Kenn and Temple...the simply outstanding pics of your "blue" family never cease to amaze me. They always brighten my day. Your captures are extraordinary....many thanks for sharing with all of us. Happy new year to you both and to your blues! Donna

Jude, when we cleaned out the fridge, I had three jars of Vietnamese dipping sauces, all of them different, to be used with spring or summer rolls. They keep for a long time, but I need to use them up. I also had three different Thai marinades, and I should have used the old ones instead of making new ones. I have horseradish root in the fridge, and I need to make a sauce with that as well. Pam, when Bernard comes to do landscaping in the fall, he helps me clean out the fridge by eating leftovers. Maybe I can resolve to make smaller portions. I bought smaller plates so that we would eat less, but that strategy has not been working that well. When I make pasta, I only make just what we can eat at one meal (unless it is lasagna or fresh ravioli), but that is one of the few times I cook just what we can eat. Another is fish - I only buy enough fish for two servings at a time because it is expensive. Lars

Our traditions when I was a child were fairly simple and mostly revolved around gathering family (grandparents, aunts, uncles cousins and honorary family) at a table for the meal and not a lot of other fanfare. Foods were specific to the holiday and pretty consistent over the years although my mom did love to try new things. Unfortunately the response more often than not, was to stick with the tried and true - kids can be so mean!! We didn't make big productions out of many of the holidays that are big events now. Halloween involved carving a pumpkin for/with each child then shoo-ing us out the door to trick or treat in whatever homemade costumes we came up with from the dress-up closet. My parents would never decorate our house and it never felt like anything was missing in our lives. Fourth of July was our village parade (with our decorated bikes) and speeches, then that night the fireworks. Memorial Day was more somber but also a village event. Being Jewish, I loved being invited to decorate trees with friends, but we had 8 nights of Hanukkah and the last night was the big family event with games, the traditional meal and presents. But other than the menorah and candles, no decorations. Passover was a huge production (I understand now how much work it entails), the High Holidays meant new outfits for temple, eating, fasting, lots of family in and out for the various services. My DH is not Jewish and came from a whole different set of (religious) traditions. Oddly, he didn't like many of them, even as a child and stopped participating as an adult. Of course, I get the blame for that! We forged new traditions with our sons, celebrating Hanumas or Christmakah. We topped our tree with a Jewish star for many years, until I realized no one else cared about the tree but me and when I stopped buying one they all said 'what took you so long?!' Last year we went to Washington for Thanksgiving. Our older son lives there in a tiny apartment in a national park. Tiny as in you can sit on the foot of the bed and open the refrigerator! Our younger son came from his college in CO, and the 5 of us (including DS1's girlfriend) stood shoulder to shoulder preparing the big meal. Nothing traditional, no turkey no stuffing no mashed potatoes - we had oysters, Dungeness crab, roast brisket..... and Mexican flan for dessert. Close quarters, limited equipment, borrowed dishes, no fancy table settings or decor but we laughed and felt so TOGETHER - it was probably the best Thanksgiving we've ever had! I love traditions but have come to appreciate the wonder of shaking things up now and then. In the end, though, it's all about the people I share the events with and have found simplifying things allows me to enjoy them much more.

Thanks for that brisket recipe lowspark. It looks delicious but DH (and I) aren't allowed to have that sugar or wine. So I did a search on Arthur Schartz's website and he has the following recipe. Best of all, there's no sugar or anything else forbidden as far as I can tell. As crazy as it seems, I think I'll try it tomorrow. And if it doesn't work out, we can go to plan B (which involves DH grilling). His Recipe: For the 10-pound piece of whole brisket, I followed these directions exactly. (Such a sizable piece of meat should make at least 20 servings.) 2 very large cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 8 to 10-pound brisket 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 pounds onions, halved and sliced 3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds 2 large, outside ribs celery, sliced 1/4-inch thick 4 small bay leaves Rub 1 chopped clove of garlic into each side of the meat. Salt and pepper the meat on both sides. Spread the onions, carrots and celery on the bottom of the pan. Put the meat over the vegetables. Put 2 bay leaves under the meat, 2 on top of the meat. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and cook in a preheated 350-degree oven for 4 hours, until meat is just tender. Let meat rest 20 minutes, then slice: Cut the second cut off of the first cut and trim off and discard the layer of fat between them. Slice both cuts across the grain, either straight down or at a slight diagonal angle. Skim any fat off the juices left in the pan, and serve the onions and vegetables with the juices as a sauce for both the meat and any starch accompaniment. If desired, you can puree some of the vegetables to make a thicker sauce. If preparing ahead for serving another day, refrigerate until several hours before serving time. Skim hardened fat off the surface of the liquid that has collected around the meat, and off the surface of the meat. Allow the meat to come to room temperature before final heating. About an hour before serving, using a long-bladed, preferably serrated knife (I use a bread knife), slice the meat about 1/4-inch thick. It will require a sawing motion and a strong arm. Do not disturb the conformation of the meat. Return the meat to the roasting pan as if it was still a whole brisket. Baste with pan juices and heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting a few times during that period. The surface of the meat should have browned nicely, and the slices of meat should be heated through and fork tender. Trim excess fat off the meat on the plate, as it is eaten. Serving suggestion: Serve with kasha (buckwheat groats): Follow the directions on the back of the box, and top each helping with onions and juices from the pot roast. Or prepare kasha varnishkes: cooked buckwheat groats tossed with bow-tie macaroni and flavored with sauteed onions. Or serve with mashed potatoes flavored with schmaltz (chicken fat) and, if available, gribenes (the cracklings and blackened onions left from rendering the chicken fat), also topped with pan juices and onions. A green vegetable is up to you. Here is a link that might be useful: Arthur Schwartz's brisket recipe