I'll be thinking of you all tomorrow. Our T-day is going to be on Friday this year, because of various travel schedules, not to mention the several people who wanted to have dinner at their in-laws AND wanted to have dinner at DD's. I'm actually pleased ~~ for once, I won't be rushing home from work to start the prep for all the veggie dishes. Five vegs this year: cream-cheese/chili corn, harvard beets, gingered carrots & pears, snap peas (a change from the spinach squares), and a broccoli/cauliflower dish that has a nutmeg/cheddar sauce. Tried this last year and it was a success. 1 big bag of baby carrots, thoroughly rinsed, and the fat ones cut in half lengthwise. Dump in big pot of lightly salted boiling water, let boil for 10 minutes. While the carrots are cooking, open and drain a can of sliced pears -- this year, I'll have to slice halves, no pre-sliced in stock at the store. Put about ½ cup of pear jelly [or pear jam or apple jelly] in a small bowl and nuke just until warm and mostly melted. Stir ½ teaspoon ground ginger OR 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger into the melted jelly. Taste jelly and add more ginger if needed (you should be able to clearly taste the ginger). Depending on how many carrots, you may need to double the gingered jelly. Drain the carrots and dump into a large bowl. Pour the gingered jelly over and stir until all carrots are coated. Fold in the pear slices. For the dinner, it does very well on a warming tray, not going mushy. Have a good day, and may all your Thanksgiving dishes be wonderful.

Hi Linda, Here are the Zuni Cafe & two Junior League recipes for tomato pies. I included the California JL recipe because it calls for Cheddar rather than the milder white cheeses that most recipes specify, so it's different. (This cookbook has been one of myt favorites & very reliable for me for over 30 years.) I hope you enjoy. Savory Onion Tarts with Saffron, Tomato, Anchovies & Olives Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook 4 servings 1 package puff-pastry, defrosted 3 tbsp. olive oil 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced salt 1 bay leaf a sprig of thyme a few saffron threads 1 small, very ripe tomato or 15-20 cherry tomatoes (about 3 oz) 4 salt-packed anchovy filets, cut lengthwise into 3 or 4 strips each extra-virgin olive oil 4 mild black olives Warm the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a few sprinkles of salt. Let the onions cook until they start browning, then stir and let the onions cook again, stirring every few minutes until all the onions are lightly golden. Add the bay leaf, thyme and saffron, stir and cook until the onions are golden and tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Slice the tomato about 1/4 �inch thick or halve the cherry tomatoes, and salt very lightly. Let set for a few minutes to drain, then pat with a towel to sop up moisture. Drizzle the anchovies with extra-virgin olive oil When you are ready to assemble the tarts, turn on the oven to 400F. Grease a baking sheet or cover it with wax paper. Remove the puff pastry from the box and lay flat in a working surface. Cut the pastry into squares measuring 8" across. To get two squares out of a 13" packaged sheet, you may have to cut out one square and then combine the two resulting rectangles. Place one fourth of the cooled onions into each rectangle and spread, stopping about 1" from the borders. Top with the tomato slices, the anchovy strips& the olives. Fold up the borders. Bake until golden, about 20-30 minutes. Fresh Tomato Tart From the Junior League Celebration Cookbook 6 servings 1 pie crust, baked 3 large ripe tomatoes seasoned salt & freshly ground pepper to taste 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried 1/2 c. mayonnaise 1/2 c. grated/shaved Parmesan cheese 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 c. cracker crumbs Slice the tomatoes & place in layers in the tart shell. Sprinkle with the seasoned salt, pepper & basil. Combine the mayonnaise, Parmesan & garlic powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the cracker crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Tomato Pie From the California Heritage Cookbook, Junior League of Pasadena 6-8 servings 1 9-inch pie shell, baked 2-3 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored &thickly sliced 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 c chopped fresh chives or green onions 1/4 c mayonnaise 1 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (4 oz) Line the pie crust with the tomatoes, covering the bottom completely. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, basil & chives. In a small mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise & cheese. Spread the mixture evenly over the tomato slices, making sue to seal the edges of the pie crust completely. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. Serve at once while hot & bubbling. Note: May also be prepared using 6 tart shells about 2 inches in diameter. Divide ingredients among the shells & bake at 400 degrees for 2-25 minutes

Yum, I love caramel, too! Don't get me wrong, I like chocolate, but LOVE caramel! If you can stand a couple more.... Chocolate Turtle Torte Source: St Paul Hotel Crust: 3-2/3 c pecans 1-1/4 c sugar 7T unsalted butter In food processor blend pecans and sugar, add melted butter in steady stream until combined well. Turn out mixture into a 12" tart pan with removable bottom. Press to 1/8" thickness on bottom and 3/8" on sides. Bake at 350F for approximately 20-25 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool. Filling: 1lb semi sweet chocolate 2 c heavy whipping cream Bring cream to a boil and pour over coarsely chopped chocolate. Mix until chocolate is melted and mixture is combined well. Pour into cooled crust and refrigerate for 3 hours or up to overnite. Caramel Sauce: 4oz unsalted butter 1 c sugar 1 c heavy whipping cream 3/4 c crushed pecans (for garnish) In heavy saucepan melt butter, add sugar and cook until dark brown (not burnt). Add cream and remove from heat. Mix thoroughly until mixture turns a rich golden color. Drizzle over slices of torte and serve. Sandies by the Sea 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 2/3 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup pecans, lightly toasted and very finely ground* 20 caramel candies 3 tablespoons cream or whole milk 2 to 3 tablespoons large crystal sea salt or fleur de sel, as needed** 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate morsels 1.Combine flour and salt in bowl; set aside. 2.In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat to blend. Add dry ingredients in batches, mixing between each. Stir in ground pecans. Cover and chill dough until firm. 3.Preheat oven to 350�F (175�C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or butter the sheets. 4.Roll dough into 1-inch balls with floured hands. Place on baking sheet at least one inch apart, and form a cavity in center of each ball with thumb. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are brown and set. 5.Remove cookies from oven; cool briefly on baking sheet. Transfer with a metal spatula to a wire cooling rack set over a piece of parchment paper. 6.Melt caramel candies and cream together in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Fill center of each cookie with approximately 1/2 teaspoons of caramel. Sprinkle warm centers evenly with sea salt, and let sit until firm. 7.Place chocolate in plastic bag in a bowl, heat on medium at 30-second intervals in microwave. Massage between each interval until melted. Cut a small hole in bottom corner of bag, drizzle chocolate across each cookie; add additional salt if desired and allow cookies to sit until chocolate has become firm. Makes about 4 dozen. *To toast pecans, place nuts in a single layer in an ungreased shallow pan. Bake at 350�F (175�C) for 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to cool. Finely chop cooled nuts in a food processor or blender. Linda

@mtnrdredux_gw, AMZ tells me this is the glove (that is a link) I bought. I will not get near the mandoline without wearing the glove. Whether or not I use the guard varies. I must confess it was my own arrogance that caused me to cut my finger. I thought any intelligent person could surely use a basic, manual utensil without incident. Boy was I wrong! I use my Cuisinart for slicing if (a) I am slicing a lot and (b) the slices do not need to be thinner than 3/8”. Here is one of my favorite recipes that I make using the Cuisinart. It calls for 1/4” slices, but 3/8” works fine. https://leitesculinaria.com/223178/recipes-ham-cheese-potato-casserole.html/comment-page-1