Wonkette has a recipe for M&C for grownups. Sounds good, but a lot of work (and I've made M&C from scratch and this is even more work than I'm used to).

Cauliflower and cheese is a delightful combination on its own merits

The Popeyes mac & cheese was pretty good but not quite the magical homemade browned on top wonder I was hoping for

I was suspicious of the "M&C for grownups" because M&C *is* for grownups so I was expecting some additives or something, but it's really just fancy cheese which I can get behind

Y'all have seen kat p's recent post on Facebook, pointing out the existence of this, right?

I did, and it made me laugh and laugh although honestly I would buy that if I saw it and eat it cold out of the can because sometimes that is just the kind of person I am.

I mean, I guess I am always that kind of person but I will only sometimes do that. It's a mood.

"Traditionally a favourite in Scotland", who knew?

I did see that, and thought it might not be a bad choice for an emergency hurricane stash or something. Like -t, there are times when eating it cold out of a can might not sound bad. And hey, no artificial color added!

DH and I are hosting this year, as we're the Grown Up Friends (and also have a toddler who naps). We are providing turkey, potatoes, gravy, and pie. We'll see what else shows up.

It's funny how the circle of life works. We both used to be the youngest in our friend groups, but since moving, we're now the ones saying "you have a job with a retirement account! You can buy pans with bottoms that are actually flat and cars that don't die every six months!"

The newest addition to the group asked for clafoutis for his birthday dessert. I was like "I don't know if we cam get cherries, but sure!" I only knew what it was because of my invisible friends.

Timelies all!

Today was our nanny's last day. We don't have a new one yet, though Gary is looking in several places. I'm expecting Mr. S to be sad about this. Transitions are hard for him, so the next few weeks will be interesting...

Good luck with the nanny search, Sheryl.

I’m sorry everything has been messed up for so long, -t.

I’ve prepped the sweet potatoes for tomorrow’s bake. Peeling and chopping them is always the time consuming part. I like making these. [link]

The pie is in the oven. One of my guests hates pumpkin pie spice, so I’m making a chocolate pie instead. Wine is in the fridge (a bottle per person, although I doubt we’ll go through it all), and the Cornish hens are thawing. Thanks to Salty Pirates, getting the apartment ready was relatively easy.