A couple of things. First. Do Not use a utility/razor knife to try and hack thru hard plastics. It is simply too dangerous. Don't ask me how I know this. A small band saw would be perfect but a considerable expense. If you know someone with any kind of table saw you could use that by seting the blade very shallow (just a quarter inch or so above the table) and, placing the bottom of the bottle against the fence, rotate it around, over the blade, to make a clean cut. If you have any wood laying about you could make up a cradle like a miter box and simply use a common hand saw. A very safe method, if you can get a helper involved, to hold the bottles SOLIDLY in place would be to get a hold of a wire saw. It is simply a piece of strong wire with a couple of handles attached. Plumbers use them to cut through PVC pipe in tight locations and it works very well. PVC is pretty tough stuff and it cuts through like butter. The link below is to a YouTube video of one in action. You can find them at Depot/Lowes for about five bucks or even make one if you have some braided picture hanging wire and some dowels around. FYI wire saws (on a much larger scale) are what they use to cut through gigantic slabs of granite, stone, marble etc. to make countertops and such. A plastic bottle is no problem. Here is a link that might be useful: Wire Saw

Hey Eileen! Hi all ! Wow, this stuff looks great...I've been cutting and pasting since the top of the thread. I've copied some of my new rcipes, and some old favorites... pick and chose at your pleasure. They're all tried and true and are delicious... Don't know if you're planning to hire help, but I find that for a party of this size it makes a huge difference if I have someone serving and someone pacing the dishes and doing last minute prep and plating - and clean up! It's very affordable too - usually around $25 per hour per person. I usually have them for 4 hours, and give them an hour's gratuity. Ok, here goes... Ceasar Dip (this is best when made a day or two in advance)- Cooks Illustrated Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1 Tablespoon minced parsley 2 medium garlic cloves -- minced 1 teaspoon anchovy paste Fresh ground pepper Combine all ingredients in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Transfer dip to serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until flavors blend (at least 1 hour) Serve cold with crudite ARTICHOKE-PROSCIUTTO GRATIN Adapted from: "Bon Appétit October 2002" I just served this on Thanksgiving with toasted baguette and carrot dippers (cut carrots on severed diagonal) and endive. They loved it. Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cans artichoke hearts -- (14 ounce) drained, chopped 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto -- chopped 4 ounces Mild Blue Cheese 10 ounces Goat Cheese 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup Chopped walnuts -- toasted 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage Toss together chopped artichoke hearts and prosciutto. Mix in Blue and Goat cheeses. Pour cream over. Sprinkle pecans, Parmesan, and sage. Bake at 350 until gratin is bubbling and sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Antipasto This year we had a platter of the following on Thanksgiving: Grilled artichoke hearts (our favorite Italian store has them - they're still on the stem and delicious) Fresh salted mozzarella - sliced thick Fresh tomato slices Fresh basil Dried sweet salami Hot and sweet stuffed cherry peppers Mixed olives Roasted peppers Asiago cheese Served alongside a basket of bread sticks and toasted baguette ------ LionsHead Meatballs I love, love, love these...and serve them in a beautiful chaffing dish or crock...they're a nice alternative to Swedish meatballs. You can prepare the meatballs ahead (don't cook them) and freeze them on a cookie sheet. When frozen, place them in a zip lock bag until ready to use. When ready to use, DO NOT DEFROST, just saute them in a oiled pan and continue with prep as written. 1 cup "lite"* coconut milk 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 pound lean ground pork or beef 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup minced leek -- white and pale green part only 1 small head Chinese cabbage - diced 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger -- optional (I leave it out) 2 teaspoons seeded and minced fresh chile pepper -- optional 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil *If you can't find 'lite', use regular, diluting with 1/2 water. 1. Combine coconut milk, soy sauce and curry powder in a large saucepan. Set aside. 2. Place pork (or beef), scallions, leek, cabbage, cornstarch, flour, sesame oil, ginger, chile, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 3. Knead by hand until thoroughly combined and the mixture becomes sticky. 4. Shape into small (golf-ball size) meatballs 5. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the sides. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. 6. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. 7. Bring the coconut-milk mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs; cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 - 45 meatballs (this long cooking tenderizes them) Adapted from: "Eating Well Magazine eatingwell.com" ------ As an alternative to the Lionshead, and in keeping with the Italian theme, you can make mini Italian meatballs and serve them in a crock alongside small dinner rolls, so folks can make their own mini meatball heros. ----- I serve these with varying sauces, but they're great with just a squeeze of lemon Sue's Crab Cakes with Mustard Mayo Sauce Yield: 24ish Lots of crab and just enough bread to hold it all together. I have made these ahead of time and just reheated before serving. 2 lbs. Backfin or lump crab meat (Costco has 1 lb cans) 2 C. Fresh breadcrumbs 4 large eggs 1 C. Heavy cream 1 T. Dijon mustard 4 t. lemon juice 4 t. Tarragon - dried 4 t. onion - grated salt/pepper 1 C. Panko plus 3 cups for coating (Janpanese 'breadcrumbs') 6 T. Unsalted butter Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) In bowl, combine crab meat, breadcrumbs, an 1 C. panko. In small bowl, whisk eggs well and add cream, whisking. Add cream mixture, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, onion, and salt/pepper to crab mixture and combine well. In a large skillet heat 1 T. of butter over moderate heat until foam subsides. Take mounded tablespoon full of crab mixture in hand, and pat panko onto the crab cake to coat (don't try to dip it in the panko as the cake will fall apart). Drop cake into pan and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes - until deep golden. Carefully turn over and cook 2 - 3 minutes more. The cakes may be cooked a few hours ahead. Place on a cookie sheet and cover. When ready to serve, reheat in 350° oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Mustard Mayonnaise Sauce (for crab cakes) 1/4 C. Mayonnaise 2 1/2 t. Stone ground mustard 1/4 t. fresh lemon juice 2 t. capers (optional) In a small bowl, whisk together ingredients. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. ---------- Shrimp Salad (Chunks of shrimp with garlic, celery, lemon, and olive oil)- can be made a day in advance. We serve this on Christmas Eve as a nice light appetizer. Mom made this for years, and it never goes out of style. It;s a nice departure from Shrimp Cocktail. 2 lbs Shrimp (we buy the large shrimp sold at the seafood counter in Costo (4 lbs for 38.99 her on LI) - they're sweet like sugar 3 stalks celery (I like to slice it about an 1/8 inch thick - if they're too wide, cut stalk lengthwise before slicing) 2 Garlic cloves - sliced very thin or minced through a press Olive oil Lemon Salt/pepper Cut shrimp into 3 pieces, toss with celery and garlic. Drizzle with Olive oil (not a lot, just enough to coat) and juice of lemon (until mixture is balanced). Season with salt and pepper. Chill for several hours or overnight. ---------- Grilled scallops with Bacon Scallops Bacon Wrap bacon around each scallop, secure with long metal skewer you can line these up on a skewer, just allow some space in between so they cook evenly). ------- Grilled baby lamb chops with mint sauce on the side Prep these ahead of time and finish right before serving. 4 racks of lamb (Costco has nice ones) Rub roasts with a mixture of rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Roast at 400 until about 125 degrees. let cool. Cut alongside each bone to make individual chops. Place on flat roasting rack, cover, and set aside. Right before passing (these should be passed so folks get them hot), give them a quick cook under the broiler, turning once...serve immediately. ---------------- Hope this helps... sue

