Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

OK, Ed, ya got me. You used the swear word Semi-Homemade in a newsletter that got shipped to my inbox and nearly threw me from my chair.

I was relieved to read that your idea of Semi-Homemade is a lot different (better!) than Shamdra Lee's.

Truth be told, the only truly SH dish I make is corn pudding. It requires Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. I know if I put my mind to it, I could figure out the proportions of corn meal, flour, salt, etc. to yield the identical amount of dry ingredients contained in each box. With so much other T-Giving prep going on, to do this would be cutting off my nose to spite my face. My solution is to continue preparing the corn pudding as I have and simply fess up about the inclusion of corn muffin mix. With a respectable array of scratch foods on my T-Giving table, I think forgiveness for this one short cut dish would be in order.

Happy T-Giving!

We try to do most everything from scratch now, and generally we do so by planning ahead, such as making and freezing pie crusts in advance. Otherwise it would be impossible. We don't do gravy from scratch as we've taken to deep frying a turkey (to anyone who hasn't tried it, it is a surpisingly fast and tasty method, but you do need a backyard for it.) And there are some things that just shouldn't be tinkered with that were meant to be semi-homemade, such as green bean casserole. I saw Alton Brown's episode where he did it homemade and it just didn't look as yummy, and I guess sarahbeam proved it in her own home.

I personally would love to do a feast like seyo someday, but it would have to be for just my husband and me and some food-enthusiast friends. Our families just wouldn't go for such a departure from tradition! What we have been able to do over time is introduce more homemade elements to the occasion as we've become better cooks, but obviously the larger the crowd the more difficult this becomes. At the end of the day a few shortcuts aren't going to hurt anybody as long as everything is tasty and everyone has fun!

Thanks Jerzee, from what I've read, you hold up your end pretty well too. I think one of the missions of the food-makers is to push others, the eaters, into broader horizons. So even if they have somewhat conservative tastes, I like to challenge them and coax them into eating stuff they've never thought of, or thought they would like. Thats half the fun for me, watching them as their minds are being blown.

@seyo you are gifted my friend. My people are not cool enough for a menu as epicurean as yours. If it were my husband and I, the menu would be more enterprising. That moonshine granita has got me thinking.
I bought a huge bottle of ouzo today. Wheels turning.

I went to Williams Sonoma today and found instant everything, stuffing, pie crust, gravy, soup all of it. I have to believe that WS has their hand on the "pulse" and that we old fashioned "cook from scratchers" are a minority group again. Maybe this is why the (formely about) Food TV has gone semi-homemade, yummo, tablescape (gasp).
That is ok, everything old is new again. We shall be a very vocal minority.

I agree with the comments about difference in texture and spicing, and between the two, a great sweet potato pie will win out over a great pumpkin pie. Yumm...

My sweet potato pie recipe (with pecans) is from a southern cookbook. I like it better than pumpkin because it's from fresh potatoes, not something in a can. I'm not about to tackle stringy, huge pumpkins. I'll admit that most wouldn't know the difference, if I didn't tell them, but it really does taste better.

I just recently remembered this snack my mom used to make us kids, and I've promised my grand-kids I'd make it for them. Saltine crackers spread with peanut butter and a marshmallow. Broil until marshmallow is as dark as you like it. Kind of an indoor s'mores I guess, without the chocolate. I'm going to go make some now. I haven't had one in oh, thirty years or so.

I usually eat lunch out 2 times per week. On the other 3 days, it's a salad -- usually a tossed green salad with whatever veggies are in the fridge and a can of Italian tuna, or a caesar salad with bacon and reggiano shavings. I make it in the morning before I head off to work.

I usually make my lunch in the morning. Usually I make sandwiches and pack fruit. Today I packed pita with hummus and a banana that unfortunately exploded in my handbag.

i am hungriest at lunchtime. i can see why spaniards and italians eat big during the day and then siesta time. wish we americans had siesta. i work near a lot of great restaurants so a few times a week i bop over to taim, via emilia or pio maya--i find if i eat a big lunch i'll only eat edamame or crackers or something small for dinner. if i pack a lunch it's usually leftovers-- today thai red curry and a salad or sometimes i'll buy a baguette on the way to the subway and bring a tomato, some brie and some salami with me.

either leftovers or i make a big batch of soup for a week of lunches. always fruit too. sometimes i also make muffins for a mid-morning snack.

my office buys in baps (rolls) that most people eat for breakfast. for a while i was brining in sandwich fixings and taking advantage of the free bread.

this week i made a big pot of cauliflower cheese soup with dill.

Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Sandwiches - aka the "Fluffernutter"

peanut butter and jelly. or stir-fry (any meat + any vegetable)