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I thought the butter wrap thing was universal, too. I've been doing for almost 70 years.

I agree with @Smithy that the presenter is engaging. Gave me a nice little insomnia distraction last night and my comments cast no shame on anyone who picked up some good ideas. I was very impressed at the multiple ovens and vast counter space in that kitchen though I don’t see much genius, just hacks, which aren’t a good thing in my book. With respect to measuring vanilla extract into the cap, my vanilla isn’t the same brand and the cap barely holds less than 3/4 tsp. Close but no cigar. More importantly, I prefer to keep the cap and bottle threads clean to maintain the best seal. I learned to save butter wrappers for greasing pans from my mom and assumed everyone did the same. Maybe she was more of a genius than I realized - she thought box graters were unsafe and always used her Mouli julienne to grate cheese so I bought one for my first kitchen as well. I don’t care for Rice Crispy Treats but I will wash an extra bowl any day instead of trying to awkwardly mix something in a baking pan. As someone who has a tiny freezer compartment in my fridge and views all bags of chips as a single serving, the business of storing bags of snacks in the freezer went over my head. Bagged popcorn already has zero appeal and eating it cold sounds atrocious. Fresh, hot popcorn for me! The whole s’mores thing was odd. Anyone who wants eat s’mores with a fork is missing the point and the idea of kids stabbing a flaming poker with molten marshmallows into a a tiny plastic bag of cookies is frightening. I like batch cocktails and her “freezer door Old Fashioned” is OK but generally, you want to account for dilution by adding a measured amount of water if you want to batch freezer cocktails. I didn’t realize that hard taco shells were still a thing. I guess the muffin tins could be handy but I would never dirty an extra one to hold the sour cream, hot sauce, etc that were already in their own containers. Did I miss some serious genius?

Thank you @paulraphael! This may be the easiest answer for me. Will try this with my next batch of chocolate.

Well, let me enlighten you! To quote a favorite movie line: My mind has been expanded! Oh my goodness, this is good stuff. Here's a preview. The place, Shwe Myine Thu, is only a couple of miles away from my current camping spot. Given the high recommendations of @Shelby and @patti , how could I not go out to get some tea leaf salad to try? I bundled up -- for a Texas norther, that is, not for Minnesota -- and drove over. The outside has picture menus of various dishes they offer, though I didn't see tea leaf salad listed. Inside, the place was clean and quiet. I ordered my salad and had a lot of time to enjoy the artwork and other picture menus. At some point I realized that I was looking through an interior window at an attached Burmese market -- not the Asian market on the east side, but another one attached at the west side. The entrance is so far from the restaurant that the place must be huge! I did not go over there. I already have Condiment Creep problems. However, I couldn't resist this packaged mix in the restaurant: The description / ingredients were posted below the stack of containers: I asked about what to do with it, and was told that it's a good addition to rice. I think she said to fry it first, although the ingredient list suggests it's already been friend once. What the heck. It was only $5. I have now added it to my pantry goods, and will be pleased to get recommendations for use. Eventually my lunch was ready. The young woman behind the counter was very apologetic for the wait, and said it's always best to call ahead. I really didn't mind; I'd been enjoying looking around and even watching some of the activity in the attached market that I was resolutely avoiding. So, here's what I opened when I got home: See the garlic cloves and little chiles there in the corner? I've saved them for later. I didn't think the salad needed any help. One of you who knows about tea leaf salad can tell me how I should have used them. If flavors could be drop-dead gorgeous, this would fit the bill! Crunchy. Very crunchy. A llttle tart, a little spicy heat, a LOT of flavor. I think I can identify some lime juice and fish sauce, but I'm not sure what else is there. I'm not sure what-all is in it. Fried peanuts are easily identifiable. There's something very finely sliced that might be cabbage of some variety. Tomatoes, of course. Some other crunchy things too. What is this green thing? It's very crunchy, and has some heat. Wuf. This is wonderful! I'm glad I followed pattie's and Shelby's recommendation! It was only $8, and I'll be getting 2 meals out of it. The gentleman you can see sitting with his back to me suggested I eat this over rice. Maybe so, but I ate it straight this first time around. If you're ever in Amarillo, I recommend you look these folks up: @patti. @Shelby, and anyone else who has a recipe for tea leaf salad, please share it. I've been looking online and the recipes are all over the place as far as procedures and ingredients.

Find yourself in a restaurant in China with a teapot but no cup 🍵? Or with a bottle of beer 🍺 or wine 🍷 but no glass, a surprisingly common occurrence? Fear not. All you have to do is ask for a 杯子 (bēi zi). This is a catch-all word which means both cup or glass. But, as ever, watch that flat tone on the first syllable. If you're careless and use a falling tone, you'll say 被子 (bèi zi) and the server will think you are tired or feeling cold. You've asked for a quilt! This is probably more avoidable if you ask for a 茶杯 (chá bēi), teacup for your tea or in the case of a beer or wine etc ask for a 玻璃杯 (bō li bēi) or drinking glass. 🍷 🍷

Yup

That is one of the few "hacks" that I have tried - it is definitly easier on the old arthritic wrists than the convential way. That being said - one of my husband's contributions to my cooking is that he is The Grater of the Cheese. He doesn't have hand or wrist issues, so is happy to comply!

