Well one thing's for sure, I dread going to anyone's house that's serving the old style Green Bean Casserole! It seems like we always need green beans for Thanksgiving, but who has the time at the end to cook them? Not me! I've started making the version below because it's totally worth the trouble and most of the work can be done in advance. Want to shock your guests?? Give it a try! Read the directions through before you start. I always do everything I can the day before Thanksgiving. Don't skip drying the beans! I use clean kitchen towels. Happy Thanksgiving! :) The following recipe is from Cook's Illustrated: (my heros) CLASSIC GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE Serves 10 to 12. Published November 1, 2006. The components of the casserole can be prepared ahead of time. Store the bread-crumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onions just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and heat the casserole in a 425-degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2-quart (or 8-inch-square) baking dish. If making a half batch, reduce the cooking time of the sauce in step 3 to about 6 minutes (1 3/4 cups) and the baking time in step 4 to 10 minutes. Topping 4 slices white sandwich bread , each slice torn into quarters 2 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened 1/4 teaspoon table salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 cups canned fried onions (about 6 ounces) Beans and Sauce Table salt 2 pounds green beans , ends trimmed, and halved 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound white button mushrooms , stems trimmed, wiped clean, and broken into 1/2-inch pieces (see illustrations below) 3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon) Ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 cups heavy cream INSTRUCTIONS 1. FOR THE TOPPING: Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside. 2. FOR THE BEANS AND SAUCE: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons salt and beans. Cook beans until bright green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain. 3. Add butter to now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 4. Add green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in even layer in 3-quart (or 13 by 9-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately. TECHNIQUE Quicker Vegetable Prep For Green Bean Casserole Breaking Mushrooms: 1. Using your thumb, pop the caps off their stems. 2. Squeeze both the stem and the cap between your thumb and forefinger to break each into pieces. Trimming Green Beans: Line up about 8 beans in a row on a cutting board. Trim about 1/2 inch from each end, then cut the beans in half.

Congratulations on your first grandchild - the first one is always so special! I recently found a recipe website that I like a lot and they happen to have a baby shower feature that you might find interesting. I'm not exactly certain what types of foods you might want, but here are some sandwich ideas I might choose for an afternoon baby shower. I love appetizer type foods and think they're always nice to have a large assortment at a party so I've posted some favorite recipes. Wizardnm/Nancy's Cream cheese filling for wraps 8 oz pkg. cream cheese 2 green onions (white part and about 1 inch of the green part) 2 tbsp. dry ranch dressing mix 2 to 3 tbsp white wine (optional) Combine all in a food processor and process until smooth. Spread a couple tbsp of mixture on each tortilla. Fill using leaf lettuce, sliced deli meat of choice. A great cocktail pinwheel can also be made using the above mixture and the following. Olive and Green Chili Blend ¾ C chopped green olives ¾ C chopped black olives 1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chili's Combine the olives and green chili's. Spread a tortilla with the cream cheese mixture then spread with olive mixture. Roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hrs or longer. Unwrap and slice into pinwheels about 1 inch thick. During the holidays I like to combine cream cheese with a bit of cranberry relish, spread on a tortilla and place deli thin sliced smoked turkey on it. Roll up and refrigerate as above. Yummy! (Nancy) CREAM CHEESE SANDWICHES Posted by: Lindac (My Page) on Fri, Aug 16, 02 at 12:35 8 oz cream cheese, softened, add 2 oz blue cheese,2 tsp w'shire, a rounded teaspoon chopped parsley, fresh if possible,2 T sherry ( dry or cream) and 1/4 cup chopped pecans. 8 oz cream cheese, 2 tsp grated lemon rind, 2 tsp rosemary, chopped fine and a couple of squeezes lemon juice to make it spreadable. Cream cheese with a can of tiny shrimp, drained and seasoned with grated lemon rind and horse radish. Date nut bread spread with cream cheese. MARILYN'S HOLIDAY DEVILLED EGGS Pink and Blue for this shower, I would think! Posted by: DanaIN (My Page) on Sat, Jul 5, 03 at 10:04 Place eggs in single layer in saucepan. Cover completely with water and add a large amount of salt, 2 tablespoons and about 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, keeping covered and allow to sit undisturbed for 25 minutes. Drain water and plunge eggs into ice water. If coloring eggs, for each color bring about 2/3 cup of water to a boil. stir in about 1/4 teaspoon vinegar and food color as desired. Carefully drop in cooked egg white and leave it in the water until it reaches the color you want (color will become more intense out of the water). Drain well on a rack until cool, fill as desired. Also, I got my egg plate at Walmart for about $3 I think! If you be sure to put a few drops of vinegar in your hot water with the food color, you will get darker eggs. Cool completely before peeling and remove yolks. Mash yolks and stir in other desired ingredients (Miracle Whip, mustard, pinch of sugar). Fill eggs (using a pastry bag) with yolk mixture and garnish as desired. Posted by: cookingrvc (My Page) on Sun, Nov 7, 04 at 12:49 Had a lot of eggs in the fridge, and a fair amount of cheese, so I put together a crustless quiche in a 13x9 pan. This one was good, I must say. They key is finding the perfect ratio of eggs to cream, which I think I've nailed. As long as there are 1 1/2 cups cream (I guess you can use milk, although I haven't used it straight yet) to 4 large eggs, it is foolproof... Measurements are approximate. I just make sure that the fillings substantially fill up the baking dish before the liquids are added. Can make ahead and refrigerate. Remove from fridge and let sit for 30 minutes before heating in 200° oven for 30 minutes. Large Quiche 4 1/2 Cups cream 12 Eggs Salt & Pepper 1 lb bacon - crisp 1/3 lb ham (I had sliced, but you can get the ham slabs and cut into cubes) 1 large onion - chopped 8 oz swiss - grated 4 oz. goat cheese - crumbled 5 oz. cheedar - shredded Preheat oven to 350° Mix eggs, cream, salt, and pepper - set aside Fill baking dish with fillings. Pour egg mixture over filling. Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, or until center is set. "Sweet Sausage Puffs" Vivian31 1 pkg cocktail sausages 1 can (10) biscuits Preheat oven to 350 Roll biscuits flat, cut into quarters, roll 1 cocktail sausauge into it and seal edge. Please seam side down in a greased baking dish. Sauce: 1/2 c. butter 1 c. brown sugar 1/2 cup fine chop pecans 2 tbsp. water Melt butter, add brown sugar, pecans, water, bring to boil. Pour over top of sausage rolls and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. PARTY SHRIMP SPREAD Posted by: Ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Oct 7, 02 at 17:07 2 (8 oz.) pkg. softened cream cheese 1 cup cocktail sauce 1 1/2 cups (1 lb.) cooked baby shrimp 1/3 cup chopped green onions 1/3 cup chopped green pepper 1/3 cup sliced ripe olives 1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes, drained 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella On a pizza pan or large, flat round tray, spread the cream cheese evenly. Spread the cocktail sauce on top. Sprinkle the shrimp, green onions, green pepper, olives and tomatoes onto the cocktail sauce. Distribute the Parmesan cheese evenly over all the other ingredients so it looks like a pizza. Cover and chill until serving time. Serve as a spread with crackers. Posted by brenda55 (My Page) on Thu, Dec 28, 06 at 15:37 I know, most are familiar with the cream cheese topped with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce. I was served a recent appetizer where the cream cheese had actually been blended with the Raspberry Roasted Chipotle Sauce and then topped with toasted pecans. It was very good and relatively quick and easy

