Grassfield's in Peabody serves a fantastic lunch. The one in Andover was one of my grandfather's favorite places to eat.

The Continental is a nice choice as well.

I belong to a local CSA and the first year at the end of the season, the farm owner gave everyone boxes of butternut squash that they had picked due to an impending frost. He specifically said to wait at least couple of weeks before I started using them since they were picked slightly under-ripe. He said while the taste would be fine, there can be a painful and unpleasant skin reaction due to the squash's natural self defenses in wanting to ripen.
So, what I have noticed is that this only happens to me when I handle raw squash that is not quite ripe. Once it reaches complete maturity, the enzyme or whatever it is called starts to go away. Whatever the enzyme is, it allows the squash to be stored for a long time.
Since I never know from supermarket squash, I always wear gloves.

That child's doctor should be recommending an elimination diet, where you really just start bland and slowly add different foods. Unfortunately, there are only so many things you can test for and there are so many preservatives and such in our food supply that it could almost be anything.

My experience with both is that you can use heavy cream just like whipping cream if you are planning to use it the same day. For some reason..heavy cream doesn't seem to hold up as well as whipping cream beyond the first day.

I go to all sorts of restaurants..and I rarely order an alcoholic beverage. I have to say I have never experienced what you are describing. If you are in a restaurant and a server "gets pissed" because you are not ordering an alcoholic beverage..ask for another server and explain to the manager why. This is extremely unprofessional behavior from any server.

I think it is presumptuous and rude as well. I can't imagine anyone doing such a thing. One rule of business is never to do anything that will annoy your vendors. I can tell you..if I got such a letter..there would be no "gift" forthcoming from my company. Someone should tell this employee that your office consists of adults..and they are certainly free to partake in whatever food gifts are received.

Not sure where you are from...but Raymond's Turkey Farm does fully cooked turkeys on Christmas Day.

Basic food safety...throw out any perishable that has been unrefrigerated for more than 4 hours...I would not touch that beef with a 10 foot pole..not a chance. To me..anyone who would eat meat that's been out that long is doing so at their own risk.

Thanks for the feedback..( and the tips on what's good!). I will probably give it a shot the next time I am in that area.
McSlim..thanks..I have mixed feelings on your statement about the coupons. I have been doing "Groupon" for several months..mostly because the savings encourage me to try restaurants I may not have either known about..or thought of trying..instead of going to the same places I go all the time. So far..the experience has been mixed. This Scoozi one was the first Boston restaurant I've purchased ( although today I got Lulu's Sweet Shop in the North End)...but I have had very good luck with local restaurants and only had one bad experience and it was a doozy for sure.

Does anyone have an opinion on this restaurant? I purchased a Living Social deal the other day and am looking for some feedback before I go to use it.

Grilled cheese..

I agree..it's not something that has ever occurred to me. We have potlucks occasionally at work and no one takes something of everything..and no one is really paying attention to what others are eating..save for one woman who wants everyone to try her dish. Fortunately..she's a great cook so it is never an issue.
I have a life threatening food allergy..so one thing I will only sample dishes made by people who I trust know their ingredients.

Yikes..your SIL sounds incredibly rude. So after you've been planning a Christmas Eve dinner they go and change the plans? I would waste the good ham on them. Sounds like they have very low culinary standards..serving sides that were prepared days earlier is unacceptable and poor..but families can be challenging..lol
I like your idea of saving the ham for New Years..although I am guessing you wish you knew about this change of plans before you invested the money into having a good ham.
In fact..I guess if you wanted to have a bit of fun..you could buy one of those canned hams..bring it..plop it on a place and announce "dinner is served" ..( I am just kidding of course.,.,lol)

I would try contacting Woodman's of Essex. They ship fresh seafood and I think chowder ( not frozen..but they are specialists in shipping so it arrives fresh and cold). Anyhow..you can contact them directly. I can't remember but I am fairly sure they have crab cakes.
Wait..are you local to Massachusetts..? If you are..then I would head straight to Boston Chowda in North Andover. They sell a variety of frozen chowders, bisques...etc. The last time I was in there they also had frozen crab cakes and a variety of other seafood things. Their chowder is good..as is their bisque. Otherwise..I agree with the other posters who said not to freeze lobster.

Isn't that incredibly sweet..? I guess if I wanted to add moisture I would consider a bit of sour cream in the batter. Personally...I think Bisquick pancakes are dry anyhow and prefer homemade any day of the week.
I will say that I had some very tasty zucchini pancakes this morning..very moist and very little syrup needed.

Corned beef has always grossed me out..I admit that I've never tried it..but to me..it looks completely gross, raw or cooked. Ditto for corned beef hash...

Boar's Head whole or half hams are the best I've ever had.

You could try the Beverly Golf and Tennis club. Not sure what the going rate is, but it's not far from Rte. 1 and I've been to a couple of functions here and they do a fabulous job. The last one had a DJ and dancing..so I know that is doable.
Teresa's in Middleton does nice functions..but I think they may have a 30 person minimum.
Other places on route 1 to try that have function rooms are Prince Pizza ( inexpensive), Hilltop ( which does a surprisingly good job on functions.
The problem I think you will run into with a lot of restaurants that have function rooms is that they have a minimum..and that minimum may be 30-40. I have also been to functions at The Continental on Rte. 1 as well.
For non restaurant options..I would look into local KofC or Elks . Usually you can get a function room for minimum cost and bring in your own food.

Wow..this has never happened to me..but I can't imagine that I would be willing to wait more than 20 minutes or half hour unless I was with a large party that could not be accommodated someplace else easily.

I like L'Osteria. Nice food and service..nice atmosphere. From there I would walk over to Modern for dessert. Also...there's a cafe next door to Modern..can't remember the name but they have great gelato and make a nice chocolate martini.

If there's nothing you want or need for Christmas..why not just ask your wife to make a donation to a local shelter or food pantry in your name? After all..buying something just for the sake of buying something seems to defeat the purpose of Christmas...doesn't it..?
Further..if a meat thermometer is what you want..why would your wife disregard it. Isn't it better for her to get you something you want..rather than what she thinks is the appropriate gift? Isn't the whole purpose of gift giving supposed to be based on what the recipient wants?

Don't forget the steak tips..also..they are now serving salad at the Peabody location.

That is an easy one...the lack of flavor is from the diet cattle and pigs are fed...corn fed beef is not as rich in flavor as grass fed ( what mother nature intended). Buy yourself some grass fed beef..you will not be disappointed.

If it has bubbles in it..you should have assumed you would be charged.

I have never been to a "sit down" restaurant where I was charged for a coffee refill.

During this time of year..I usually keep a supply of cheeses, crackers, pepperoni slices and lobster dip in the fridge. My uncle makes fantastic zucchini pickles so I always have a jar of those on hand. I have a great recipe for spinach puffs that are easy to whip up...but most of all..if someone comes to my home they get fed a complete meal..even if they are unannounced.

lol. Yes..the shop Kitty is adorable and very friendly. Polcari's is the second last stop for me when I go to the North End..the last stop being Bova's Bakery. By the time I am done at both, I have too much to carry.

Liver..and I could not leave the table until I had eaten every bite. There's not enough ketchup in the world to make it palatable.

When I make hot chocolate at home..I always use milk and good quality chocolate. Depending on my mood..a splash of Bailey's Irish Cream..or a dash of cinnamon.

Thanks for posting this. I could not agree more on all counts. Besides fabulous coffee, I have purchased a multitude of things there including a lemon tea that I can't seem to find anyplace else ..and rice and pasta. The guys behind the counter are great and never fail to put a smile on my face.
You are right..you can't get the experience any place else.