"Just tried this, and with a few changes, it was manageable, and I think in the future, it will be even easier to make. This time around, I used 1 bottle of wine only. Alternating between pouring the stock and the wine seemed to keep it from turning purple. (Significantly browned chicken will also ward off any purple later!) I also used a frozen bag of pearl onions and let them thaw for a couple of hours. They worked like a charm!

Follow the directions and be patient. I think having a sort of assembly line is what helped me. The next day, things were simple! I think in the future, however, I may skip the extra steps on the second day and leave everything in the crockpot. My sauce didn't reduce (even with the beurre manie/four-butter-mix) and thicken, though I did end up with 1/3 less than I started.

By the end, with patience and ample preparation time, I had a beautiful dish, full of flavors--rich dark wine, meaty chicken, smoky mushrooms--that was worth sharing!

"I just finished baking and prepping this cheesecake, and the wait was worth it! Everything was easy--the crust, the filling, the baking, the glaze. (I couldn't find Grade B maple syrup, but A has worked just fine!

For those who are wondering--the water bath is NOT necessary. I placed my springform pan on top of a baking sheet so the bottom wouldn't brown too fast.

This was my first time baking a cheesecake, but not my first time with a big project like this. So glad I tried this recipe! I will definitely be bringing it back to my family for Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll win the favorite daughter award this year :-)