jilli42

I have almost the entire collection of those Better Homes & gardens cookbooks from the 70's and early 80's. For example: Meat Cookbook Best Buffets Meals Men Like Salad Cookbook Country Cooking Mexican Cooking and many, many others........ I just can't stop myself from buying them. I think it is more of a Lileks Regrettable Food Gallery type thing more than I would actually cook anything from them...although I do have one that has handwritten recipes inside the back cover. The one for "crumble" is delicious !

Ok, the duck made me laugh out loud because it reminded me of A Christmas Story at the end... Those little flat pretzel things, I can find in my local grocery stores (Weis, Bloom & Giant), but not in cheddar horseradish flavor...I bet those tasted good !

Ketchup, mayo/ketchup or sriacha mixture, malt vinegar, gravy, cheese sauce are all good. But it really depends on the fries: McD- Honey or their sweet & sour sauce. Or plain, they are always good plain. BK- Honey or ketchup. Checkers - Chili cheese fries. Wendys - Salt, always need salt and ketchup, if not dipped into a Frosty. Five Guys- Malt vinegar with cajun seasoning and ketchup. Chick Fil A - Ketchup & mayo, occasionally their Polynesian sauce. KFC- Ketchup. Popeyes- Cocktail sauce (they always have that b-cuz of their shrimp baskets !) Cluck U Chicken - Buffalo wing sauce & blue cheese dressing mixed together. For the fries and the wings ! Arbys - Horsey sauce and/or cheese sauce (Curly fries only for me !) Various casual dining restaurants - usually just ketchup or the occasional blue cheese dressing. Homemade - endless variety of dips, as I am always experimenting. Last experiment was thickened teriyaki sauce after I made a teriyaki basted grilled steak..that was really good ! Whew ! That is alo of fast food fries !! But I love fries !

Ooooh the BK Rodeo Burger.....BBQ onion-ringy goodness. I am also missing the Arby Q...Arbys chopped BBQ beef sandwich..... (SOB)

Jell-O pudding pops are back under the Popsicle umbrella. I bought them about two months ago. They come in chocolate, vanilla and your beloved chocolate/vanilla swirl. They still taste almost as good as I remember them as a kid. And I still enjoyed the icy/crunchy exterior of the pop. My favorite is chocolate. As for fast food favorites that I miss: McDonald's fries cooked in beef fat McDonald's fried apple pies Wendy's Monterey Ranch chicken sandwich Burger King's honey mustard chicken baguette Someone posted a while back that the KFC Little Bucket parfaits were gone. But I still see them sold at all KFCs in my area. Chocolate and Strawberry. I also agree with the poster who said that KFC's cole slaw isn't as good as it used to be. ← Be still my beating heart !!! I haven't seen these yet, but I will keep my eyes peeled !! Thanks !

- Butter & hot sauce - California onion powder and garlic powder with freshly grated parmesan - Seasoned salt or 'Hot Salt' with pepper - Penzeys 'Sandwich Sprinkle' with freshly grated parmesan - Wasabi powder with furikake - Penzeys 'BBQ of the Americas' seasoning - Unused portion of ramen flavor packets - Mini marshmallow, peanuts and chocolate syrup, or powder (my kids came up with that one) - Penzeys 'Bangkok Blend' with Sriacha

Red Hot Cheese Curls. I can eat the whole bag in one sitting. I always hide the bag in the trash after I polish it off 'cause I don't want to hear, " You ate the WHOLE bag ?"

My best find was a large cast iron chicken fryer. It was in excellent condition. It cost me $1. I use it all the time, it makes the best fried chicken. My grandfather is a great "yardsaler". He is always buying cooking related things for me & my granmother. Recently, I have gotten cookbooks, cake pans, a set of vintage glassware and a curly fry maker. The kids love it !

I find that very alarming. I always read food labels before I purchase foods, I want to know what I am getting.

Like: onions/garlic frying in butter bread baking chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven Hershey, PA - whole place smells like chocolate onion confit in the slow cooker chicken stock simmering on the stove roasting chicken fresh basil & cilantro, most fresh herbs actually lasagna in the oven pot roast cupcakes/cakes baking in the oven fresh roasted coffee Krispy Kreme donuts - when the HOT sign is on steaming shrimp grilling meat driving by the spice manufacturing plant lemon; citrus smells Dislike: burnt onion or garlic the lingering aroma after frying salmon cakes kimchee unfresh fish markets chitlin's

I do the same thing ! And I got it from my dad too !