I'm with Judi! I need a pre-hug because I am SOOO dreading the whole thing. Hubs is going out east to spend the holiday with his kid and grandkids. I am totally FINE with that, there's not really room for me in the house, and I don't want to take the risk of covid exposure for me and my 90 year old Dad. I don't usually enjoy long visits there anyway, it's a chaotic household so really best if we keep visits short and sweet. Hubs wants to spend a lot of time there, so he'll be happy and I'll be happy. I really can't be away from my Dad for a long, long time anyway, particularly far away. So I would really love and enjoy a quiet holiday ALONE. But on the downside, I will have to be around my Dad, who takes every opportunity to be miserable and remind everyone why they should be miserable, and make issues about things that aren't issues. He'll spend the whole time lamenting that we are "alone" on the holiday, because I guess I am just chopped liver. He'll revisit every death and estrangement and person who ever spent the holidays with us and isn't there. He'll claim he has no appetite and doesn't feel like eating whatever I make, complain that I made too much, and the only thing worse would be if I didn't do anything. He's clinically depressed and refuses any treatment for it. Which is fine, but he needs to make everyone around him miserable too. Oh, and he has a lovely invitation to spend Christmas with his godson, but insists that I have to come too. I don't want to go due to covid exposure and besides I don't even want to go, it's a long drive. They are lovely people but I would prefer seeing them at a time that is less pandemic complicated. But if my Dad wanted the whole Hallmark Christmas scene he could have it there. But he insists on me going, even though I really really don't want to. Frankly having him gone would give me some much needed rest, but he refuses to take that easy route. So now he's off in search of some public party and gathering at Christmas, Lord knows why he feels like he has to do that. I guess a little covid or flu risk is the way to go. We live in a very high transmission area. So I'm just dreading the whole affair because no matter what I do, it will be wrong/bad,/problematic. Hubs and I are having vegetarian lasagna for our Christmas dinner before he leaves. Not sure what else I will make. Probably just a salad and maybe some cranberry pistachio biscotti and tea if I can get the darn things made in time . . . Dad and I will be having cornish hens, sweet potatoes and wild rice pilaf, with an apple bundt cake for dessert. If I don't feel like fussing I might just make a small apple coffee cake in a square pan instead. I love my apple bundt cake but it takes five thinly sliced apples in layers so it's a lot of work. Or I might make cranberry cherry cobbler, that's always easy peasy but also impressive.

Thank you for responding. Yes, my interior designer said he has seen this in the past and been told that it has to do with the sander, but the company owner denied that. I definitely will not be having them back to “fix” it. Odd thing is, the problem was much worse in the living room than in the other roooms, and he said they used the same sander everywhere. I wish I understood it better because I can’t really refute what he is saying. Thanks again.