is "the sun is over the yard arm somewhere." (Irish railroader family equivalent to "it's five o'clock somewhere" but earlier of course!)

These ones were from Sally's Baking Addicition. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/dark-chocolate-orange-biscotti/ There are so many recipes, some with no fat of any kind. These had a small amount of butter and oil and have a nice texture.

First batch of biscotti destined for the ER at the local hospital where my daughter works. Two dozen orange chocolate biscotti. Thinking I will do Ameretto Almond for the second batch.

My 25-year-old single daughter who is a CCRN at the local hospital's emerg, uses various meal kits, mainly Hello Fresh. She works 12 hour days and lots of overtime lately. This girls loves food and cooking and is not a fast food fan. She does some batch cooking on her days off, but also uses meal kits and she figures the saved time and lack of waste make it worthwhile for her. She chooses her meal orders judiciously, looking for recipes that will freeze or keep for a day or two. She often orders meals for 4 so that she can cook once and eat for 4 meals. Recently she has teamed up with a fellow single nurse working the same line as her, who also uses the meal kits, so they take turns providing each other with lunch (or dinner, depending on the shift.) Because she is a frequent flyer, she was able to get me 4 free meals for 2. I enjoyed the ease of prep and the recipes were quite good - I've saved a couple for future use. Also used some cuts of meat I don't normally buy (eg. scallops of turkey.) Because I have all the time in the world to prep and shop since I retired, I don't see myself making use of such a thing but for a single, working person who enjoys cooking and a variety of food, they are great.

We are the same - numerous containers of soups in the freezer and at least twice a week we have choose-your-own-soup-night. As the chief cook and bottle washer, these are good nights for me! I often make bread or bisquits to go along and it is one of our favourite meals.

I made Food and Wine's Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo last night. My daughter came and we made wreaths and garlands from clippings on our property so wanted something I could prep ahead and shove in the oven. It was really good, although not terribly photogenic made in my dingy old dutch oven. Some suggested in the comments to broil the chicken but it was so fall apart tender at the end I couldn't imagine doing that. The breast skin was fine as it is browned/crisped before braising. We don't ususally eat the skin anyway so I was happy with the dish the way it was. True comfort food. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-in-a-pot-with-lemon-orzo

I would love to come to yours for a baked potato - yours are always my gold standard.

I use beer for fish and chips batter, cheese sauce from the melty cheese caluclator and beer bread. I have gifted several young men in our family with a bottle of beer, a disposable loaf pan and the dry ingredients to make a loaf of beer bread. They have all been suitably impressed with themselves for "making bread."

That's a unique concept - kind of assembled tortilla soup! Reminds me of the episode of the Urban Peasant (James Barber - much loved Canadian cook, not chef) when he did Leftover Dinner Party Soup. He said he basically scraped all the leftover food, including salad, with the leftover wine into a big pot and let it simmer all night!

Your spread when inviting people for "sandwiches" is amazing! Also those chicken parm sandwiches are calling my name. My husband is not a fan of chicken, chicken breast in particular, but smothered with cheese and marinara and served on garlic toasted rolls will definitely sway him. Still want to try those ravioli but the premade ones that I find these days are all mini raviolis. I'll keep looking. I could make them, and I have, but I feel that the premade ones would hold up better in this instance as my homemade ones are fairly delicate.

Wow - just wow. I love schnitzel and yours looks perfect. Now regretting my roast chicken dinner. I'm sure it will be fine, but I really want schnitzel!

What a perfectly lovely, comforting meal. I've just taken a chicken out of the freezer so we can look forward to something similar tomorrow night.

I think that Cavendish frozen fries - all varities - are the best frozen fries one can buy in Canada. They put McCain's to shame!

Inrigued that you freeze avacado. Care to share how you do it?

Thanks Kim - I've never seen them in the stores here, but there are several recipes out there for doing them in the airfryer, so I just may try them that way. Hear you on helping kids move. One of ours moved September 1, the other October first and Dad has a pickup so... Thankfully they both have one year leases and secure jobs! I'm getting too old for this!

Making the biggest cake I have ever made. Bottom is 3 - 12" layers, top is 3 - 9" layers. Raspberry and lemon filling, vanilla buttercream, filled and crumb coated, now in the freezer ready to transport 4 hours away. I have a box ready and ice packs in the freezer and where we are headed, the temps are around freezing. Day of the party I will do the final frosting and stack and decorate, got an edible image of a compromising picture for the top! Party is for about 75 people, cake will likely serve twice that many! For some reason, I can't upload a picture.