I am willing to spend up to $35 for the wine. The chicken will be sauteed and the wine will be used for the cream sauce to go with it. Other flavors in the dish as a whole are thyme, lemon and scallions. Thanks.

I need a recommendation for a good dry white wine. I am using this to cook and drink with a chicken focused dinner. I am looking for something moderately priced but good tasting. I don't drink wine that often so I am in need some help. TIA

I agree with you on the crabcakes !!! Nothing like a good MD crabcake stuffed with lump crabmeat & not much else ! Real cheddar cheese. (Recent conversation with the deli guy at my local supermarket..) "I would like 1pd NY Sharp Cheddar please" He grabs a hunk of cheese, not really looking at the label... "Ummm is that NY Sharp Cheddar ?" DG- "Yeah, I guess..." Yeah ok, it isn't going to be that easy with me "Can I see that please ?" I examine the label and proclaim "Oh I don't want this, it's processed cheddar not real cheddar" DG- "What's the difference ?" My hubby swears he is not coming with me to the store anymore after that exchange, as once the guy said "what's the difference" I had to explain the difference to him ! My grandfathers tomatoes. The ones he grows are so red & juicy & full of flavor.

My grandparents are still living (they are in their late 70's) and I spend at least 2 weeks a year with them on their farm. Everytime I leave I am loaded down with fresh squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, corn, onions, cucumbers etc. I used to spend summers there when I was younger and was raised by my grandparents for the most part, before they moved away. I will always remember picking and preparing vegetables fresh from the garden. I would eat the vegetables raw most of the time, they were just so good. The tomatoes that my grandfather grows are beyond compare. I remember always picking the blackberries and raspberries that grew wild along the fenceline and the strawberries my grandfather grew in his garden. I used to love picking the sunflower seeds and roasting them over an open fire. I really learned an appreciation for fresh fruits and vegetables as well as how to grow and prepare them. I will always remember catching crawdads and fish in the river and hauling my catch home, where my grandmother would fry or boil it up and it would be included in dinner. No matter how small that sunfish or trout was or how few crawdads I had, she always made sure I got to eat my catch. She was always so proud of my prize. My grandfather would alway show me the best place to get worms before I went fishing and provided the old coffee can to keep them in. I learned the best cuts of venison and how to make sure a deer was properly dressed. I also learned how to help cover up a venison that was a little too gamey and how to make a great venison sausage. I started cooking with my grandmother when I was very young. I loved it (as my daughter does now) and always wanted to help. Even though I am sure I was more of a hinderance than a help sometimes. She is a down home cook, fried chicken, greens, chicken soup, breads, biscuits, gravy, squash casserole that type of thing. But she is always trying new recipes and on the look out for any new ideas. We e-mail each other with recipes & "food talk" several times a week. My grandfather would always eat my creations and tell me they were delicious. Although looking back at some of my handwritten recipes now (I love my grandmother for the fact that she kept all my handwritten recipes and made a "cookbook" with them which she just gave me not too long ago), I can imagine they were pretty bad. But he ate them all with a smile and praise. She taught me how to make jams, jellies, relishes and pickles. I learned how to "put up" or can, my vegetables, jams, jellies and pickles from her. My grandfather is a lover of all things sweet, he always has to have dessert after dinner. I will always remember the different desserts that my grandmother made. She has a HUGE repetoire of desserts, cakes, pies & candies that she makes. She can easily go 2 months before repeating a dessert, unless my grandfather requests something specific. My grandparents both let me get hands on with everything they did. I helped my grandfather put new tin on the roof and I helped install an additional bathroom. I helped mow and put up the hay. I fed the cows and the goats. My grandmother always had some new art project for me to do. My grandfather goes to yard sales and is always on the look out for new cookbooks for me. He has a list of ones that I want that he is on the lookout for. He also buys me cast iron cookware, lugs it home, cleans it up and my grandmother will season it up before they give it to me. She has a large collection herself so she doesn't really need anymore pieces. Beyond all the food memories, I will always remember the love. The love, affection and tenderness between them and the love that they have always shown me. WHEW, that was long !!

