My parents are out visiting graves today, so I've had an orgy of Christmas wrapping. Well, it counts as an orgy in my book as I was left sweaty, exhausted with sticky fingers, and I kept having to yell at Diz to keep out the damn way.

They're bringing back pie n mash for themselves - I will be having a healthier tea and feeling quite virtuous for it. Mackerel and rocket fishcakes, sliced Charlotte potatoes (blitzed for 7 mins in the microwave) and baked beans.

Not exactly what Gordon Ramsey will be dishing up tonight, but good enough for me. Utilising 3 different cooking methods (hob, oven, microwave) counts as cooking in my book.

Today, I'm thinking sausage gravy over macaroni, steamed broccoli on the side. My strange version of comfort food.
Now, I just have to find "lite" or poultry breakfast sausage at the wasteland that is my local supermarket. (That's been the one significant downside to this whole Maryland thing -- shitty supermarkets.)

Ain't they got TJ's in MD? Annapolis still has its Graul's, no? And try scouring the Rte 1 corridor in the Laurel area, and downtown Baltimore for little old health-food groceries.

See if WholeFoods' website would inform you of any stores in your part of central MD.

Tonight we're having roast chicken. Rather than make a stuffing, I usually put a couple of peeled whole lemons and fresh rosemary in the cavity. Makes for the best ever gravy for the meat and veges.

In the way of veges we're having potatoes, onions, garlic, eggplant and zucchini. All roasted. And we're also having honey roasted carrots.

Yummy. Smells delish. And it's all just so easy.

My shopping pattern is to drop by the store most nights on my way home (since I usually don't know what I want to make till an hour or two before hand.) That means the store I go to needs to be close to home.

There is a TJ's, but they don't have the type of "ethnic" items I'm looking for. I agree that what they have is good; the selection is just smaller than I'd wish. Whole Paycheck is ridiculously expensive, and I will not support their Machiavellian ambitions. (There's another place called "Roots" that is about the same thing.)

Damnit, I just want my Wegmans. I hear that one will be opening up in the next year or so, and my life will be complete. :love: It will also spur healthy competition and improvements in the existing stores (I saw that exact effect when W came to my old neighborhood.)

For "ethnics" I'd definitely scour central Balto, then.

I just baked what feels like a ten pound dish of ziti (Soprano's Family Cookbook recipe---crispy, cheesy, noodly goodness) and now sugar cookies are in the oven. It's snowing ever so softly and there's no place like the cellar for the holidays.

I made the most awesome pizza the other night. The sauce was 1/4 cup ranch, 1/4 cup hot wing sauce, and about 2 Tbs cream cheese all mixed together. Mozzarella cheese, and chicken on top. I meant to put some green onions on too but I forgot until after I'd already put it in the oven.

Hot sliced turkey over pumpernickel bread, cranberry sauce and gravy. Green beans on the side.

/No, I didn't get enough Thanksgiving
//They're making ham for Christmas, so that's no help.

Interesting. Is that your own invention, or did you read it somewhere?

It's based on a coworker's invention from back when I worked at a Domino's pizza as a teen. You can get real creative when you only have a set number of ingredients to eat from every day.

We used to just smear together one ranch packet and the wing sauce from the hot wings we sold--but Domino's wing sauce isn't nearly as spicy as the stuff I had in my house, and mellowing it with more ranch just made it too ranchy, so I tried cream cheese instead. We used to pull the meat off the chicken wings and toss it on the pizza, but now I just cut up a boiled chicken breast instead.

The other invention I remember fondly from those days was a "Clodfobble* special:" one pepperoni, topped with a jalapeno and a squirt of barbecue wing sauce. Perfect for a busy night when you didn't have time to make a real pizza for yourself. Most people agreed it was really yummy, once I finally convinced them one by one to try it. I don't think my digestive system could stand up to very many of them these days though...

*[insert real name here]

I thought last night was full of great comfort food, but my roomy only had half the plate. I ate the whole plate...but I guess my roomy is a tough customer. I have this theory that it was too rich of food, and I should tone it down next time.

New York Strip steak, with red onion and mushrooms sauteed on top. Smoked Mozzarella and Sundried tomato pasta salad, zucchini and squash with fresh garlic (light baste and cook time), and gourmet organic baby red potatoes, with a lick of sweet butter.

sounds yummy cloud


Last night I made stuffed pasta shells with ricotta cheese, mushrooms and spinach smothered in a sweet thick spaghetti sauce.

Did you just call me Cloud?

Alright, I'm going to change my name with the moderators approval.

Cloud is awesome, but this is getting ridiculous!

laughs out loud alot

sorry cic...my mind was someplace else. Probably drooling over New York Strip steak, with red onion and mushrooms sauteed on top. Smoked Mozzarella and Sundried tomato pasta salad.

While I was at the grocery store I picked up mushrooms to sautee but honestly wouldn't have been able to recall who posted that tempting dish. sorry again