Not sure if you will find it practical, but if you enjoy old cookbooks, Marjorie Kinan Rawlings, Cross Creek Cookery is a really fun read through. A good antique cook book and a nice snapshot of the Southern diet pre WW2. And some of the recipes still work well!

This was an awesome dish. I used fresh garlic sausage. I was worried about the length of time that they cooked, but it was great.

Green Tomato Curry adapted from mangoes and curry leaves by alford and duguid

Saute 1/2 cup onion in some veg oil until it starts to brown. Add a few chopped green thai chilies (i like it spicy; you can use a milder chili) and some curry leaves. Season with 1/4 tsp fenugreek and a pinch of turmeric. Pinch of salt. Add a pound or so, roughly chopped green tomatoes. I like big chunks. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft. Add 3/4 cup coconut milk and boil until the curry thickens slightly. serve with basmati rice.

Ratto's does not sell it. Most Italian groceries, around here anyway, only sell Mostarda di Frutta during the holidays.
If you are in DC, you might give Trinacria in Baltimore a call. It has been twenty years since I lived there, but they used to sell all sorts of rather obscure delicacies.

Mostarda di Frutta

4 dried figs, cut into 1/2inch cubes
1 slightly unripe pear, peeled and cut into 1/2inch cubes
1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into 1/2inch cubes
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/ cup dried apples, cut into 1/4 " dice
11/2 cups sugar
11/2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup mustard seeds
Place figs, pear, apricots, cherries, and apples into a mixing bowl and stir to mix. In a saucepan, heat sugar and wine together until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in mustard and seeds. Pour over fruit and allow to steep 24 hours. Jar and refrigerate.

you can also pressure cook it. I know, I was skeptical, but it works. 10 minutes; start to finish, and very little stirring.

The next day for lunch, squeeze the pot likker from a good sized handful of greens. (save the likker!)
Slather two pieces of good quality bread with mayo, top with the greens, season to taste and enjoy!
The leftovers also make a killer frittata. Mix with eggs and bit of sharp pecorino cheese and cook very slowly til set. Eat at slightly warm room temperature.

Mangoes and Curry Leaves by Alford and Duguid has a good hopper recipe as well as some really tasty sambol recipes. String Hoppers are more problematic, but even more addictive. The infolanka site has really great and very authentic recipes on it.

Edna Lewis: A Taste of Country Cooking and In Pursuit of Flavor.
Or you could get a historical /fun book if your giftee is so inclined.
Marion Cabell Tyree's Housekeeping in Old Virginia is a great read and a fascinating look into the past.
Others are the Robert E Lee Family Cooking and Housekeeping Book and Thomas Jefferson's Cookbook.

I tried all of the recipes in that article and the bread is insanely easy to make and no, it doesn't taste quite right as there is no teff in it, but it was great with the doro wat.

And if you decide to share it, share it only with really GOOD friends! Yum!

Grits. Scrapple. Big obscene salads with lots of eggs, meat and cheese, more grits. Eggs and bacon for dinner. Fried noodles for breakfast. Kao Tom (sp?). Anything with fish sauce. Grits.

Thanks.

Just bought some at VIKS, and I am not sure if it is one of those highly perishable oils best stored in the fridge.
Thanks.

Have not tried the kebobs yet, but I did the shoulder for Easter dinner and it was freaking fantastic and so easy. 7 1/2 pounds cooked for about five hours and it was simply wonderful.
Definitely worth trying.

My current favorite pork belly recipe is "aromatic pork belly hot pot" in The River Cottage Meat Book.

Pimiento Cheese makes a killer cheeseburger.

A belated thank you! I should have said thanks last fall when I tried my first batch. Wow. The first batch was so good and did not last nearly long enough! I just cracked open batch no. 2. Even better!! This time, I used only thai bird chilies (aka scuds). I also made a double batch!
Using only the thai chilies created an intensely floral, insanely hot and spicy condiment that I just cannot stop eating. It has put my zha zhang mein into the stratosphere of deliciousness.