It isn't, and 9 times out of ten I will do one of the above. Like everyone else mentionned above, KD is just a taste I grew up with and sometimes I find myself wanting it (like about once every couple of months). Also, I find it amazing how the exact same box can end up making so many different things when put into the hands of different people, and that's not even counting all the additions! Adding green peppper and ground beef was mentionned upthread, this is widely known as "rocket fuel". Would anybody here confess to putting ketchup in their Kraft Dinner? I've only seen it done a couple of times and frankly I can't imagine it being very good... ← My whole family eats it like that. My brothers refuse to eat it without ketchup. Foodies they are not. The ketchup gives the mac n cheese a nice tang, although I prefer the velveeta shells & cheese... I don't eat it very much these days but sometimes I crave it. As a nostalgia thing I guess. I have been known to mix it with tuna & peas, for a quick "I don't want to think about food right now" dinner.

Oh, I am right there with you. My darling hubby, who I love and would walk the ends of the earth at his direction, somehow thinks it is cute to feel me up while I am in the middle of some critical point of putting the dinner together. I don't know if it turns him on watching me stir the roux and waiting to pounce with the broth when it is absolutely perfect, or what. That is when he gets the wooden spoon treatment. Don't get frisky while I'm making the gravy please dear. That's for AFTER dinner. He still does it, and giggles when I get mad. Oh well, I love him anyway, but boy is it infuriating. I guess he knows I am too distracted to stay mad for long, and he'll have time to make it up to me. And he always does. And then he does it AGAIN. ← Me too !! I feel the same way, I don't know if it gets him all worked up watching all the stirring and chopping or what. But it can be so maddening when I pause for a second to think of something and he will sneak up behind me and goose me. Of course I don't stay mad for too long either, too busy cooking. He will sometimes do this 3-4 times in a night, if I didn't love him so much.....

I get carded all the time, I am 28 but look much younger. No one ever believes I am 28, I even had one guy tell me my ID was a fake & he was keeping it. I told him he better give my ID back or I was coming across the counter to get it... As a former server I know that some places require you to card everyone at the table, but that waiter was beyond rude. There were better ways of handling the situation. I would write a letter to management about the situation.

The worst meal I was ever served at someones home HAD to be the meal my friend served me when she moved into her first place with her (then) boyfriend. This was a long time ago, we were about 19, but I had been cooking family dinners since 14 and loved all things food related. She on the other hand only cooked Ooodles of Noodles,grilled cheese, spaghetti-o's and things like that. So, she invites us (me & my -then- boyfriend) to dinner. I should have known there was going to be trouble when she called & said "How long do I bake chicken wings ?" Followed by "see I told you so" once I told her that 2 hours was too long. Dinner was icebeg lettuce salad with bottled dressing - not bad just blah. Followed by chicken wings baked in spaghetti-o's. The whole thing was coated with mozzarella cheese. This was her take on chicken parmesan and she said she didn't have tomato sauce in the house, so she used the spaghetti-o's because they "were in tomato sauce and I needed noodles anyway". Ummm-hmmmm. To drink we had the option of St Ides (malt liquor) or Kool-Aid, so sweet I could just feel the cavities forming. The food wasn't that bad, just a really strange combination. She had apparently baked the chicken wings seperately and added the sauce and baked some more, because they were somewhat crispy under their noodly cheesy coating. She is my friend & I love her to death, but I really should have known better.... We ARE still friends and she now has a husband who does all the cooking, and pretty good at it...except for the time he served us undercooked ribs !

I have a rather large condiment & food selection at my office (I have my own office & a refrigerator that I share with one other person) My collection includes: Siracha pepper mill salt 3 kinds of mustard ketchup 2 kinds of mayo hummus Pickapeppa sauce good soy sauce wasabi paste 3 kinds of salad dressings- normally use homemade but these work in a pinch red pepper, red pepper flakes Crystal butter 2 different salas Penzeys sandwich sprinkle - good for subs Franks Red Hot sauce Food/Drink: chai teas green teas water kashi cereal granola bars dried fruit wasabi peas-you should see the looks I get when I eat these ! Kavli crispy garlic oatmeal Thai Kitchen noodle soups- add various ingredients chicken,shrimp, veg, green onions or just to eat as is. "What is that like Ramen ?" imported tuna This food is stuff I keep on hand just in case I can't get out to grab a bite and didn't bring anything that day or I ran out the door without breakfast. My co-workers are always asking what's that, what's in it, can I taste it ? I am always bringing in soup and leftovers to share. Although since my friend left I haven't been sharing quite as much. One time my boss poked at my ropa vieja with his FINGER and said "What's THAT ????! I almost killed him..... You don't know what something is all you have to do is ask, don't stick you finger in my food ! My friends and family think I am crazy for sure. I have heard things such as: "You spent HOW much on that knife ? Just ONE knife ?" "Why don't you just get your seafood/produce at the grocery store ?" "Why do you need another cookbook?" "How much is that pan ? It is just a pan, you can get a WHOLE set at Target for less than that !!" "Mom, why are you taking pictures of the food ?" "You can't go to the cooking store alone anymore" "How much did you spend on groceries ? Didn't you just go last week ?" "Why do you want to go to that food show, you are just going to walk around & look at food. That's no fun." They only people who really get me is my mom's husband; we can talk about food for hours, one of the service techs at my job; used to be a chef, my daughter; loves new foods, will try anything, loves to go on my food realted travels and is learning to cook at 7, and my father-in-law (well somewhat); he loves seafood and we can talk about that and trade seafood recipes, but he still can't understand why I spent so much on one knife... Although he doesn't quite get it, my hubby to be DOES enjoy a good meal. He might not be as adventurous as I am, but at least he can appreciate a good meal and doesn't mind spending the money to get it. Of course when I start to talk about the small details of the meal I can see him "checking out" of the conversation (but he trys to put on a "yes I am listening face" & nod appropriately ). I think the book is a great idea !

