How Was Your Weekend?

We enjoyed a four-day holiday weekend. It was a quiet and restful time, the kind of extended break we rarely get.

On Thanksgiving Day, we went out for breakfast. Pumpkin pancakes! For lunch and dinner, we enjoyed a few small plates at home, including stuffed portobello mushrooms, patatas bravas, and Mac and cheese. The weather was cool and clear, so we went for a walk around the lake.

Baked Mac and 3 Cheeses

I was inspired to make this three-cheese macaroni by a dish we encountered several years ago in an upscale restaurant. I've experimented with it a bit over time, and this is my final version. It isn't hard to make, but it does require plenty of prep time. Including everything, grating the cheese, cooking the pasta, making the sauce, baking the finished product, allow 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Happy Thanksgiving

After our grandparents' generation had passed, the tradition of having big family dinners went, too.

We weren't interested in cooking a big turkey dinner for just the two of us, so we tried alternatives. We might have Cornish game hens, or crab legs. One year we tried ostrich.

Buttermilk Pie

I had never heard of buttermilk pie until a recent visit with friends in Texas. I've since learned that this is a popular dessert in the southern U.S.

The pie has a custard-like texture and a light, sweet flavor. The basic buttermilk pie is made with eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, butter, and, of course, buttermilk. Some recipes include a little lemon juice, lemon zest, or both, and some add nutmeg. Some suggest topping the pie with fruit, nuts, or powdered sugar.

Chow Time

 
Last night I dreamed that someone told me it would be okay to feed Monkey Chow to husbands. After all, they are all primates and can easily digest the same food.

I was doubtful, until I realized that it would add some crunch to meatloaf.

The unconscious mind is always creative.
 

Cherry-Pear Jello Dessert

Thanksgiving reminds me of the big family dinners we used to have at my great-grandmother's house. The table was loaded with all kinds of wonderful food, and I would stuff myself until I slid out of my chair and collapsed under the table.

I always liked the Jello dessert my grandmother made. This year, I attempted to reproduce it.

Tapas For Two

By guest contributor Roberto Stepanovich

Sometimes, when a couple has been married for a long time, they fall into patterns that are hard to break out of because they are too comfortable and too easy for both parties. Sometimes these are behavioral patterns, but sometimes these are patterns of eating the same things over and over. In an attempt to (literally) add more spice to our lives, my wife began subscribing to TryTheWorld.com, where every month we receive a box of foods from foreign countries. These foods are usually some spices, sauces, condiments, small desserts and, sometimes, the beginnings of entrees that require some additional ingredients.

So far, we have received boxes from France, Japan, Morocco and Spain. Over the course of these months, we have tried some of these items and enjoyed most of them.

Losing Weight Peacefully

Weight-loss diets usually don't work. Yes, it is possible to lose weight by following a plan of some kind. Whether it's a crazy, rapid-loss fad or a nutritionally sound, medically supervised program, almost any kind of diet will work for a while. But the results don't last.

No matter what method they use, the overwhelming majority of dieters regain the weight within two or three years, and many become even heavier than they were before.

In the Kitchen With Dad

Throughout my childhood, my father cooked all our family dinners. He was not a good cook. Apparently, Mom was even worse. She had abdicated the lead role in the kitchen very early in their marriage, after one too many complaints from Dad.