How could I be so foolish not to trace this thread? I wanted to look back for some good recipes and ideas. It's getting to cooking season again (it warmed up for a couple of weeks, but the weather folks assure us it WILL GET COLD finally on Thursday. Good. Nothing like keeping the house warm by baking and cooking on the stovetop or crockpot.

Tonight I am baking a chicken in a terracotta covered baking dish that was my fathers--called "Römertopf." It really is wonderful, and rather unusual, in that you soak the clay pot in water for a while and start it in a cold oven. A friend of mine has one and told me how to use it, and the bird bakes at a high heat for about 90 minutes with onions and seasonings and veggies all tucked inside. We'll have some baking powder biscuits on the side. It comes out tender and falling off of the bone, the consistency of stewed chicken, but much richer and moister because there wasn't any water to remove the oil from the meat.

Anyone else revving up the stovetop or oven as winter settles in?

SRS