[cwcdesign]

We had the roast chicken, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy and my potato gratin which was easy to put together but I had issues cooking it. Will also made a delicious pumpkin pie.

The directions said to tightly pack the potatoes - I may have done that too literally as they didn't fill the casserole I wanted to use so I put them in my 8" square Pyrex and they were very tight. The extra sauce sat on top and I couldn't figure out if I had added too much. Which I did, as it spilled out onto the oven floor. What a mess! I kept going to finish it and the I had to clean the oven floor the best I could - I learned the my oven has a steam clean feature which we will try,
The potatoes were very tender and I will definitely try the recipe again. Lessons learned are that I need to use a square casserole I have that is sized between the two I used and is deeper. I shouldn't pack the potatoes quite as tight - there needs to be a happy medium and also that I should have dropped the temperature when I changed to the Pyrex dish. Will is thinking that we can turn them into mashed potatoes - we will probably use the food processor for that. Oh, I sliced the potatoes with the food processor and that was a good call

[cwcdesign]

Maryann (dachshundlady) asked about Big Lake Judy's Molasses cookies today and I told her I thought the recipe was here. I found it and sent it to her. She asked me to thank you Mike, she's not much into conversations these days. Her family is keeping her very busy.

[cwcdesign]

Mike, with the gratin, Kenji "cheats." You slice the potatoes through and then toss them in the cream mixture. Then instead layering the potatoes flat like a traditional gratin, he stacks them hasselback style in a casserole dish, very tightly around the edge and then fill in the middle - the key is to have them tightly stacked and it's OK if they don't exactly line up. Then add more cream mixture halfway up. The major issue is that you back for 30 minutes covered with foil, take the foil off for another 30 minutes to start crisping up the tops, add cheese and then ANOTHER 30 minutes to finish off. That's why I'm going to make it in the morning. I'm also going to use my food processor to slice as my mandoline legs broke and I haven't replaced it.

*I don't think I would have bothered making traditional hasselback potatoes*😁

[cwcdesign]

It's just Will and me, so he's decided to roast a chicken. NYTimes sent a newsletter with Thanksgiving recipes and there was one from Kenji Lopez-Alt for a Hasselback Potatoes au Gratin which looks like fun so I'm going to make that - I can. Are it in the morning before he needs the oven. He's also going to try the Sourdough Apple Pie from KABC. Don't know what we're having for vege yet.

[cwcdesign]

I made the pumpkin chocolate chip bread from KABC. It turns out you can follow their directions for reducing the purée and over reduce it - fortunately someone else had had the same issue and was told to add water back to total the weight of the purée you are supposed to have - At least now I know the consistency for next time. I did use 1 cup of AP and 3/4 cup WWW. We liked the flavor, it wasn't too sweet, and I might have been able to reduce the baking time a couple of minutes.

[cwcdesign]

I'm planning to use that method tomorrow when I try their Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. I do plan to sub in some white whole wheat - I don't know if I'll make any other changes.

We are closed on Mondays now, but some of us have to go in to do inventory so I thought I'd take a loaf in. I'll be there at 7:30 with one other and the rest will follow around 8

[cwcdesign]

We are back on our winter schedule of being closed Sundays and Mondays - we all love having two days off in a row.

So today I made a Thai farro salad with fresh veggies and a peanut sauce and Will grilled more chicken tenders. We have dinner for a few more nights

[cwcdesign]

Tonight Will grilled some more chicken tenders - they only had 3 packages at Harris Teeter this morning. I made a green salad with tomatoes and avocado with Caesar Dressing and crispy fried shallots that I made. We're getting ready for the next tropical storm (at least for us), but we are on the left side of the storm this time. I just feel so badly for the people on the West Coast of Florida - it's too much. Has anyone seen the pictures of the traffic evacuating?

[cwcdesign]

Oh Mike, I'm so sorry to hear about the surgery and the fact that poor Jack got hit with a bb. I hope it doesn't cause more problems for him

[cwcdesign]

I made chicken Caesar salad with rotisserie chicken, romaine, tomatoes and avocado with homemade dressing. We had garlic toasts with it.

Sorry about your cat, Mike.

[cwcdesign]

Len, thank you. What was weird was, my neighbors and I were OK without the power, but it was the lack of cellphone service where you couldn't reach anyone that had us all stressed. For us, it didn't hurt that the days were sunny and we didn't get much rain with the storm. We are thankful for all the little blessings and pray for those who were so devastated by it all.

[cwcdesign]

Joan, I'm so glad to hear your OK. I'm sorry for the devastation around you.

We had a great surprise - our power came back on around 7 tonight. I was really sure that it wasn't going to happen so quickly. And, that will free up the workers to go help in some of the places that have really been devastated

[cwcdesign]

I bought a small can of tuna, a ripe avocado, lettuce, triscuits, some Kerrygold cheddar(a splurge) a couple of chocolate bars on sale and 2 bags of ice for my freezer. The freezer is empty - I'm now going to use it as a cooler and the fridge is nearly empty.
Does anyone know how long after the power goes off you can keep fresh eggs. What about things like relish and mustard?

[cwcdesign]

I gather that Valdosta was hit as badly as the awful pictures you've been seeing of places like Tallahassee - she might not even have cell service.

At least I can text and call - I'm surprised I was able to get online right now - I haven't been able to see any news or weather - I heard there are 3 more hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic now. I get a better chance at 6:00 before everyone wakes up and starts using their phones. It's now possible we won't have power until Tuesday morning. We're all hoping it might be sooner

[cwcdesign]

Baker Aunt, this is why I jury rigged my latest crockpot to use my chef alarm for my timer. Chicken breasts (boneless) cook in approximately 3 ½ - 4 hours on low. You can imagine the first time I used it and hammered the chicken. Mine has a manual option, so I can set the temperature where I want it with no timer. There are handles that snap in place for transporting it. I put the chef alarm in the largest chicken breasts, clamp the handles down on the cord (the lid won't seal if I don't) and set the alarm to 163. I can only use it when I'm home for the day -

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