voyager

Our Christmas dinner was last night, Christmas Eve. Son and 3 sprogs came over mid-afternoon to construct the annual croquembouche. Excellent tower resulted. My back was screaming all day, so I cut courses and dishes from the menu in order to avoid disaster. As it were, the standing rib was undercooked, the Yorkshire stuck to the bottom of the baking dish and the peas I reached for in the freezer turned out to be edamame. But everyone refrained from comment and a loving time had by all, of course made possible by the Hoovered-up croquembouche. Thank God it's over and today has been more or less one extended albeit segmented nap. Son is returning with dim sum this evening. Thank God for good kids! Ho, ho, ho to all! May your roast be cooked to your liking!

Only half? You should live in town! 90% And the rest are "out of stock".

Didn't Antoine Westermann cook his famous roast chicken by "boiling" it before roasting? Reportedly incredibly juicy; IMHO, a great way to make chicken broth => toss the bird.

This stodge is for Sneak. Pork belly, mushroom, barley soup. Warm comfort on a stormy day.

I've resigned myself to having entered my second childhood. What else explains that 90% of shelf goods now come in "childproof" packaging.

Not if I drop in.

That looks like chicken in vin jaune sauce, not shabby at all!

Many "box recipes" become family traditions and are given homely names like "Gramma Lydia's Incredible Brownies" or regional tags like "California Date Bars".

Many thanks, all. This stroll down memory lane is almost as good as being able to reach back to the original posts.

Would someone repost the soofle recipe? I made it years ago and family found it inedibly sweet. Must have been my bad. Many thanks.

We combined the twins' birthday with Thanksgiving and celebrated Sunday, day before yesterday, breaking most traditions as individual requests were met. Ham, stuffing, (store bought) turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, naked baked yams (slathered with butter at table). cauliflower in Amatriciana sauce (a restaurant discovery and choice of birthday boy), mile high chocolate carrot cake, special order bakery apple pie (again for birthday boy). My New England focused father would have been horrified, but current family members' itches were scratched.

No doubt a difficult but IMHO a very healthy decision. I am unequaled in beating myself up over monetarily inconsequential but sentimental lost or broken items.

Er, I am the only diner to turn down angulas at Etxebarri. My loss, so I was told.

Pasta fazool. Something I craved but which husband has previously not liked. He has two refills. I ask, “So how is it?” VERY good. I give up! But as the saying goes, if this were a job I could quit, I’d have been fired long ago,

Um...not surimi but rather real baby fish. No?

Me. I was so naive that I never thought this could/would happen.

Thanks. For giving me another all-night ear-worm, as I struggled to put into writing the toddler's words. "Ken ah paet theyt dohg?"

Is your product not the one pictured far left, bottom row?

Have you had any problems with bears?

I was practically born on the Santa Cruz boardwalk and am intimately familiar with tinkertoy-like wooden roller coasters. Me? I was queen of catching the brass ring on the carousel. And not bad in the "bumpem cars". Of course it helped to have a smashingly beautiful 9 year older sister whom all the guys wanted to impress.

There is literally no amount of money that would entice me to get on the Cyclone. I have spent half a lifetime subduing panic attacks, including mastering slaloming downhill runs so as to avoid schussing.

Come ride my new indoor roller coaster, only 10¢ round trip!

Currywurst

Laugh ruefully? Okay. When husband was in hospital after his stroke and almost immobile, son and I decided to put in a chairlift on our staircase. Chose the least visually objectionable among several options. Contracted and paid 2/3 down. Was informed that since custom crafted for our curved staircase it would take 6-8 weeks. Fast forward, husband + rehap -> he is able to bounce up and down the stairs, the equipment was delivered to the local dealer and we postponed installation for over a month. Finally let them set it up today. As you might anticipate, it is butt-ugly and cost as much as a new small car. I keep telling myself that sooner or later it will be useful, and at a minimum the techs told us that, yes, it could be used as a dumb waiter, hauling up and down stairs anything less than 400 lbs per trip. Cheers.

Ay, ay, ay! The classics are indeed dead.