I had roasted red (small) potatoes with carmelized onions and parsley; filet minot and a great salad with homemade croutons - leftovers from last nights fondue bread. Tonight's dinner was supposed to happen Valentines Day but I had a kidney infection situation and ended up on the sofa most of the day, before mustering enough energy to make cheese fondue with bacon, sour french bread, celery and apple to dip. (Fondue is much easier than grilling and roasting here.) I have enough filet left over to have steak, an egg and a piece of toast tomorrow morning. Life is good.

for years i worked as a banquet waitress, and many holidays i did private waitressing at homes on Thanksgiving. my last 4 years i worked for the same family and every year they made the same thing, a presentation turkey, a turkey they cut up for warming to serve at the table, the whole turkey for extras, and all the fixings. every year, everything was tossed into the trash. the first year i asked the domestic why she didn't take home at least the whole turkey for her family. she said she was told she would be charged with stealing. the last year i worked for that family, i had made a 20lb+ turkey and all the fixings, somne dishes were either prepped or cooked 2 days ahead, the turkey was cooked the day before. leftovers were to be frozen for soups, cassaroles, salads, enchiladas, sandwiches, pot pies or just for omelettes for the coming months. during that last party i found out that domestic, with 4 kids and no father in sight since the last born, had 3 kids sick and had exhasted all her holiday funds for the season. i talked her into coming to my apartment after the party ended and cut my turkey in half, and packed up some of my fixings for her to take home so she could have her Thanksgiving dinner with her kids the next day. i even gave her some Xmas gifts i got for my own kids so at least she had a start on the Santa season. that year my Saint Bernard went with less dog food and had to do with more prime rib left overs from banquets for a while, i don't think he minded much tho. it's great to see that many don't toss the turkey and try to make the most of it. for my turkey stock, i pull off what meat i possibly can and roast the bones, then slow cook them and pick the bones again then freeze. i never gave the bones to BoBo, was just too afraid of another Dr bill of my own.

This is my mother's recipe for Spaghetti Sauce. It is wonderful! SPAGHETTI SAUCE Mix together: 2 Pounds Ground Beef 1 Cup Bread Crumbs 2 Beaten Eggs 1 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes 2 Teaspoons Salt 1 Teaspoon Pepper Fry a Clove of Garlic in 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil; then discard Garlic. Put large chopped Onion in Oil; stir around, almost to browning. Put Meat in skillet; break up, cook almost to browning. Then put in kettle. Add: 1-1/2 - 2 Quarts (3 small cans or 2 large cans) Tomatoes - put through sieve (throw seeds away) 2 Large plus 1 Small Cans Tomato Paste (plus couple of cans of water) 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano 1 Bay Leaf Stalk of celery (chopped fine) 2 Teaspoons Parsley Flakes 1/2 Green Pepper (chopped fine) 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 2 Cloves Garlic (discard after cooking) (Can substitute garlic powder) Little Basil Leaf (sift in) 1/3 Cup Sugar 1/8 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (sift in) Cook 2-1/2 - 3 hours, until oil comes to top MEATBALLS 2 Pounds Ground Beef 2 Beaten Eggs 3 Spoons Parmesan Cheese (optional) 5 Tablespoons Bread Crumbs 1 Teaspoon Parsley Flakes 1 Chopped Onion Italian Seasoning Chopped Garlic Clove Salt and Pepper to Taste Mix and make meatballs; either bake or fry until they start to get a little brown.

The Bear Creek navy Bean soup is ok for a "once in awhile" soup. As posters above have noted, it is heavy on salt, but this can be diluted if you add stuff to the mix and the additions have little to no salt. It is improved with the addition of meat. Diced ham slices go well. Canned chicken breast is good also. Dice Spam works too, but this may not lower the salt load. I haven't checked the salt content of Spam. You can add no-fat milk, but be careful. Too much milk will increase the tnedancy to boil over during the cooking phase (about 10 minutes for altitudes under 2000 ft.) Adding liquids, milk, V8 tomato juice, or water, will thin the soup, but more about that later. At the end of the cooking phase, lower the flame to minimum and stir in potato flakes to thicken. Add spices to taste. The soup mix already contains spices and flavorings. Adding the wrong spices/flavorings can mess up the soup. Experiment to suit your taste. If you like strong spicy soups, add stuff like horseradish sauce, or your favorite pepper sauce. A little Louisana hot sauce adds a kick. If pepper sauce has not been added to soup pot, freshly ground black pepper added to taste in your bowl goes well. Low sodium soda crackers add a nice finish. Instead of regular crackers, try oyster crackers. These do wonders for a soup.