This is the method that I learned when I worked in a Hampden bar, back in the early 80's.
Put a bunch of crabs in a large pot and cover with water. Season to taste with Old Bay. Bring to the boil and cook until the crabs are done. Remove the crabs and allow to cool. Meanwhile, add beef bouillon cubes and and a large can of tomatoes to the pot. Crush the tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil and then simmer while you dress the crabs. Taste for seasoning (it should be spicy and crabby!) and adjust accordingly. Then add one large chopped onion, a shredded head of cabbage and a large bag of frozen mixed veggies (the kind you used to hate in the school cafeteria) and cook until the veggies are done. Break the dressed crabs in half and toss back into the soup. Add a pound of claw or special to the soup and it is done. Serve hot with an ice cold beer, and plenty of napkins.

I make a quick noodle bowl using red miso, instant dashi (i know i know) and then I add tofu, seaweed and spinach and whatever else strikes my fancy. Sometimes an egg or fishcake or.....The udon that are labeled "fresh" are usually pretty good. The included soup base is sometimes sketchy.

Alton Brown (once again!) did a show a few years ago all about artichokes and made what looked like a good marinade. Check out the Food Network site.

Do you have the space?? to the brine the bird? If so, Alton Brown's recipe works well. There is a very recent thread still running re his roast turkey.
Fanny Farmer CB has good traditional stuffing recipes.
In lieu of fancy paper plates, why not rent 2 dozen simple white china plates from a party rental store? They should cost no more than 50 cents each and are so much nicer. It is The Holy Grail of foodie American holidays after all. If not in the budget, Smart and Final (ick, I know) has a nice clear hard plastic disposable plate that would do well.

Sounds like you are well on your way to a good time for all 17 guests. Only other advice is " clean as you go! don't let the dirty stuff get ahead of you"
I once cooked NY's Eve dinner for 12 in a 400 sq ft apt in NYC. We used the table as a counter for prep and service and ate "picnic style" on the floor! It can be done!
Good luck.

I could not remember which magazine did that article. I have been cooking lamb legs that way ever since. Very economical too, since you end up with three small roasts. I usually roast one, butterfly and grill one and use the smallest for kabobs.

Fun.
Thanks.

I second that. I was feeling a cold coming on last night. I tossed a chicken, some chicken feet and veggies in the PC, and 30 minutes later, I was drinking the most wonderful broth......

I make gumbo all the time with mine. While the roux is cooking, I have the chicken in the PC and once all of the aromatics are chopped and tossed into the roux, the PC is done and the broth is ready.....Yum.
Thanks. Now I know what I am having for dinner tonight!

I picked over 20 lbs of green tomatoes on Friday. I just finished canning 14 pints of Chow Chow. I stll have enough left over for frying and curry.
The curry recipe is in Mangoes and Curry Leaves. It is super quick and easy and is now one of my favorite curries. I have made it twice in the last 10 days or so.

I bought a set directly from Fagor and it included an 8 qt and a 4 qt pot, one lid that fits both, a glass lid and a steaming basket.
I believe the site is fagoramerica.com
Good luck.

I have been using two fagor pressure cookers in a Personal Chef biz for almost three years now. I love them. Easy to use, easy to clean and a great time saver. I use one or both at least 5 - 6 each week. Sometimes 2 -3 times in one day.
I have clients with allergies and usually start every service day by making a large pot of chicken stock to be used through out the day.

Grilled Berkshire pork chops, creamed crook neck squash and onions, bacon braised mustard greens and the last of my tomatoes and cucumbers

We always have family favorites that will not totally spoil the appetite (dinner is LATE)
and can be prepared ahead of time, so that the apps do not distract from the meal prep.

Cheese Straws
Ham Biscuits
Sweet Pickles
Ollives and/ or Sausage Balls wrapped in Cheese Straw Dough
and a new but favorite snack, Ina Garten's Caviar Dip with Crudite.
Gotta love Turkey Day!!