I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's what
I'm making:

Deviled Eggs
Parmesan Crisps

Creamy Chestnut-Arugula Soup

Hot Melon Salad on Field Greens

Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
Thyme Popovers

Green Beans with Butter, Lemon, and Bacon
Parsnip-Potato Purée

Spicy Sweet-Potato Pie (contains habañero peppers)
Pandora's Black Pear Tart with Gran Marnier Zabaglione
Trio of Ice Creams: Vanilla, Maple, and Butter-Pecan
Whipped Cream


I'm done with the desserts, the pre-meal munchies, the green beans, and the
soup. (I particularly like the soup. It's lucky to have survived the
night.) The field greens are ready to go, but the melon part of the salad
is a stir-fry, so I'm not going to make it until just before it's time to
eat. The popovers likewise should be eaten almost as soon as they come out
of the oven, and the potato-parsnip purée gets kind of waxy if you make it
too far ahead. The goose will only need another twenty minutes or so, and
that will be on the stovetop (and it's too early to do that). Thus, I have
time to write this message and tell you all that it's great to be me! :-þ

Bob