skrimps....overheard at the seafood market (and several other places) My brothers used to say p'sgetti, instead of spaghetti.

White rice with brown gravy (powdered or from a glass jar) and hot sauce. I used to eat alot of that when I was younger and couldn't cook much else. Haven't had it in a long time, but I want some now... Had tuna, rotini pasta, steamed brocc (leftover), frozen peas & ranch dressing all mixed together with hot sauce & lots of pepper for dinner last night. It was GOOD, but suitably low brow enough to be posted here. Kids ate Beef-A-Roni because they didn't want any of my "tuna pasta salad mush" (my 12 year old decided on that name). A few more slummin' foods: Sharp cheddar, mayo on white bread with red hot or jalapeno chips mushed in between. Salsa mixed with shredded cheddar (not heated) and eaten with Nacho Cheese Doritos straight out of the jar. Or queso mixed with lots of Crystal and eaten right out of the jar. S.O.S. - made with butter, flour & milk white sauce. (I used to love it when my mom made this) Served on toast. Browned ground beef, mixed veggies (canned or frozen), elbows and cheese mixed together. Add ketchup & mustard to taste. Lipton chicken flavor noodles, frozen peas & leftover roast chicken. Same thing with ground beef & beef noodles. Fried bologna, cheese & egg sandwiches. Pimento cheese on lightly toasted white bread with pickles on the side. Ok, I think that is enough for now... Don't want to give away too many of my "secret recipes" !!!!

Gai phuket - crispy chicken stir fried with onions, chili & basil. So good hot out of the kitchen, not quite as good at home. But if I do take some home, I eat the leftovers cold. Reheating it makes it taste horrible ! Daniel, I am with you on the fries.. Eggrolls Quesadillas Tacquitos Any type pf pressed sandwich; pannini, cuban... just not as good once the bread loses it's crisp.

Baked, not fried--the really airy, puffy variety, of course, right? Here in Philly we go Cheetos one better: Herr's Hot Cheese Curls These have a nice little afterburn. The more you eat, the stronger it gets. ← Oh, the Herrs Hot Cheese Curls, I can eat a WHOLE bag of those and not blink (so I try not to buy them !!) Better than Red Hot Cheetos, although those are still good. Herrs Jalapeno Chips are really good, the heat sneaks up the back of the your throat after the first couple..very good. Gibbles Red Hot chips used to be my favorite, but I can't find them anymore. I am addicted to potato chips, I try not to buy them. Once I stop eating them I can't stop. A few other things I know I shouldn't be eating......(but I do anyway !) Ramen (beef is best), cooked, drain the water, toss with butter, sauce packet & Crystal . Peanut butter mixed with chocolate chips. Peanut butter & bacon sandwiches on toast. Grilled cheese cooked with mayo, not butter. Too much Thai food. Beef jerky & the occasional Tabasco Slim Jim. Jamaican beef patties (7-11 or frozen version from the grocery store). Saltine toffee - so good, but oh so bad for you.... Fried chicken skin, crispy roasted chicken skin. The list goes on & on...I don't make a habit of eating this kind of stuff on a daily basis, but sometimes I cave and eat a whole bunch of something, then vow to exrecise extra hard tomorrow....

Whole wheat english muffin topped with leftover bbq chicken breast and sharp cheddar. Broiled until bubbly...very good.