Great idea to build a menu that way!

Wow! Looks amazing. The food itself, but also the photos. I'm not sure people appreciate what it takes to get good photos of food. I had forgotten all about this thread! I've been on a Keto diet for a few months (the first rule of Keto Club is that you have to tell everyone) and I'm really drooling over those dumplings--

Thanks! I've been practicing my photography as well as my cooking.

Those look wonderful!   What's your address? =O]

Just seeing this now but this course looks amazing, esp the vareniki! Oddly enough my Canadian Ukranian grandma always used term pierogi... Any of the drinks/pairings particularly noteworthy?

Pumpkin pie? Fed-ex me some leftovers.

i'm spatchcocking a turkey. half ended up in the oven over a mirepoix for a gravy base and half is in a smoker.

Apple pie, Non--I can't believe I didn't include that important detail! Pumpkin pie is up there with the greats but you can't beat a good apple pie, IMO.

Curtkram, both sound delicious!

I just got word that my MIL's turkey is in the oven, filled with stuffing. She's good at cooking most things but I find cooking whole birds with stuffing inside is a good way to ruin the meat. I usually cook turkeys with a few lemons, lots of garlic cloves and a generous handful of fresh herbs. Oh well, at least there will be pie!

Looks delicious! We have the same red Creuset dutch oven. How was the vegan turkey?

WG, it was delicious, I slow cooked this with cocoanut milk, and vegetarian broth, and it was completely infused. Perfect.

I usually dump some ice cubes right after throwing away the hot water after boiling. Then wait for a bit till the eggs have cooled down some. Usually works...

so i've tried "older" eggs; the cool bath; rolling the eggs prior to peeling; tapping the shell with a spoon to consistently crack the shell into bits prior to peeling; not tapping

best practice so far is getting someone else to do it :) but i still can't do it predictably

found this: https://www.seriouseats.com/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boiled-eggs

It's true that the laminate-shelled, decimated HBE is the food version of the common cold. Unavoidable and low-stakes, but so danged frustrating.

proto, my wife and I have a long-running debate about how to cook and peel eggs. I have a system that works pretty well, but she has tried to convince me that her way is better. She has sent me an article at least twice about her way but I never read it.

Well, I read your linked article and it makes sense to me, so I forwarded it to my wife. Her response: "THAT'S MY METHOD. THAT'S THE ARTICLE I SENT YOU!" Oops. Marriage...

Hahaha!

(also it was damn tasty)

Looks amazing!

Could’ve used a little more time resting before plating up, but I’m nitpicking...

Dang

I'm gonna guess lamb chops with honey ginger sauce, mashed potatoes with alliums and corn, braised sprouting broccoli and a balsamic reduction. How close am I?

Close, and very good guesses based on simply the photo. Herb crusted lamb, mashed celery root w/ thyme, wilted spinach, and a black ale reduction. All around a very 'British Isles' take on a typically french classic.

I'd highly recommend making the beer reduction for any meat + potatoes dish. Super simple - a can of black ale and a tablespoon of molasses into a saucepot and reduce slowly (it will boil over very easily!) down to about 2-3oz. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar. Voila.

Oh good idea mashing celeriac! I've been missing potatoes (due to my keto diet) but celeriac would be ok. Black ale reduction sounds tasty.

Oooh, a Cranberry 3-way (dried, juice, fresh) version with citrus and dark chocolate is a long-time classic must make for me! Whats the yellow stuff/your recipe (pineapple)?

Hi Nam. It’s chunks of tart green apple, like a Granny Smith. And the other secret ingredient is small dice of orange rind. When that cooks down into the sauce, it gives it a wonderful citrusy taste that goes really well with the cinnamon and cloves.

Ah, apple, I'll have to give it a try!

Looks great! I’ll have to try that. I have a fantastic scalloped potatoes recipe that’s basically cream and a mountain of shredded Gruyere. Love.

Usually I carmalize them in broiler, but was too hungry to wait.

My cooking mentors are Julia Childs and Jacques Pepin.

I just want to tell you that looks perfect!

Nicely done!

Belated response--yes, I'm a Michael Pollan fan--Omnivore's Dilemma was one of a few books that changed how my wife and I view food, from growing to eating, which led to us leaving our small city and buying an old farm so we could grow more of our own. I've been eating a lot of meat as part of a Keto diet but now that I'm close to my goal weight I'm scaling back on meat and working toward getting back to a plant-based diet.

No pineapple? boo urns

Of course not, otherwise not allowed to call it pizza.

Quite the opposite Rando. I'd say, with certainty, that a pizza without pineapple is a waste of dinner.

so you don’t eat pizza, that’s okay…it’s a tarte flambée with tomato sauce(!)

