We put milk and sugar on it; it was inedible in any way, shape, form or fashion.

Make rice crispy treats out of them.

Nope, can't make rice crispy treats... puffed rice isn't at all
crispy... and I don't think that even toasting it would crisp it up
any... I grew up with that too... but it was just an option... didn't
HAVE to eat that particular stuff.... so I didn't....

Somebody must. I mean, they still make it. And
some creatures even eat styrofoam (I admit
mostly insects).

+

So I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas day.

We did... we went to Taste of Japan, and had all-you-can-eat... and
ended up bringing a substantial amount home each, which we had the next day...

He really does offer a good deal, especially if
you get that special perk. His day-old will be
fresher than Weggie's fresh, which will be fresher
than a lot of the stuff you get out there, which
needs the wasabi and soy offered with it.

My family's Christmas celebration was on Friday.... I counted 40 people

Yack, that sounds frightening ... though I could
probably still cater such singlehandedly. If
someone else was there to clean up.

there (had the maybe's and the no-shows been there it would have been at least 50)... still a fairly small percentage of the whole family (which
just keeps getting bigger)....

Should the kids' dining area be called
the multiplication table?

Food was all informal... cheeses (a

number of varieties), pepperoni and crackers (likewise).... raw veggies
(I think mostly different color mini sweet peppers)... various hors
d'oerves (I brought frozen prepared ones from BJs, Ling Ling spring
rolls, Wellesley puff pastries and Bagel Bites... that might have been
all this year)... A ham sliced and served as cold slices... MG made a
couple of pans of pasta.... a tiramisu cake (commercially made) and a
large strawberry cheese cake that Christy made (and I think they left
before it was served)... Even less formal than in prevous years....

I could definitely do that singlehandedly. If
someone was there to help pay for the groceries.

There was some rotisserie chicken soup in a pot on the stove, and fresh
fruit (apples, oranges, manderines) available, too...

Problem would be that my friends expect more
elaborate from me (not necessarily better,
mind you).

A 1 1/2 lb lobster each. I boiled them 15 min in
very lightly salted water and served them with melted
unsalted butter. Some people eat only the tails, so
there were extra claws for Joe the birthday boy and
other hungries, plus I had 3 extra bodies.

You made out fine, then... :)

I think I estimated here that I got about
1/4 lb extra meat. Plus a lot of extra
entertainment.

We'd picked up a decently marbled 3-rib Choice small
end roast, Market Basket for $7/lb (so just under $40).
Rubbed it with my rub (described in this packet), started
it off at 450, with the oven immediately turned down to
250 for 90 minutes. It came out medium-rare, which is what
I do for crowds that include the squeamish.

For Christmas Eve, for just the two of us, I roasted a 2-lb piece of
Wegmans garlic studded rib roast... had it with fresh steamed broccoli
and a couple of broccoli & cheese potato gratins from Weggies.. Still
have the half of it for another meal... probably will be later this
week... :) Mine came out close to rare.... :) (I'd clipped a digital coupon for $8 off on the roast.... the smallish hunk with the coupon
turned out to be reasonably reasonable...)

Did Wegmans get paid to do the garlic studding,
or did you do that yourself with Wegmans garlic?

Bonnie made pomegranate citrus watercress salad made with
arugula instead of watercress. People liked it - I thought
too many greens, too few fruits.

I would probably have agreed with you... :)

I generally like fruit salads unless they
are overdressed or overage.

Normally she bakes a chocolate cake for her son-in-law
Joe's birthday, but this year she pled lack of time (we
got back from the southland less than 48 hours before)
and bought frangipane tart from Formaggio Kitchen. I'd
have saved a couple yuppie food stamps and made a cake,
but she didn't want herself or me to expend the effort,
and she's not poor. The tart was quite good, especially
the almonds.

Sounds quite nice.... :)

Here's something that would seem to do better with
Rice Krispies, but if she meant that, wouldn't she
have said "crispy rice cereal"?

Puffed-Rice Bars with Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Categories: dessert, celebrity, somewhat dubious
Yield: 16

3 Tb unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
4 c miniature marshmallows
1/3 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 ts coarse salt
6 c puffed-rice cereal
nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 c chopped, roasted salted peanuts

Butter an 8-in square baking dish. In a large pot,
combine marshmallows, peanut butter, butter, and
salt. Cook over medium, stirring, until melted,
about 4 min. Add cereal and stir to combine. With
a wooden spoon greased with cooking spray or oil,
press half the cereal mixture into dish. Spread
half the melted chocolate on top. Repeat with
remaining cereal mixture and chocolate; sprinkle
with peanuts.

Martha Stewart, Everyday Food, Jul/Aug 2010
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