Your table looks lovely, Bonnie Ann. Your floral and candle centerpiece is a classic and looks just right with your lovely china. Know your friend will really enjoy this special birthday dinner with you. Luvs

Thanks 1pinkmountain, jessyf, and Linda! LOL 1pinkmountain. Sounds like something my mother-in-laws would do. I know my FIL liked lentil soup because I had made that for him a few times. MIL, not so much. LOL Jessy & Linda, I got a thank-you call from FIL after our dinner. He said they really liked the meal especially the biscuits and "buns" aka orange chocolate chip muffins. The "other dish" aka spinach cranberry salad was not something they were familiar with but they "liked" it - being polite. :-) Well, I gave my best shot and they got what they wanted. Hubby came home, after delivering, and told me that his dad had a big grin on his face when he saw what I made for him. That's all it counts! Al

Low and slow are the key words. If you can only buy one book, buy Cookwise by Shirley Corriher. Meanwhile, here's an excerpt from a Q&A site on cooking: "Shirley Corriher, author of Cookwise (Canada, UK), and Chris Kimball, publisher of CookÂs Illustrated have come up with a slow-cooking method that also produced a delicious brown crust. First, they sear all sides of the meat in a hot skillet on top of the stove. They season the roast with a little salt and pepper, place it on a rack in a roasting pan and slip it into a 200°F oven, where it cooks until it reaches an internal temperature of 110°F (45°C). At that point, they turn the oven up to 500°F and continue cooking until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 130°F (55°C), which should take only 10 or 15 minutes more. Raising the temperature after most of the cooking is done gives you a deep brown crust very fast, Corriher says, because protein- and sugar-laden juices that came to the surface during cooking evaporated, leaving a high concentration of proteins and sugars that brown quickly. " BTW, I don't bother to do the initial sear, but instead season my roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning rubbed over a little oil and put it into a preheated oven. Hope this helps! Here is a link that might be useful: Q&A on roasts

Cathy, you should try Ann T's chiles rellenos recipe! The secret is the batter, and her recipe is excellent. Make the sauce before you make the chiles, so you can assemble and serve immediately. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Chiles Rellenos =============== I have been making Chiles Rellenos for about 30 years. I have never had an actual recipe. I just watch someone I knew (from Texas) make them and have been making this way ever since. I guess now is as good a time as any to put it down on paper. 1 or 2 cans whole chili peppers (usually 3 or 4 in a can) Monterey jack cheese 2 or 3 eggs separated 1 tablespoon flour salt and pepper oil for frying Sauce. canned tomatoes onions garlic cayenne pepper canned of chopped chilies chicken broth Cut cheese into finger size pieces. Carefully shove the cheese stick into a pepper being careful not to split it. Heat about 1 inch of oil in frying pan. Beat the egg whites until medium stiff peaks form. do not over beat. Beat egg yolks with salt, pepper and the tablespoon on flour. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Dip the pepper stuffed with cheese into flour and then into the egg mixture. Carefully add to the oil. If needed, spoon a bit of the egg mixture on top of the pepper while in the pan. (these fry quickly), flip over and fry other side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Continue cooking until all of the peppers are cooked. Make sauce by sauting the onions and garlic, add the chopped tomatoes and season with the chilies, salt and pepper. Add some chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve Chili Relleno with sauce on the side OR Place the fried chili rellenos in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over them. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 to 30 minutes.