Don’t make me come up to Canada and put ketchup on poutine

this is the distraction I need.

Quality content.

I think my most controversial food opinion is that I'm ambivalent about pineapple on pizza. It's fine. I wouldn't order it, but if someone else got one I'd happily eat a slice.

only feel sorry for those burnt basil leaves

I cooked the basil into the sauce. It’s not burnt. The other green is broccoli rabe that was sautéed in olive oil and garlic…

I usually put some fresh basil on top, but I ran out

And made that sauce from fresh tomatoes that I roast in the oven. Tip: instead of boiling to remove skins, it’s easier to half them, place them face down, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 350 for 45 mins. The skins pull right off, and it removes most of the water…

impressive!

Looks great!

That looks delicious.

Yum! I’m a sucker for duck anyway but that looks really good.

Sauté red bell pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes in olive oil…salt, pepper, smoked paprika, coriander…deglaze with chicken stock… emulsify in pot…add lentils…add chicken stock and potatoes. Simmer for 60 mins…add kale towards end…you’re welcome

Meatballs: dice up 5-6 slices of white bread, soak in milk, add one egg, grated onion, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, chili flakes, pine nuts, parsley, 2 lbs of ground beef or mix 1/2 with pork, cover baking dish in olive oil and some soup…pan fry til brown, put in baking dish and bake at 400 for 20-25 mins. Skip frying if you want and bake for 35-40 mins.

Trust me…white bread sounds low brow…but it’s the key.

Whatever you call it, call me when it's ready!  It sounds amazing.

How about corn custard? Scrambled corn? Corn scramble? Corned eggs?

is it this? https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/corny-scrambled-eggs/

You should probably consult a doctor. I don’t think that’s good for you.

Easiest and healthiest food if you don’t like cooking…raw vegetables, boiled eggs, sardines, etc. Tons of simple things that are way better than that ultra processed stuff.

Not that brand, but I have twice been on all protein shake diets (for weight loss) and still drink a lot of protein shakes.

Things to look out for:

• Make sure you're getting enough total calories - there's a reason extreme weight loss programs use all protein shakes; it's because drinking 2000 kcal/day of all shakes is actually kind of hard.
• Check the micronutrients in your shakes - you might need to take supplements.

As x-jla said, it's probably better to find some "easy" foods in combination with some shakes than to do all shakes.

Also a cooking-phobe here, sadly. And I love the idea of it, too. But not enough patience and persistence. Thank heavens lots of other people are wonderful cooks!

15 minutes for you, a day-and-a-half (plus relationship counseling) for me. It looks scrumptious!

Take it from a 4 time veteran…go easy on the fruit and heavy on the vegetables. We made that mistake 3/4 times and 3/4 of them were super picky toddlers who only wanted sweet flavors.

Ours was def preferential to berries, preferably blue, only for first year or so of eating. Not lately though. Doesn't touch them.

I'm trying Thanksgiving with Covid-19 taste buds.

but... thanksgiving is in october?

For maple syrup guzzling, labatts swirling, hosers. Yes.

We refer to October Thanksgiving as "dressing rehearsal." Or the turkey round-robin.

a robin-stuffed turkey? Sounds... interesting. Keep me some leftovers please.

Or that I could attend legit thanksgiving dinners on three separate days that weekend...

This year we broke down the turkey ahead of time and cooked the legs separately - slow-braised in red wine. Roasted the breast day-of. Only took a about 90 minutes in the oven, and the dark meat was the best I've ever had. Highly recommend this method.

Tried a squash/curry soup, pretty amazing stuff. Curry, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon (just a little), and sage. Insane.

@beta hopefully feeling better?!

We also did a curried squash soup as an appetizer. Just a little mug for sipping. With a mushroom + swiss puff pastry thing on the side. Super good! I love thanksgiving.

Not to brag, but I made my famous Crispix cereal with store-bought blueberries today. I can jot down the recipe if anyone ambitious is interested.

We (wife and I) always go out for Thanksgiving. Yes, we're that couple. ;)

My wife and I are making roast pork loin (from a pig we raised) tomorrow, for ourselves. On Saturday we'll bring roasted veggies and a cheese dip to a family gathering.

We skipped cooking this year and went for dim sum. Probably first time in all my adult years I didn't cook a full spread but totally loved it/such a treat!

what are they? Also, where you been these last 6+ months?

Hey! It’s pistachio baklava. I’ve been on a social media break. family tragedy and been busy at work so I’ve been filling my free time with less stressful things like family and hobbies and less media in general.

No chips or fries with that? I ate two burger(s) myself tonight!