You’re welcome!
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What chillies do you use, and is the flavor very different than store-bought?
I use at least half tien tsin chiles and then make up the rest with whatever seems appealing when I make the batch. Most often, this is guajillo and cascabel, but sometimes I use ancho and/or New Mexico chiles. I think using a mix does add more complexity than just using the tien tsin. You get a little more of the fruity nature of the chiles.
I also am a fan of adding toasted and crushed peanuts to some or all of the batch. So, mine definitely does taste different than the store-bought!
ETA - I end up grinding my own dried chiles, rather than starting with flakes (as they do in the recipe).
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I made this last night and will most definitely be making again. So flavorful! Don’t forget the lemon wedges when serving - they’re a must.
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Butterflied? I thought it was called spatchcocked.
I’ve heard both terms used interchangeably.
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I thought spatchcock referred more to breaking down (up?) whole poultry vs. thick pieces of meat, like a leg o’lamb. I’ve only seen that being referred to as butterflied, but I lead a sheltered life 
I think I made this once a long time ago:
It’s pretty easy. Usually I upp garlic in recipes, this one called for 9 cloves, (3 Tablespoons … I love it that she listed measurement because some cloves are skinny). I got tired of cleaning and chopping garlic so only put 2.5 Tablespoons, more than enough! I hate to buy a whole bunch of fresh thyme for just 1 teaspoon but I did … was able to share some with a neighbor. Recipe didn’t call for parsley but I decided to add. A friend stopped by and said she could smell it from the street, smelled so good!
In her Memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens, she said when she first opened Barefoot Contessa, a woman was coming in buying 10 lbs of this per week so finally they asked why. She replied that her cat liked it! Even a big cat can’t eat that much in a week so must have had some help. Maybe this is before we knew garlic was bad for cats & dogs.
I used to feed my cat raw chicken (I’d grind it up and freeze it) but it just became too much work. Now I roast a 4 lb chicken, lasts about 1.5 weeks, I cut it up and freeze some or I buy an organic rotisserie chicken from WF.
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I’m a huge lemon head and find it’s such a great complement to so many ingredients and always makes a dish pop.
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I have to have lemons, garlic, olive oil in the house. Love shallots too.
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I’d like to try this recipe, using brown crimini and enoki mushrooms as pictured. I’m thinking I’d prefer to use Cambazola (not as strong tasting) instead of Gorgonzola … what do you think?
Mushroom Gratin with Gorgonzola 
Repost from @chefsofiaa:
"Au gratin potatoes don’t get the love they deserve. I took this Potato and Mushroom Gratin to another level and added some Gorgonzola cheese along with some mushrooms.
Potatoes: Russet potatoes are best for gratins as they keep their shape while they bake.
Heavy Cream: The fat in the cream gives you the rich flavor of the gratin. You can’t swap half and half or milk and get the same results.
Ingredients:
-4 medium russet potatoes, sliced thinly
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-250 g mushrooms (mixed)
-200 ml heavy cream
-1 teaspoon fresh garlic (pressed)
-150 g Gorgonzola
-100 g grated gruyère
-Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
•Preheat oven to 400°F degrees.
•In a small skillet, add olive oil and mushrooms and heat on medium for 5-6 minutes to let mushrooms release moisture. Remove from heat and set aside.
•In a small sauce pan, heat cream with garlic and gorgonzola, until it is heated through, but not boiling. Season with salt and pepper.
•Peel potatoes, cut into ⅛ slices and place some of the potatoes in a baking dish.
•Pour half of the warm cream sauce over the potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and add the mushrooms. Repeat these steps with the remaining ingredients.
•Bake for 20-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Let gratin sit for 10 minutes before serving."
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I suspect that with the heavy cream and the potatoes, the intensity of the Gorgonzola will be masked/diluted.
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Cheese + mushrooms = great combo.
Adding one to the list. We just finished working our way through a half recipe, which yielded 3 side dishes for the two of us over the course of 5-6 days. The grits - delicious to start with - just got better and better with each serving. Definitely a keeper.
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Orzo risotto with crispy lemon is on repeat at my house and my SILs. Good alone or as a side dish. Perfect with fish.
My jumping off point.
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Coming back to this since we have somehow fast-forwarded to December already? 
Adding to my list:
SHU MAI BURGERS from the NYT – reported here on the COTM thread. The original idea came from this Bittman recipe, but the seasonings are much better / more accurate in this Siu Mai recipe.
MICROWAVE STEAMED EGGS aka Chinese zheng shui dan, Japanese chawanmushi and Korean gyeran jjim – reported here on the COTM thread. A microwave shortcut for one of my favorite recipes of 2023 .
SPINACH-STUFFED ANATOLIAN FLATBREAD / GOZLEME – COTM report is here, recipe is available without paywall here. I lost track of how many times I made this after I decided using flour tortillas made it very easy.
SARDINES RILLETTES – another very old NYT recipe, and a great way to use up my stockpile of canned sardines. Works with any tinned fish, though. Lighter than the usual rilettes / spuma because it swaps the butter for greek yogurt and olive oil. COTM report here has my flavor tweaks.
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Something I’ve just started doing in the last few months is to fix and eat a package of instant ramen, then crack an egg into the leftover broth, mix it well, and microwave on high for 90 seconds (covered). It makes a lovely little ersatz chawanmushi!
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I have to get around to trying this!
I may have already mentioned this, but there another sardine recipe on the NYT site that I’ve fallen hard for this year. These sardine and tomato toasts are very easy to put together. My only advice from trial and error is sweet onion definitely works best, and the basil adds a lot: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020464-sardine-toasts-with-tomato-and-sweet-onion
Basically this year I decided I was going to start making more toasts for dinner. LLD wasn’t thrilled at first, but they’ve been so delicious that he’s come around. Another that has made it into rotation is from Dinner in French - the spicy tomato and leek toasts. So much more delicious than you’d guess. Unfortunately I can’t find a link to the recipe online.
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