Morsels of Megret

So, this year at Thanksgiving, my aunt Melinda decided to test the waters a bit and bring out something new for us to try in the beverage realm. Instead of usual coffee or cider, she brought over Coffee Punch. For anyone who loves 1) Frappaccinos, 2) iced lattes, or 3) cold-brewed coffee of any kind, you'll be in heaven when you taste this punch. Plus, it's elegant enough and beautiful enough to serve at a wedding, shower, or holiday party. 100% delish. Thanks, Melinda, for sharing with me yet another fabulous recipe. COFFEE PUNCH 1/2 c. instant coffee 2 c. sugar 3 qts. Hot water (12 cups) 2 qts. Milk 1 T. vanilla 1 5-1/2 oz. can chocolate syrup 1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened Combine coffee, sugar, and hot water. Stir till coffee and sugar are dissolved. Cool. Add milk, vanilla, and chocolate syrup; mix well. Chill mixture. When ready to serve, place softened ice cream in punch bowl; pour chilled mixture over. Makes about a gallon + 1 quart coffee mixture.

So, here it is. What you've all been waiting for. An opportunity to gleefully laugh at another one's misfortunes....that is, my being forced to put my hand up in the crevice of a dead fowl. Enjoy. You want me to put my hand WHERE? And pull out WHAT?!!? My actual expression whilst completeing aforementioned task. Whew. It's all contained in the nice little, sterile, clean(er) Reynolds oven bag. Now to the oven, bird! I can forget about you for three hours. The finished turkey. Ah. Gorgeous. Succulent. Golden delicious. I deeply apologized to the bird numerous times for have taken his life to feed my friends. (Although I reluctantly reminded myself that he would have died anyway, whether I bought him or not. Oh, well.) Bon Appetit!!!

At the request of a reader, I will post recipes from "Cooks Country" that we've tried with success. This recipe fits right into that category....and oh, does it. This tasted like fine food from a fine restaurant, right at our own dinner table. A cheaper cut of chicken doesn't even phase you when you bite into this dish. Ken adored it. (As usual, I amended the ingredients to make it healthier and to fit what ingredients I already had on hand....amendments are in parentheses.) Chicken with Mushrooms and Leeks 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2-1/2 lbs.), trimmed of excess fat (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs) salt and pepper 1 t. vegetable oil 1 T. unsalted butter (I used salted) 10 oz. white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced thin 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, washed well and chopped into 1/4" pieces 1/3 c. white wine (I used cooking wine) 3/4 c. low-sodium chicken stock 1-1/2 t. minced tarragon 1 c. crumbled goat cheese (I used 1/...

Here is a photo of the apple pie. Delicious, although the crust flavor was a bit flat. I guess homemade just IS better. Next time I'll know. All I did was put 6 cups of thinly sliced Granny Smiths into a bowl with 3/4 c. sugar, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/8 t. cardamom, 1/2 t. salt, 2 T. flour, and 1/4 t. nutmeg. I piled it into the shell, then topped it with the second shell. Baked at 375 for 35-40 minutes, covering with foil at the beginning and end.

So, today I'm attempting an apple pie for the third time in my culinary life. The first I made in the fall of 1998....Ken and I were dating, and I made a Cooking Light apple pie to take to a church youth group party. It was okay....it's tough to make a reduced-fat crust taste good. I think I used the wrong kind of apples, too. The second pie was one I made last year, about this time. I went all out, making the crust out of REAL shortening (to ensure its flakiness), even though it killed me inside to think of the harm we were doing to our arteries. :) I used Granny Smiths, and I even got all artistic and cut out fluted heart shapes to decorate the top. It was, oh, my, delicious. Thanks to my brother-and-sister-in-law's help, it was gone within 2 hours. Today, I make another Granny Smith version, but I am cheating. I bought a Pillsbury ready crust in the dairy section. It's not that I'm intimidated about making a crust from scratch again, it's just that i...

I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but I suggest you pick up a copy of Cooks Country at your local bookstore....and then immediately subscribe to it. I subscribed to it in a moment of weakness, and I had post-purchase regret after I sent the reply envelope in. I have received three issues so far, though, and none of the recipes have disappointed. The great thing about this zine is that every recipe is tested numerous times by countless people....no haphazard kitchen science found here. What you get is tried-and-true, delicious, hard-to-mess-up dishes that are stupendous. Also what is included are, true to Cooks Illustrated-owned publications, step-by-step instructions and gourmet tips, as well as well-drawn illustrations and colorful photos, charts, and reviews of supermarket products. Can it get any better? Last night we tried the orange-garlic glazed pork chops. Tomorrow night? Chicken thighs with a mushroom-leek-feta sauce. I could go on and on....especially ab...

Try this on for size. Here's a simple solution to recreate those lovely, mouth-watering rotisserie chickens you see at the supermarket deli counters...right in your own oven. If you're lucky enough to own an actually home rotisserie grill, like my mom, this is even better....but a regular oven and a Reynolds oven bag works just fine. Delicious. Perfect company food, too. Simple Rotisserie Chicken 1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs. 1 t. salt 1/2 t. pepper 1 t. paprika 1/4 t. chili powder 1 t. garlic powder 1 t. thyme 1/2 t. basil Wash outside of chicken and inside cavity; pat dry. Set on a work surface, and run hands underneath skin to loosen slightly. Combine spices in small bowl. Rub liberally underneath skin on both sides of chicken, then rub into skin exterior. Seal in oven bag, and cut 6 small slits in top of bag. Marinate, if desired, 1-2 hours in refrigerator. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, checking temperature (when temperature in thigh reaches 180, it is d...