I'm in Amarillo, Texas -- the panhandle part. This is turning out to be a good stopping point, and I'm glad I've had a few extra days here.

I've never tried the box grater on its side, either. I'll have to try that and see what I think! It does make sense.

I haven't heard of tea leaf salad either! Guess I need to Google!

for fun, I like to use (Pepperidge Farm) puff pastry - sold in a frozen roll-up. takes a little coaxing to keep it from sliding down the pan on pre-bake, but makes for whimsical presentation

Amazing hacks. I've saved the website for future use (I'm at the beach right now but will need this when I get home). Very clever!

Whereabouts are you, @Smithy?

I checked my lemon extract, almond extract, and liquid smoke ... all three caps held the same amount, just a skosh below the lip of my teaspoon measure. And if I'm not mistaken, they looked exactly like the measurement in the video.

I had a look at my vanilla and the top is not conducive to measuring 1 teaspoon. I have trouble with plastics not drying in the dishwasher so will try the towel trick next time I run a load. And, I'm embarrassed to say that I have never thought of putting the box grater on it's side. Makes perfect sense, so thanks @Shel_B for posting this.

Here's my recipe; the exact quantities are just a convenience. The only thing you have to be precise about is the temperature. You need a decent instant-read thermometer. 250g sucrose 120g water (approx) 0.25 – 0.5g citric acid or cream of tartar (tartaric acid) Mix ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When it boils wash away any sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Additional water has no effect on the final outcome. Without stirring, boil the mixture to 237°F (114°C). Remove from heat and cover. Let it cool until it’s easy to handle. transfer to plastic container. Store in fridge; should last at least 6 months. End result should be about 83% sugar, 17% water.

Yeah it's turned cold with a strong wind from the north here, too. I highly recommend searching out that salad if you're up for it. @pattiis the one that introduced it to me several years ago. I went through a phase where I couldn't get enough of it! I bought several "kits" off of Etsy and also Amazon. I found a picture of one of them that I made--the tomatoes were my addition and probably aren't traditional: edited to add I'll try to dig around in my cabinets--I bet I still have a mix stashed somewhere

egg and avo breakfast sammie-- sriracha

Panko Cod w/ Lemon and capers

Well, maybe I'll have to go check out a tea leaf salad. I've never heard of it before now! I'm here for at least another day. The wind has shifted around from the southwest to the north, in a classic "Texas Norther". The temperature right now is 43F, which isn't bad compared to what I came from but not much fun to be out in, since the wind is 25 gusting to 33 mph. I'll leave that crosswind to the professionals. And it would definitely be a crosswind for me today. Breakfast this morning was from the yogurt I bought yesterday, and a healthy dose of frozen blueberries. The only plain Greek yogurt I could find yesterday was Chobani nonfat Greek yogurt. I don't know for sure whether it's the brand or the fat content, but this yogurt is thin and disappointing. I usually get Fage 2% or 5% fat content. This yogurt is certainly edible, but I won't get it again if I can help it. The blueberries are Wyman's wild blueberries, and they're wonderful. I generally find cultivated blueberries to be hit-and-miss as far as flavor; wild blueberries have more intense flavor. This frozen food is a nice product. My best friend, who lives in San Diego, says she can't find it there.

I'm sure she was filming in a studio set! I have never seen a freezer that empty, and I wonder who among us has that kind of space? That's what I was giggling about. I'm certainly going to check the vanilla extract bit, next time I use vanilla in something. I think she's mistaken about that being a universal rule. Let me know what you find out too, please.

Ive never had a soup that resembles a stew. Soups can be thick or thin, but the ingredients are cut in much smaller pieces. Not usually whole chicken legs or breasts, or whole vegetables that are eaten with a fork and knife.

For pre-shaped crusts, I’ve used Marie Callender’s and Pet-Ritz (which I believe is now part of Pillsbury) both of which come frozen and offer a “deep dish” size. The “regular” versions don’t accommodate the amount of filling I like in a quiche. These aren’t my first pick for a quiche but I’ve used them when I needed to make multiple quiches to take to an event or when I’m cooking away from home. I’ve since picked up enough reusable pie pans from thrift stores and garage sales that I can make quiches for friends, etc without worrying about getting the pans back so I haven’t purchased the pre-shaped products in years.

ME TOO!!

@Smithy I was wondering where you were with all the food options, I didn't expect Amarillo! Your goat looks so good, Ive had it a number of times and not found it strong (aka, tasting of billy goat). If you can find someone that is cooking the goat wrapped in leaves, in a dirt pit, with fire...charm them with music, a plate of brownies and if necessary, cash, so you can get a plate!