This thread is totally fascinating to me, because it highlights the fact that what you value most in kitchen items is so heavily dependent on who you are as a cook. For example, if someone gave me a rice cooker, it would end up on a shelf in a closet somewhere, because I've been making rice the same way for thirty years and it turns out exactly the way I want it to, every time. On the other hand, I'd be lost without my mandolin slicer and my OXO garlic chopper, because those save me a ton of time. I rarely use my pretty santoku knife, but couldn't live without my 5" Wusthof Classic serrated. Some people use their food processors to grate everything, while others prefer the control of an old-fashioned box grater. I think if you're a newlywed or just setting up your first "grownup" kitchen, it's probably best to stick with the basics until you develop your own cooking personality. A basic set of the best knives you can afford, plastic and glass mixing bowls in graduated sizes for prep and mixing, a good selection of sturdy spatulas/wooden spoons/whisks, a couple of basic half-sheet and quarter-sheet pans with lips on all edges, at least two cutting boards, a good set of pots and pans with well-fitted lids including a few non-stick, measuring cups/spoons, a few glass baking dishes, a sieve that adjusts to fit over your sink, and a decent hand mixer should get anyone started. Oh - and a decent vegetable peeler! If I had to narrow the things in my kitchen down to the single most critical item, I'd have to say that would be my whetstone. It's not an expensive or glamorous item, but if you don't keep your knives sharp, everything you do in the kitchen is more difficult and frustrating than it needs to be. And those electric sharpeners usually do more damage than good to an expensive knife.

Another vote for the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar here -- I don't even need olive oil with it and have used it straight on some of my salads. It has just a touch of sweetness and is mild enough that you can do that if you want -- especially with a salad tat has a protein and fruit in the summer. This time of year, butternut squash mac and cheese makes a brief appearance. It is better than the plain, I wish they had it year round. I am going to have to figure out a similar homemade version. It isn't something I eat very often, but it sure can hit the spot. My son always has the hatch mac and cheese in his freezer -- it's pretty good too. The butternut has a noticeable amount of black pepper, but neither should be too spicy for anyone not on a bland diet. IMO (in TX but not a total pepper head) My dogs love the pumpkin dog biscuits (and all the others too), but the oldest has been diagnosed with kidney disease and we are working on diet changes for them. If you see a little foil pouch with a red top near the checkout that is dark chocolate almond toffee bites, you might want to try one. Simple thing -- garlic and shallots. Better at TJ's than the grocery and we were getting CJ Ranch from Gilroy, CA garlic and we prefer that. Kalamata Olive Oil -- we just like the flavor. I am going to have to look for the pears. I bet I missed them if they are gone in Louisiana now. Costco -- always for meats, rotisserie chicken, organic unbleached flour, wine and fruit, vanilla beans this time of year, ciabatta rolls, and another vote for multi grain chips and the Charisma and no-name towels. I bought a bundle of the wash cloths to try as single use hand towels in my powder room -- almost too thick to put out as many as I would like at once, but playing with the fold/roll options. If you have't tried one, I'll make a plug for the Amope foot file and the deals they have at Costco (bundle and sometimes a coupon special), The new wet/dry one is a drastic improvement -- never used it wet, but love the two speeds and the fact that it doesn't eat up disposable batteries. Hard to remember what we have been buying there -- the other things that come to mind are the office supplies, kitchen organizers and things we have gotten for the son who graduated and just started teaching. And tires for my car. Oh -- for your own car or a holiday gift -- this https://www.costco.com/Lithium-Jump-Starter-Portable-Power-Bank-with-Brush-Metal-Finish.product.100383979.html