Thanksgiving menu

An updated version of the classic green bean casserole, which was never a favorite of mine anyway. Mushy, grayish-green, onions?!, gloppy? No thanks, from the kids' corner.

Of course, use a stick of butter and add a cup of heavy cream to any vegetable recipe and it should turn out okay!

I'll ponder this one. I think steamed green beans with a squirt of lemon, a pat of butter and maybe some toasted almonds is just as good.

Are these really necessary?

Really? (she said haughtily). I think that perhaps the kitchen is not the place for you if eye protection from onions is on your list.

Ed: How does the punctuation work for that parenthetical phrase?!

Pizza dough is not a good substitute

If this onion/apple recipe sounds good to you, be sure to use the puff pastry.
I substituted goat cheese for the blue cheese and I think that was successful, but the pizza dough for the puff pastry..not good. And no fresh thyme twigs, I used dried, but again, that wasn't critical.

I am going to try the pumpkin bread pudding for Thanksgiving this year. At least it will have a bit more color than the traditional stuffing which is really ugly, but I'll still make it too.

Serious potato skins

Doesn't just reading this recipe make you want to host a lively loud party?

4 baking potatoes
olive oil
8 ozs. bacon, diced
6 ozs. cheddar cheese
1 bunch scallions
kosher salt & ground black pepper
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Rub the potatoes lightly with olive oil (really? I think regular plain old oil would work too. Jeez, so pretentious.) and bake them until their skins are crisp and a fork easily slides into their flesh, about 1 hour. Transfer the potatoes to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, assemble the toppings. Cook the bacon until crisp, then transfer the bacon to a small bowl, reserving the fat. Grate cheese, trim & chop scallions. Optional: carmelize some onions.

3. Cut each potato into quarters lengthwise to create 4 wedges. Using a small spoon, scoop the flesh (maybe it's the proximity to Halloween, but the use of "flesh" is starting to sound creepy.)from each wedge, leaving a 1/4 inch or more of the flesh. (Save the scooped potatoes for another use, like potato pancakes or soup.) (Yeah, let's be realistic. Save them and throw them away in a week, or just throw them away right now.)

4.Turn oven to broil Return the wedges to a foil-lined baking sheet. Paint a bit of bacon fat on each, then top with cheese and bacon. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling.
Season wedges with salt and pepper. Spoon a teaspoon or so of sour cream on each and scatter scallions on top.

Serves 4. (That's all?! A whole potato each?)

Worcestershire Sauce

Here's another recipe that has Peter Viechnicki's name all over it. I think every family should have a quirky, kind of old-fashioned eater like Peter - the gift options are quite varied and fun to contemplate. One year I gave him some homemade ketchup.

3-4 large shallots, chopped
2 1/2 T. allspice
1 T. mace
2 tsps. cayenne
1/4 fresh nutmeg, grated
3 3/4 tsps. salt (yikes)
2 ozs. anchovies, drained of oil
3 ozs. (abt. 1/3 cup) soy sauce
3 cups apple-cider vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in a sterilized 1-quart jar and screw the lid on tightly. Refrigerate for 1 month, shaking the jar every other day or so. Strain into a sterilized jar, and it's ready to use. Keep refrigerated. Makes 3 1/2 cups. (Oh dear, who has ever used a cup of worcestershire sauce in a lifetime?! Maybe halve this.)

And this puzzler is good, too!

Most motor vehicles sold in this country have both a manufacturer's name and model name, like Chevrolet Malibu, Toyota Corolla, where Chevrolet is the manufacturer and Malibu is the model, or Toyota is the manufacturer, and Carolla is the model.
Let's take one of those motor vehicles that has an actual model name and is currently being sold in the United States and it could be a car, a truck, an SUV, it doesn't matter, it's a model that is currently sold in the United States.

Take that model name. Remove the last letter, and the remaining letters, in order, spell a new word. Now remove the new last letter, and you have yet another new word. Do it again and you have now another new word. Do it once more and you have another new word. So you'll have done it four times, and have four different words, all of which you can find in the dictionary.
Here's the last piece of it. Now put all the pieces back, go back to the original word, and remove the first letter. And you have yet another new word.
What's the model name?

I love this puzzler!

This was on CarTalk on my IPod this morning while I was out on a miserable 9-mile run in the rain. The 54 degree reading on the thermometer was misleading..it was humid and too warm for even a long-sleeved t-shirt.

Anyway.

Can you guess the answer?

An old guy is driving home. It's late at night. He's be-bopping along the highway and he's some considerable distance from home. Suddenly, he feels himself having a heart attack. He says, "Holy cow. It's the big one." Thinking quickly, he takes the first available exit.
As luck would have it, he winds up in a residential neighborhood. It's very late at night. He pulls over to the side of the road behind some parked cars. He's fading fast, but he has the presence of mind to pull out his cell phone and call 911.
He says to the dispatcher, "I need help. I'm having a heart attack."
Dispatcher: "Where are you?"
Old guy: "I don't know where I am."
"What exit did you take?"
"I don't remember."
"Were you going north or south or east?"
"I don't remember."
"Can you tell me what street you're on?"
"I'm in the middle of the block. I'm parked. I didn't see any street signs."
Dispatcher: "Start blowing the horn. Someone will come out of the house."
No one comes out. She then asks him to do one more thing. Minutes later, an ambulance is on its way there and saves his life.
What did she ask him to do?