GO GIANTS!!!!!!! Absolutely!!! Ann your duck looks wonderfully crispy. Joe makes a fabulous duck and we usually have it for Christmas Eve dinner. Shelley's pitas....OMG they look wonderful and so much fun to make. Is this the recipe you used? Pita Bread (Julia Child) 1 teaspoon dry active yeast 2 1/2 cups tepid water (80 to 90 degrees) 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour Stir the yeast and water together in a large bowl. Using a wooden spoon and stirring in one direction, stir in the whole wheat flour about a cup at a time; then stir 100 times or until the mixture look smooth and silky. This is the sponge and it needs to rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes, although it is best if it can rest for as long as 8 hours in a cool place, a rest that will give fuller flavor. Sprinkle the slat over the sponge and then stir in the olive oil, mixing well, again stirring in the same direction. Add the flour about a cup at a time, mixing until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it mixing until it is smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be moderately firm and have a slight sheen. Clean the mixing bowl, dry it, and coat it lightly with oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turn the dough around to oil its surface, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, or until it doubles in bulk. Turn the dough onto the work surface. Divide it in half and keep one half under plastic or cloth while you work with the other. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces and, with lightly floured cupped hands, form the pieces into tight balls; keep the balls under plastic as you work on the other. On a well-floured surface, flatten the balls of dough with you fingertips and then, using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. Cover but do stack the rolled out breads. Preheat the griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and lightly oil the griddle. Bake 1 rolled-out circle at a time on the griddle, putting the pita top side down on the griddle and cooking for 15 to 20 seconds before turning the bread over gently. Cook for another minute or until big bubbles appear. I'm taking out turkey wings for tonight's dinner. They make the best gravy and I need some potatoes and gravy today! Michelle

Maggie2094, I would never judge such a wonderful dinner option! CLBLakey, those stuffed prawns look wonderful! Would love a recipe. Solsthumper, Love everything you post, but especially love your gorgeous food pics! Sorry they are taking a back burner. Ann_T, Dinners look amazing as always! Hainanese Chicken looks interesting! For some one who doesn't like salads, your beet and feta salad, looks like one I would love! (love beets, but only one in family who does). Apple fritters also look really good! Need to bake soon! Lamb is one thing I have only cooked once. I find it's so expensive so I never tend to buy. Might have to look into buying a quarter or half as you did! Last night I made a pepita crusted halibut with cilantro, serrano cream sauce. I cheated as I had picked up a cilantro chutney at the Farmer's market. When I looked at the ingredients, they were pretty much the same as the sauce. I sautéed some onions, added a Serrano chile and some cream. Was wonderful! Here's the link to the recipe, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/pepita-crusted-pacific-halibut-with-cilantro-serrano-cream-recipe/index.html

Oh yes that halibut looks good doesn't it. And also Dixie's apple cake.....I'll cut and paste your recipe Stacy. And lovely presentation of the canapes Dixie. Welcome to the WFD trsinc...I bet your enchiladas were delicious! Yesterday I had the best osso buco I've ever tasted....and I made it from a recipe from the web that looked interesting as it used dry sherry and brandy in the sauce. Oh was it ever good! I halved the recipe as I was using two pieces of beef shank (no veal here) about one pound in weight, and I increased the chopped vegetables. We had it with steamed and mashed potatoes, carrots, leeks and cabbage. Now I'm going to also drag out my slow cooker and try using the same ingredients for some other pieces of beef. Here it is: New Italian Recipes Presents ITALIAN OSSO BUCO Ingredients: 3 lbs. Veal shanks Note: If you can't find veal, or the cost is prohibitive, you might try lamb shanks. Some recipes say you can substitute beef shanks. Keep in mind, if you use lamb or beef, the meat won't be as "fall off the bone" tender. The wonderful, meaty-vegetable stew taste will be there, however, so it's still worth it. Additional Note: If you use veal, you may want to tie cooking twine around the shanks to keep them from falling completely apart during cooking. 3-4 T extra virgin olive oil 2 T butter or Butter Buds 1 red onion, coarsely chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped 3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped 1 large stalk celery, coarsely chopped 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1/3 cup Marsala wine or dry sherry...(I used a very dry sherry) 1/3 cup brandy 1 T balsamic vinegar 2 T tomato paste 1 sprig rosemary 4 sprigs thyme 2 bay leaves 2 cups chicken broth (homemade chicken stock recipe) Veal or beef stock can be substituted. Salt and pepper to taste Gremolata: 2 T chopped Italian Parsley 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 t grated lemon peel 1 T lemon juice Mix in a bowl and reserve to sprinkle over individual servings. Preparation: In a large skillet or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, add 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. Season shanks with salt and pepper on both sides, then brown them on all sides. When browning is down, remove the shanks to a bowl to be added back in later. In the same pan, reduce heat to low and add 2 T olive oil and butter or Butter Buds. Add the onions, peppers, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir well to coat, then cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. (This will allow the vegetables to release their juices. Add the Marsala or sherry and the brandy, also the balsamic vinegar. Stir in well, cover again, and let simmer on low for about 6-8 minutes. Make a "bouquet garni" out of the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. (Wrap them in cheese cloth and tie with cooking twine.) Add this to the simmering vegetables, along with the tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and add the shanks and chicken, veal or beef stock. Stir both in well to mix with vegetables. When broth is boiling, reduce heat to low again and cover. Cook for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Veal should be "falling off the bone" tender after an hour or less. Lamb or beef might take a full hour and a half to reach maximum tenderness. Falling off the bone is probably not going to happen with lamb or beef, but the meat should be very tasty and quite tender. Garnish with gremolata, and serve the osso buco with the above-mentioned risotto, or with creamy mashed potatoes. In keeping with true gourmet cooking, here are a couple of variations for you: 1. Add either a 14 oz. or 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes at the point you add the Marsala and the brandy. 2. At the end of cooking, mix 1 cup of sour cream with 1 T of flour. Stir into the osso buco and remove from the heat. (This would give you a German version. Call it German Veal Shank Stew!) Source: New Italian Recipes printer version of online recipe. *************************************************************************************************** Sharon's Note: I halved the recipe but used 1/3 cup each of onion, celery and carrot chopped very finely into a mirepoix. rather than chopping these three ingredients coarsely as called for in the recipe. SharonCb

I forgot to write that last night we sat next to "Seinfeld's parents", LOL. They were hysterical! All 4 of them - 2 from Staten Island and 2 from Brooklyn, now moved out here to the famous town in our area where all the over 55 communities are located. They were just the funniest ever - I wish Jerry could have been there to listen - he could have started a whole new sitcom! And they weren't trying to be funny, that's what was so cool. I had my back to them so I couldn't see what they looked like but Ken kept looking and we were just cracking up the whole time! They were just on the good side of sleazy, LOL, not in a really bad way. If you know what hard core Brooklynese sounds like, then that's them :) Our waitress, the pleasant and efficient Lee Ann, seemed to enjoy them and of course they loved her like their own granddaughter :) The other thing I had wanted to mention was that the chef came out later in the evening and spoke to every table, such a nice and thoughtful thing to do we thought. It was just a lovely experience for us, one we haven't had in a long time in our area. I know, it sounds like I'm plugging my own place, LOL, I only wish it were! Back to reality tonight - grilled chicken ala Ken but I do hope to buy chorizo today so I can make Debbie 814's sweet potato/spinach/chorizo/feta warm salad :)