Crawfish etoufee. Chicken andouille gumbo. Musaman curry (tonight's was with venison) Panang chicken curry. Filet of beef. Roast chicken. Leftovers of the above. And as a side dish, hardly ever make it because of DH's hatred of cooked cabbage: from the Junior League cookbook of New Orleans. Baked cabbage with white cream sauce and just the right amount of freshly grated nutmeg.

I have two recipes I use -- one more traditional than the other. People seem to enjoy both, so I keep making two recipes each year. Country-Bread Stuffing with Parmesan, Raisins, and Pine Nuts (Note: I omit the raisins!) Serves 12 Nonstick veg. oil spray 2 - 14 1/2 oz loaves country-style white sourdough bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 3/4 inch pieces (about 16 cups) 8 Tbs olive oil 1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 1/2 ozs) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 2 very large red onions, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 ozs) 3 1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery 2 large red bell peppers, coarsely chopped 8 garlic cloves, chopped 4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary 4 tsp. dried oregano 3/4 c raisins (I omit) 3/4 c pine nuts, toasted 1/2 - 3/4 c thinly sliced fresh basil 4 large eggs, beaten to blend extra broth Preheat oven to 400. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Place half of bread pieces in large bowl. Add 3 Tbs. oil and toss to coat, then add 1/2 c Parmesan cheese and toss. Spread bread in single layer on 1 prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining bread, 3 Tbs oil, and 1/2 c cheese; spread on second sheet. Bake bread until golden, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets. Transfer to very large bowl. (I do this the night before and store in air-proof container until next day.) Melt 1/4 c. butter with remaining 2 Tbs. oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and bell peppers; saute until vegetables begin to brown and are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add chopped garlic, rosemary, and oregano; stir 1 minute. Add raisins and pine nuts; stir 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread. Stir 1/2 c. basil and remaining 1/2 c Parmesan into stuffing. Season generously with salt and pepper. Mix eggs into stuffing. Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter 15x10x2 inch glass baking dish. Add enough extra broth to moisten (3/4 c to 1 1/4 cups) Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake untiil heated through, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is slightly crisp and golden, about 20 minutes longer. (from Bon Appetit 2001) This is a new version of a traditional recipe for a slow cooker: Old-Fashioned Sage Stuffing Casserole Setting and Cooking Times: HIGH for one hour, then LOW for 5-6 hours Serves 6 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, or 1/2 c olive oil 2 large yellow onions, minced 4 ribs celery, chopped 1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and chopped; or 1 large carrot, chopped 1 small loaf French bread, cut into small cubes One 7-oz package seasoned stuffing mix, or 2 c crumbled day-old cornbread 1/2 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 1/2 tsp. dried sage 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1 1/2 tsp dried marjoram 1 tsp salt A few grinds of black or white pepper 1 large egg (optional), beaten 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c turkey or chicken broth, as needed 2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into pieces In a large skillet, heat the butter until melted over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Put the bread and stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the parsley, dried herbs, salt, and pepper and toss to combine. Pour the sauteed vegetables over the bread cubes and mix together. Add the egg and enough of the broth, stirring, until the ingredients are evenly moistened. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Coat the slow cooker with butter, olive oil, or nonstick cooking spray. Pack the stuffing lightly into the cooker. Dot with the butter pieces and sprinkle with a few more tablespoons of chicken broth. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to LOW and cook until puffy and nicely borwn around the edges, 4-5 hours. The dressing can sit in the cooker, covered, on KEEP WARM for 2-3 hours before serving. Serve hot right out of the crockpot. (from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook)

Several years ago I had planned a traditional Christmas dinner... turkey and all the trimmings. We had just had a new kitchen sink installed. I started my preparations early and unfortunately discovered the sink connections had failed. I informed Mr Wonderful I would not be able to prepare dinner. After checking restaurants available I found out we had three choices.... A Japanese restaurant, a seafood restaurant at 10 PM or Denney's. We went to Denney's along with many others traveling. It wasn't a traditional dinner but the service was excellent and me met lots if people. This year we will have authentic Cornish pasties and a pumpkin cheesecake dessert. Merry Christmas to all. s

We had roast chicken one year, it was delicious and no one complained. Other than folks who just complain for a living. This year at Thanksgiving, even though he KNEW we were having turkey for dinner, right before we sat down Dad complained that he had just had chicken for lunch . . . I actually predicted that would be his complaint de jour. He has a mental disorder so it will always be something. He actually complimented me on the meal and said he realized it had been his choice to eat chicken for dinner. He just couldn't stop himself from saying something negative. Kind of like OCD . . . he has a compulsion to say something negative as he sits down to eat a meal. Usually it is "I'm not hungry, I have no appetite." But his other go-to is, "I just had . . . "X, insert the name of whatever food is being served . . . for "you name the previous meal." Or "I've been eating a lot of "X" lately . . . Another one is "What IS that??!! Doesn't look like any "X" I've ever seen before . . . " People who are like this are usually suffering the after-effects of some type of trauma. Sometimes it goes back to childhood, and re-emerges as folks get older and can't keep as busy to hold their demons at bay . . . Sometimes it is a combination of childhood trauma and adult grief and trauma. We try to keep a sense of humor about it and be compassionate. We gave up trying to please, because it can't be done, by design . . . just try to include him and if he just has to eat a roll and some leftover plain rice, so be it. He knows it is his issue, does not need to be ours.