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I like Ina Garten's recipe from her cookbook, Foolproof. It uses a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes. Her recipe calls for orzo and saffron, neither of which I use. It also calls for a tablespoon of kosher salt - since I use Morton's, I use 2 teaspoons. I also add 1 teaspoon sugar to cut the acidity and 2 teaspoons of Italian Herb mix (Penzey's) in place of the saffron.

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We recently went to a local seafood restaurant - we were thinking about ordering fried okra - and it dawned on me that it might be fried in the same oil as the shrimp (my newest allergy) - I asked the server and he said yes and that I would also want to avoid the fried fish (which I was thinking about) and the French fries. He recommended any of the grilled fish - I had a blackened Mahi sandwich which was delicious. Anyway, it might not have mattered but I'm glad I didn't take any chances - I'm not carrying around an epi-pen for no reason!

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Aaron, Alton Brown has a recipe for baked brown rice that has become my go to. It bakes for an hour, but prep is 5 minutes and you don't have to check it. I think I originally found it in Southern Living

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I forgot to mention that the casserole was pretty good, better the second night, but the bread cubes were still dry even with all the liquid - it was made like a bread pudding.

Last night, Will made red beans and rice - he's been trying to replicate a dish he had while traveling. The beans were not quite done, pretty close, but he realized he followed the minimum time and needed to allow for the maximum. It was a little heavy for me, but delicious nonetheless.

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Happy Birthday to your husband, Chocomouse. It's a beautiful pie - my Mom's favorite birthday cake was cherry pie

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Great piece, Mike - I always assumed the sandwich was created in NYC because of all the delis - I had no idea it had been around so long. But considering the meat-packing history of the state - Cudahy Packing had a plant in Omaha, it's not a surprise that it was created in Nebraska, which ever city it was. A good one is still one of my favorite sandwiches.

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Mike, I went to Goldbelly to see if any restaurants were offering Reuben kits. There was a restaurant from Omaha, Crescent Moon, that calls theirs the Original Blackstone Reuben kit and says it was created at the Blackstone Hotel, named after a card player - what else - named Reuben.

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Will's making sourdough and I'm hoping to make, probably tomorrow, a Crystallized Meyer Lemon Bundt Cake from Claire Saffitz's new book What's for Dessert? I got some of my neighbor's Meyer Lemons before the freeze. It's made with olive oil, so I will post results - I'm sure that BakerAunt would be interested if it is good - I'm expecting it to be.

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Happy New Year!

We ate leftovers from our tenderloin for most of the week, with one day of chicken wild rice soup from the freezer. My brother sent us a reuben kit from Zingerman's (in the past he's sent us just bread - sending coals to New Castle). We had gone out for lunch to Mom's favorite cafe before her service on December 15th (two years later) where Will and my brother had Reubens - really good ones. Will subtly made sure that my brother knew not to send us bread again. Sadly, Zingerman's is one of those companies that is living off it's reputation. Both this year and last, the bread was stale and we had put it in the freezer as soon as it arrived. The dill pickles are soft, not crisp and the dressing was so-so. The corned beef was OK, but then was tough in the sandwich. I had marked a Reuben casserole at some point, so Will used what was left to make it yesterday. It was pretty good, considering the ingredients, and we would probably make it again with better ones. So, we will have more of that tonight.

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I got an incredible deal on a tenderloin at Harris Teeter. I ordered Angus which is their middle tier of quality and they prepared and tied it for me. I paid $32 plus change for 4 pounds (7.99 per pound, usually 17.99). I slow roasted it a la Ina Garden and it was perfect! I made bérnaise sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. We did not have dessert, but we really enjoyed our dinner and will continue to enjoy it. Tonight I will make a green salad to go with leftovers.

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I just used up the last of my sparkling sugar coating my third batch of Bourbon Balls - the cookie crumbs are also used up. The best by date on the sugar (from KAF) was 2015 - but it's sugar and no one has gotten sick from either of the last two batches - a little tipsy maybe.

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Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope everyone is staying warm and safe this Christmas!

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It's supposed to get down to the 20's here starting tonight. Since it's just Will and me, we're going to do charcuterie Christmas Eve and a small tenderloin with bernaise, mashed potatoes and green beans. We're picking up some stuff after work and I'm also going to get salad stuff for whenever. We're closed both Sunday and Monday.

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I made a batch of Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco filling in the slow cooker, so guess what we're having for the next few nights.

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I'm sorry for your loss, chocomouse. It's hard, especially around the holidays.
I wish your whole family peace.

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